The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) Partners with Crowd Science Expert to Provide Online Course

The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and GKStill International announce partnership to jointly offer the Fundamentals of Crowd Safety online E-Learning course to address capability gaps in crowd behavior and sciences.

Professor Dr. G. K. Still, Professor of Crowd Science at Manchester University, developed this certified, accredited course. The course offers an 8-hour online interactive experience designed to teach the essential elements of crowd safety and crowd risk analysis.

The course is especially valuable to event organizers, as it ensures that those who complete it are compliant with the NFPA 101 - Life Safety Code — specifically, the areas of section 12 of the code that require a venue to provide a crowd manager trained in crowd management techniques for occupancies exceeding 1000.

Professor Still commented, “We are delighted to launch our new partnership with the NCS4, the U.S.’s leading academic institution in this field. Our partnership will contribute to a broader application of crowd safety and crowd science in the U.S. market to help ensure safer and more secure venues.”

“Professor Still is a global leader in crowd sciences and veteran educator. Part of our mission is to work alongside diverse organizations and subject matter experts to understand the threat environment, identify vulnerabilities, communicate risk-mitigation techniques, and close capability gaps,” said Daniel Ward, NCS4 Director of Training and Exercise. “This partnership allows us to further diversify the training and professional development opportunities we offer to the sports safety and security community.”

The partnership between GKStill International and NCS4 will bring the best training practices in crowd science and crowd management to the U.S. market. The course also provides a route to higher-level crowd science expertise, including a master’s level degree. It is suited to event planners, event organizers, safety managers, security teams, policing and other frontline services.

“We are excited to establish a strategic partnership with Professor Still, a world-renowned expert in crowd science. This collaborative effort is the first of its kind for the NCS4. The crowd safety e-learning course will help operational leaders safely manage mass gatherings and is an excellent addition to our training portfolio,” said Dr. Stacey Hall, NCS4 Director and Professor of Sport Management at The University of Southern Mississippi.

The NCS4 is the U.S.’s only academic center devoted to the study and practice of spectator sports safety and security. Professor Dr. G.K. Still is the world’s leading expert in crowd science. He is the founder of GKStill International and has consulted for leading venues around the world. His training system is also used by multiple international police forces.

For more information or to register for the course, visit https://ncs4.usm.edu/training/crowd-safety-course/.

About NCS4:

Established in 2006, the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴) is the nation's only academic center devoted to the study and practice of sports safety and security. The NCS4 is partially underwritten by grants from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The NCS4 mission focuses on three key pillars – Training and Education, Research, and Outreach. For more information about NCS4, call 601.266.6183 or visit ncs4.usm.edu.