OHSAA Game Management Guide

CONTEST

MANAGEMENT

GUIDELINES

for

OHSAA Member Schools

September, 2006

Our mission is to regulate and administer interscholastic athletic competition in a fair and equitable manner while

promoting the values of participation in interscholastic athletics as an integral part of a student's educational

experience. The OHSAA represents its member schools by recognizing and promoting academics, the safety of

participants, good citizenship and lifelong values as the foundation of interscholastic athletics.

4080 Roselea Place ~ Columbus OH, 43214 ~ 614-267-2502 ~ 614-267-1677 (fax)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction................................................................................................................................... 2

Site Manager Responsibilities ...................................................................................................... 2

Pre-Event Management................................................................................................................ 3

Contest Administration..................................................................................................... 3

Crowd Management ........................................................................................................ 4

Emergency Action Plan ................................................................................................... 5

Facilities........................................................................................................................... 6

Incident Report Forms..................................................................................................... 6

Officials............................................................................................................................ 7

Prohibited Items............................................................................................................... 7

Sideline Control............................................................................................................... 8

Sporting Conduct – “Respect the Game”......................................................................... 9

Staff................................................................................................................................. 10

Suspended Games, Eligibility, and Forfeits..................................................................... 11

Visiting Team................................................................................................................... 12

Post-Event Management.............................................................................................................. 13

Summary...................................................................................................................................... 13

Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................... 13

Event Checklist............................................................................................................................. 14

Introduction

The Ohio High School Athletic Association encourages a professional approach to game management

(including risk management and emergency action plans) and has compiled this guide to assist in those

efforts. It is imperative that all local school sites, college and university sites and community or private

facilities are aware of OHSAA policies and comply with the best practices for dealing with emergencies,

crowd management and health and safety protections. The following information is designed to assist

school administrators in providing safe and enjoyable activities free from unnecessary risk for all events at

your school up to and including state championships. For those schools hosting OHSAA tournament play,

additional information may be provided by the Association.

Site Manager Responsibilities

The site manager is responsible for the overall coordination of the facility, equipment and personnel

necessary to host an interscholastic contest, including the safety of all participants and spectators in

attendance.

Site managers should have in place the local school and school district emergency action plan as a guide

for the handling of any emergencies. Plans should be in place for weather events, loss of power, threats,

acts of violence, weapons, disorderly conduct, demonstrations / riots, evacuation of the facility, use of fire

and police responses and other contingencies as may be foreseen. Site managers should prepare the site

for crowd control; banners and signs; assigned and clearly posted spectator seating directions; public

address announcements, including those on sportsmanship, and other provisions for ensuring a successful

competition for participants and spectators alike.

Site managers are responsible for educating all members of the event staff (including ticket sellers, ticket

takers, timers, custodians, announcers, security guards, security / crowd control personnel, school officials,

parking attendants, etc.) regarding their roles in an emergency. Site managers must also provide

information pertaining to the emergency action plan to appropriate police, ambulance, EMT and fire

personnel.

Pre-Event Management

CONTEST ADMINISTRATION

1) Paperwork

a. Verify accuracy of all contracts.

b. Verify availability of necessary funds.

c. Verify eligibility of all participants from your school.

d. Ensure that incident report forms are available for use as needed.

2) Concessions

a. Coordinate all logistics including staffing, inventory and equipment.

b. Be sure that concession stands doors can be locked from the inside for security purposes.

c. Provide a basic first aid kit at concession stands so that minor injuries can be treated.

d. Make arrangements for money pick up and transfer with a security person for safety purposes.

3) Halftime Activities – coordinate logistics for halftime activities by school bands or other groups.

4) Housekeeping / Maintenance

a. Ensure restrooms have been cleaned and properly stocked.

b. Coordinate trash pick-up for both during and after contests.

5) Locker Rooms - assign locker rooms for teams and officials.

6) Media

a. Utilize appropriate media to relay information regarding special ticket sales, directions, road

construction, parking issues, etc.

b. Develop plans on working with the media (guidelines provided in the OHSAA publication “Working

with the Media”) including provision of work space during and after contests, making coaches and

players accessible for interviews, providing statistics and providing access to a telephone.

7) Playing Surface – ensure surface is properly marked and check for any hazardous conditions.

8) Seating - designate seating sections for each school and any school groups.

9) Security

a. Develop general security procedures including post-game procedures, strategies for keeping fans

off the playing surface, safety for participants, officials, and fans.

b. Do not permit fans to congregate around coaches, officials, visiting team or their dressing rooms.

c. All security procedures should be reviewed with security personnel.

10) Ticketing

a. Issue tickets and gate start-up change just prior to the opening of the gates / doors.

b. Use numbered tickets to provide a means for reconciliation after the event. It is not advisable to

collect money with no potential for auditing ticket sales.

c. Make arrangements for money pick up and transfer with a security person for safety purposes.

d. Ticket sellers should be provided means to communicate with the site manager or other designated

personnel in the event there is a problem with unruly fans, threats, arguments, etc.

e. If it is known in advance that a particular event is a sellout, notify as early as possible the

participating schools to request that their local radio stations to help publicize the message and

hopefully save fans the unnecessary travel. Police officers (or other security personnel) should be

positioned outside the facility to assist with informing the crowd and any crowd control issues.

11) Visiting School

a. Provide the visiting school with all necessary information well in advance of the contest.

b. Include information on directions, parking, tickets, locker rooms, seating sections, press box

accommodations, equipment, post-game procedures, security, housing, bands and cheerleaders.

c. Notify the visiting school of any special activities scheduled for that day (i.e. Senior Night, etc.).

CROWD MANAGEMENT

1) Crowd management policies should be established to address the following issues and utilized when

appropriate:

a. Policies pertaining to use of tobacco products and possession of alcoholic beverages.

b. Policies pertaining to tailgating.

c. Clear delineation between school seating sections.

d. Barrier to keep fans from the playing surface.

e. Identification of personnel permitted to be in the bench area or on the field / court.

f. Identification of prohibited items and plan for addressing fans bringing such items (additional

information pertaining to prohibited items can be found on page 7).

2) Sufficient security personnel, as deemed necessary by the site manager, should be scheduled to manage

the anticipated crowd. All security personnel should be provided information pertaining to all policies and

procedures including emergency action plans.

3) Appropriate PA announcements should be prepared in advance to assist with crowd management issues.

4) Crowd management efforts should also include the involvement of administrators from participating schools

to assist in overseeing their respective fans. High visibility by administrators in student sections is especially

important.

5) School administrators should introduce themselves to each other well in advance of the contest, determine

who the “go-to” person is from each of the participating schools and, if played at a neutral site, introduce

themselves to the site manager. The “go-to” contacts should also introduce themselves to the public

address announcer and provide information on how they can be contacted and where they will be during the

contest to both the site manager and announcer.

Note: For additional information on crowd management, visit the OHSAA website to view the PowerPoint

presentation prepared by an Ohio athletic administrator for the 2005 NIAAA National Conference in Orlando.

EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN

1) Plans – schools and facilities should already have emergency action plans in place which indicate how

situations will be handled and by whom. The plans, which should be in writing with appropriate diagrams,

should be thoroughly reviewed each year with staff. Meet with appropriate staff to be certain that the plan is

communicated and ALL event personnel know their role. Emergency action plans should include the

following:

a) A defined entry and exit plan for the venue.

b) Public address announcements.

c) Parking arrangements and traffic flow identifying high traffic times and possible bottlenecks with

plans on how to address.

2) Common Emergencies – the following common emergencies should be addressed in your action plan:

a) Fire

b) Weather-related issues (i.e. lightning, inclement weather, heat and humidity)

c) Medical and catastrophic emergencies on the playing field / court and in the crowd

d) Facility problems (i.e. loss of power, structural collapse)

e) Crowd control issues (i.e. disorderly conduct, weapons, demonstrations)

f) Threats

3) OHSAA Inclement Weather Policy

a) Schools are required to adhere to the OHSAA’s lightning / inclement weather policy for outdoor

events (included in the OHSAA Handbook - Sports Regulations, which is mailed to school

administrators and appears on the OHSAA web site, www.ohsaa.org).

b) The host school's lightning / inclement weather policy may be followed provided it is at least as

stringent as OHSAA guidelines. If a host school has a lightning/inclement weather policy that

differs from OHSAA guidelines, the policy to be used shall be included in the game contract with

both the opponent and the contest officials.

4) Legal - be certain that all legal issues, contracts and insurance policies are reviewed and updated by your

school’s legal counsel, superintendent and school board to ensure that liability issues are covered.

5) Communication - be certain that your entire management team has means to communicate with one

another. Those who should be included in communication are ticket takers, ushers and parking attendants,

security, medical personnel, contest officials and the media.

6) Equipment - be certain that emergency exits, alarms and necessary public address systems are working

and locations are known and marked.

7) Medical Personnel - be certain that medical personnel are on site, communication is available and clear

paths for an ambulance or other emergency vehicles are available.

8) Security - meet with security and develop a checklist, which should include location of security, how long

security is required and the means of communication.

9) Chain of Command

- develop a chain of command to ensure necessary decision makers are aware of any

situations. This will be the core group needed to make decisions, provide information on behalf of your

school, provide necessary medical coverage and be the spokespersons to the media. The lead emergency

response organization will likely be determined based upon the type of emergency (i.e. fire, medical, etc.).

School administrators should confer with the appropriate emergency response organizations prior to any

contests to resolve all issues pertaining to jurisdiction.

10) Public Relations - have a public relations plan in place regarding statements to be released to the media,

parents and other fans. Determine who will be involved with creation of the appropriate statements and

when and how they shall be released.

11) Delays, Postponements & Cancellations

a) Identify who shall be involved with this decision-making process.

b) If a contest is interrupted for any reason beyond the control of the responsible administrative

authority, the contest shall be resumed from the point of interruption. EXCEPTION — those sports

which have a specific procedure for determining the outcome of an interrupted contest: e.g.,

baseball, football, soccer and fast pitch softball. In those sports which cannot be resumed from

the point of interruption due to the nature of the events within the sport (e.g. cross country, track

and field, gymnastics, and swimming and diving), the referee or head official may require that the

event be competed again in its entirety.

c) Any scheduled regular season contest which is not started due to unforeseen circumstances, such

as failure of a team to arrive, a strike or a school closing, is a “no contest.” No contests are not

included in won-lost statistics.

d) Student eligibility is set forth in OHSAA Bylaw 4. A participating student must be eligible in all

regards. An athletic contest in which a team is determined to have used an ineligible participant or

committed other rules infractions must be forfeited. Forfeiture can occur only after a contest is

started, completed or the contest official's jurisdiction has begun.

FACILITIES

1) Check your facilities on a regular basis for maintenance problems and make any modifications. Be sure to

also make modifications due to rule changes.

2) Develop a pre-event checklist for all venues and activities, including all areas of your facilities (locker rooms,

bleachers, press boxes, concession stands, restrooms, lights, wiring, exit signs, playing surfaces, stairs and

ramps, sidewalks, etc.) as well as any facilities you use off school grounds.

3) Double check all scoreboards, public address systems and other needed equipment to make sure they are

working properly.

INCIDENT REPORT FORMS

1) Develop a report form in which all spectator-related incidents are described.

2) The report should describe the incident, who was involved, location, time and action taken.

3) Signed verification should be included on the report by the person(s) involved in the incident along with any

witnesses.

4) Complete and file reports immediately on the day or night of the contest.

5) Share the reports in a timely manner with the proper personnel (your school administrators, visiting school

administrators, OHSAA representatives, etc.).

OFFICIALS

1) Contact contest officials prior to game day with specific directions, parking information and who will meet

them upon their arrival. Inform them of any special activities that might be occurring (i.e. Senior Night, etc.).

2) Provide officials with a number they can call in case of an emergency prior to the event.

3) Request that contest officials notify the school regarding their estimated arrival time.

4) Assign a host to meet the officials as they arrive. The host should handle the following:

a. Provide a reserved parking space.

b. Escort them to the officials’ dressing room / locker room and inquire as to any additional needs.

c. Introduce officials to other game personnel pertinent to the contest (i.e. scorer, announcer, etc.).

d. Make officials aware of location of trainer or paramedics during the contest.

e. Confirm proper pronunciation of officials’ names for the public address announcer.

5) Inform the officiating crew how they can reach the site manager during the contest, as well as procedures

planned to ensure the contest officials receive the proper security to and from the playing field or court.

PROHIBITED ITEMS

1) Recommended Prohibited Items - the home school game management is responsible for enforcing

policies regarding prohibited items. The following items may not be brought into the facility by patrons during

OHSAA tournament contests: alcoholic beverages, bottles, cans, cups, containers, irritants (see below) or

special lights. It is recommended that these items not be permitted during regular season contests that you

host. You may have additional restrictions at your facility.

2) Irritants - “irritants” include such items as noisemakers, oversized flags, banners or signs that may block

the view of others. The site manager (or designee) is responsible for determining whether a specific item in

this category represents an “irritant” to other patrons and whether it should be prohibited due to being

unsporting. Signs and banners should not be hung unless approved in advance by game management.

3) Alcohol / Drugs – OHSAA regulations state that the sale of, the distribution of or consumption of alcoholic

beverages or illegal drugs is not permitted at the site of any contest involving OHSAA member schools.

4) Tobacco - school participants (coaches, players, trainers, managers, statisticians, scorekeepers,

cheerleaders, etc.) and contest officials in an athletic contest are prohibited for using any form of tobacco at

the playing site of an interscholastic contest. Penalty for violation by school participants is disqualification

from the contest. Violations by contest officials shall be reported to the OHSAA.

5) Photo/Video Regulations – spectators should be reminded that, during OHSAA tournament contests, all

photography and videography from the stands shall:

a. be for personal use only

b. not be used for scouting or coaching purposes

c. not interfere with the view by other spectators.

Participating schools or conferences/leagues shall determine whether these polices should also apply for

regular season contests. In addition, spectators should be reminded that the use of all photographs or

videos for commercial and/or internet posting purposes without proper consent is strictly prohibited.

Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

6) Objects on the Playing Surface - home management shall “police” the throwing of any objects, including

snowballs, by spectators and others and discourage all student groups, including bands and cheerleaders,

from participating in these unsporting acts.

7) OHSAA Tournament Regulations – recommend adoption for your regular season contests as well.

a. During OHSAA indoor tournament contests, shirts and appropriate attire must be worn by all

spectators. We recommend that this policy be adopted for regular season contests that you host.

b. No person or group may distribute the following materials in the facility or adjacent areas that fall

under the control of the game management without the advance written permission of the OHSAA:

handbills, flyers, newspapers, memorabilia or promotional materials for other events or activities.

SIDELINE CONTROL

1) Authorized Personnel

a. Home administration has the responsibility for making sure that the sidelines / end zones and team

areas are properly secured, and only authorized personnel should have access to these areas.

b. Authorized sideline personnel include reporters, photographers, statisticians and administration.

All others should be located in the bleachers. Personnel that have a sideline / courtside pass

should be restricted from being in team areas and from being too close to the field / court.

2) Enforcement

a. Evidence suggests that sideline control has worsened over the past several years. Not only are

coaches violating the rules, but officials are not enforcing the rules. There are more confrontations

between coaches and officials, more obstruction of officials’ space on the sideline and, in general,

more congestion.

b. This is a safety concern and a logistical problem for officials who must have free access to the

sidelines to do an effective job.

c. This is a game management problem that game administrators should address, but one that

officials must bring to their attention more often.

3) Team / Coaches Boxes

a. Coaches, players and team personnel must recognize and be aware of team and coaching box

rules that are in effect during the contest. The burden is on the head coach to remind coaches,

players and team personnel of these rules.

b. Authorized conferences must be conducted properly and within the limits of the rule.

c. Officials must be more vigilant and enforce the rules applicable to sideline maintenance and

control.

d. Game management must do its part to clearly mark and maintain the field / court throughout the

season. These efforts will minimize risk, will lead to more effective officiating and can prevent

unfortunate incidents.

e. Game management must do its part to enforce OHSAA General Sports Regulation 41 –

Participants Leaving the Playing Area. The regulation is as follows:

No member of any school-sponsored interscholastic athletics squad shall leave the ‘playing

area’ of the facility to engage in any type of conflict – verbal or physical. If a student-athlete

leaves the ‘playing area’ and enters the ‘spectator area’ of a facility to so engage a person, the

minimum penalties shall be:

41.1 The student-athlete’s privileges to participate in interscholastic athletics shall be

revoked and the student-athlete shall be ineligible for the remainder of the school

year.

41.2 The school shall be immediately placed on probation pending an investigation

(and report) into what happened, what caused it to happen, what was done by

the school to diffuse what happened, and what ‘safeguards’ have been

implemented by the school to prevent future happenings.

SPORTING CONDUCT (visit www.ohsaa.org for additional information)

1) Role of Coaches - coaches are the most influential individuals upon the sportsmanship and conduct of

players and spectators.

a. The coach must maintain a professional attitude toward fellow coaches and officials.

b. Complaints should be filed through the proper channels and coaches should avoid showing any

disrespect on the playing field / floor either during or following games.

c. The coach must know the rules of the game and teach players to play within the spirit and intent of

those rules.

d. The coach must enforce the standards of good sportsmanship and appropriate conduct.

2) Fan Expectations

a. Fans at contests are expected to adhere to the values of sporting conduct that are supported by

the OHSAA. Acts of ridiculing an athlete, coach or official; showing hostility toward opponents,

opposing fans or even fellow fans; becoming violent, or using bad language will not be tolerated.

b. Those in attendance who do not “Respect The Game” should be removed from your facility without

hesitation.

3) Sportsmanship Program - your sportsmanship program should include the following:

a. Insistence that coaches display good sportsmanship and are proper examples for players and fans.

b. Work with cheerleaders and advisors on acceptable cheers. Develop plans for utilizing positive

cheers when it appears the crowd is becoming hostile.

c. Work with student groups to review your expectations and acceptable behavior. Assign staff

members to these sections to ensure that proper behavior is being displayed.

d. Consider having your fans/parents, student-athletes, coaches and student groups sign sporting

behavior pledge forms.

e. Develop public address announcements regarding sportsmanship to be read at your contests.

4) Responsibilities of the School

a. Take time to review your expectations and policies and publicize them well in advance of events.

b. Your school has the responsibility to ensure that all school personnel are properly educated on

OHSAA and local school policies and that this information (including codes of conduct with a

penalty phase) is disseminated and reviewed with all coaches, participants, students and parents /

fans. Effective communication and enforcement are crucial to avoid problems and potential

litigation.

5) Policies - for all OHSAA competitions, event management shall adopt and enforce the following policies:

a. Use of electronic scoreboards to present videotaped game replays or electronic messages shall be

permitted at those schools that are so equipped. However, schools shall refrain from showing

replays on video boards where an officiating call could be considered a substantial part of the play.

b. All noise emanating from a video or message board must stop prior to game action.

STAFF

1) Job Descriptions

a. Compile a list of job descriptions, appoint the workers and develop a written schedule.

b. Personnel should include tickets sellers, ticket takers, ushers, security, doctors, licensed athletic

trainers, police, parking attendants, press box attendants, chain crews, clock operators, concession

stand workers, program sellers, a media coordinator, statisticians and announcers.

c. Work with all school and outside groups (police, medical personnel, security, etc.) to ensure that all

procedures are covered and policies followed.

2) Report Procedures

a. Establish a time for all staff members to report to work and to who they are to report.

b. Verify that all staff is in place.

3) Clock Operator

a. Should be ready to start the game clock at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the contest.

b. Should meet with game officials to discuss the following: accuracy, fairness, clock operator as part

of the officiating crew, and respect for all who are involved with the game / match.

4) Announcers - should be reminded by the game administration of the following:

a. Exemplify sporting conduct (use good taste).

b. Provide information only rather than perform play-by-play or critique of the officials.

c. Be positive towards guests as well as the home team. The visiting team and their fans are your

guests and should be treated as such. Creating an intimidating environment is NOT appropriate.

d. Respect all who are involved in the game.

e. Note: For additional information on improving the level of professionalism in announcing, visit the

National Association of School Public Address Announcers web site at

www.naspaa.net . Included

is a code of conduct and an online course for public address announcers.

5) Officials

a. Host schools must provide adequate security and protection for the officials and their vehicles

immediately upon arrival on school grounds and continuing through their departure. Assign a host

to meet the officials and escort them to and from their dressing areas (including at halftime) and

vehicles. Add additional security if needed.

b. It is the home school's responsibility to ensure the locker room is properly secured and only the

game administration has access to this room.

c. Contest officials have control over the team areas, and home school game administration should

take care of problems outside of these areas.

d. Do not allow unauthorized persons in the dressing room after the game.

e. Ensure that officials are not confronted by anyone after the contest.

f. Thank the officials for their time and effort, regardless of the outcome of the game.

g. Ensure that arrangements for paying officials have been completed. If school or site management

requires social security numbers from officials, a procedure for security and confidentiality of such

numbers must be in place.

6) Security

a. Meet with security and review expectations.

b. Special arrangements should be made for escorting the transfer of ticket and concession receipts,

escorting officials and keeping fans off of the playing area.

c. Make arrangements on how security can be reached / located immediately should an incident take

place on the playing area, in the stands or in other areas of the facility.

d. Consider assigning someone to observe the crowd during the contest to stay on top of potential

problems.

7) Guest Services

a. Remind your event staff members to always practice positive guest relations to visiting teams,

officials, fans and the media so that the impression they make is positive!

b. Take time to review the responsibilities of your staff, which includes being friendly, outgoing,

responsible and concerned.

c. Everyone should be treated with the same respect and courtesy.

d. The media are professionals who have a job to do, and they are your guests. They have a

responsibility to act professionally and you should treat them that way in return.

e. Remember, many people will be attending your venue for the first time. Make sure they leave with

a positive impression.

SUSPENDED GAMES, ELIGIBILITY & FOREITS

1) If an interscholastic contest (game, match, meet, etc.) is interrupted for any reason beyond the control of the

responsible administrative authority, the contest shall be resumed from the point of interruption.

EXCEPTION — those sports which have a specific procedure for determining the outcome of an interrupted

contest: e.g., baseball, football, soccer, field hockey and fast pitch softball.

2) Any scheduled regular season contest which is not started due to unforeseen circumstances, such as failure

of a team to arrive, a strike or a school closing, is a “no contest.” “No contests” are not included in won-lost

statistics.

3) Student eligibility is set forth in OHSAA bylaws. A participating student must be eligible in all regards. An

athletic contest in which a team is determined to have used an ineligible participant or committed other rules

infractions must be forfeited. Forfeiture can occur only after a contest is started, completed or the contest

official’s jurisdiction has begun.

VISITING TEAM

1) Host schools must provide adequate security and protection for the visiting team and their vehicles

immediately upon arrival on school grounds continuing through their departure. Assign a host to meet the

visiting teams, bands, cheerleaders and others and escort them to and from their dressing areas, seating

areas and vehicles. Add additional security if needed.

2) Introduce yourself to the visiting team supervisor (principal, athletic administrator, etc.) and exchange

locations in the event you would need to communicate during the contest. Exchange cellular telephone

numbers or consider providing the visiting team supervisor with a walkie-talkie.

Post-Event Management

Following each contest and each sports season, it is always necessary to fine-tune your event

management process. Here are areas to consider for post-event management:

1) Meet with the same individuals with whom you met in your pre-event management meetings to see

what changes should be made to improve your next contest or contests for the next season.

2) Be sure to have written documentation outlining procedures to be changed for the future

preparation. Note that some policies may need school board attention if dealing with school

policies.

3) Obtain evaluations from those involved with managing your events. Consider also obtaining

evaluations from officials and visiting administrators.

4) If an emergency occurred, how it was handled should be reviewed the very next day.

5) If an incident occurred, the administration should always be notified and given details (reference

page 6).

Summary

As any experienced site manager can tell you, there will always be unexpected issues that arise. However,

with proper pre-event planning many potential issues can be eliminated or minimized. Such efforts prior to

the event provide the site manager the flexibility to troubleshoot unforeseen issues on the day of the event.

On page 13 you will find a basic event checklist to assist you in your planning efforts.

Well prepared site managers provide a safer and more enjoyable experience for everyone, while reducing

risks. Effective communication ensures the success of the plans you develop, including communication

with all individual involved with management of the event, security, medical personnel, officials, students,

fans and the visiting schools. As always, positive sporting conduct is a key ingredient for a successful

event, so be sure to incorporate the Respect the Game campaign in your event planning.

Taking time to review for the next event, the next season and the next year will allow you to improve your

programs for everyone involved. Best of luck and please feel free to contact the Ohio High School Athletic

Association at 614-267-2502 if we can be of service.

Acknowledgements

Excerpts from this guide were taken from the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, the Illinois

High School Association, and the Missouri State High School Activities Association.

Event Checklist

The following is a basic event checklist to assist in preparations for hosting an event. You can personalize it for your

events by adding additional information specific to your site:

9 Condition of playing surface

9 Locker rooms cleaned and properly stocked

9 Necessary equipment available and functioning properly

9 Designation of seating areas for fans

9 Sufficient event personnel scheduled

o Ticket sellers

o Ticket takers

o Concession personnel

o Parking personnel

o Security

o Police

o Medical

o Announcer

o Clock operator

Officials host

9 Communication of pertinent event information to event personnel

o Emergency procedures

o Prohibited items

o Crowd management and other security procedures

o Special events (i.e. halftime activities, senior night, etc.)

9 Established method of communication between event personnel (i.e. Nextels, cell phones, radios, etc.)

9 Officials Accommodations

9 Visiting Team Accommodations

9 Media Accommodations

9 Public restrooms cleaned and properly stocked

9 Concession stands cleaned and properly stocked

9 Creation of applicable PA announcements

9 Availability of OHSAA Handbook & Applicable Rule Books

9 Availability of incident report forms