Slide tackles and big goals: Standards at EURO 2008

When Switzerland and the Czech Republic kick-off the first match of the 2008 UEFA EURO Cup in Basel, Switzerland this weekend, it will mark the beginning of an intense, and intensive, football tournament. Millions of football enthusiasts will follow every move of their favourite team and players. While it is entirely open which team will ultimately win the cup, there are things that cannot be left to chance and luck ?the safety of players and spectators, as well as the fairness of the contest. European Standards ensure that there is (literally) a level playing field.

CEN has developed a number of European Standards (ENs) to ensure the protection of participants and spectators at sporting events. Experts from CEN's 30 National Members have created standards for safety requirements of football goals, water absorption of surfaces for sports areas, and shin guards for football players. They ensure a uniformly high level of safety and quality across national borders.

ENs 12231, 12232, and 12233 are all standards on 'surfaces for sports areas'. They ensure that the field conditions are of high quality; in addition their status as European Standards ensures that the pitches used for trainings in the team's home countries correspond to the conditions of the tournament arenas. As well, goalposts and shin guards are standardized to ensure that both functional and safety requirements are of the highest level. Even the distance the net is pulled back from the goalposts is standardized. As great athletes know: when the stakes are this high, you don't want to leave anything to chance.

Moreover, to ensure a safe environment, and comfort and visibility for the spectators, ENs have been developed for many aspects of stadium facilities, including lighting, weatherproofing of seats, and slope of spectator areas. Safety procedures for the evacuation in case of fire have also been developed. Raising standards in Europe will help ensure a safe and exciting tournament. Game on!