The global threat landscape isn’t slowing down¹ and neither are the expectations placed on venues, major events, and live environments. As we look ahead to next year’s seasons, tournaments, and national security reforms, counterterrorism is no longer just about perimeter protection. It’s about people, process, and proof.
Around the world, governments are tightening what they expect venue and event operators to demonstrate – not simply what they claim to have in place². That shift elevates accreditation from an operational tool to a core component of a venue’s counterterrorism posture.
Preparing for next season means preparing for a higher standard of control.
The Global Shift: Workforce Integrity Is Now a Security Requirement
Modern attacks exploit workforce and contractor gaps long before they exploit a fence line³.
Temporary staffing, subcontractors, vendors, rotating crews – all create opportunities for hostile actors if your accreditation processes are inconsistent or outdated.
Preparing for next year means tightening:
- verification
- role-based access
- contractor accountability
- vetting audits
- approval workflows
If your accreditation leaves ambiguity, someone else will exploit it.
Global Standards Are Converging – And They All Point Toward Accreditation
Across key regions, the direction is consistent:
Leaders will be expected to prove who is on-site, why they’re there, and whether their presence is justified.
United Kingdom – Protect Duty (Martyn’s Law)
Set to reshape how UK venues plan for, document, and respond to threats. Next season’s planning must account for stronger verification, challenge culture, and access control expectations.
United States – SAFETY Act
A defensibility model: venues must demonstrate structured, tested, and auditable systems. Accreditation logs, approvals, and access assignments become central to legal protection.
Australia – Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places
A national requirement for venues to assess terrorism risk and implement proportionate security controls. Your 2025–26 planning should ensure contractor verification and zone-based access are defensible.
Singapore – Infrastructure Protection Act
A legally enforced framework requiring security-by-design for high-footfall environments. Ahead-of-season planning must demonstrate that access, verification, and credentialing support the mandated security plan.
France – Vigipirate
Escalating threat levels directly change venue requirements overnight. Planning ahead means ensuring your accreditation can rapidly adapt permissions, access, and control measures without manual chaos.
EU – Public Space Protection & Security-by-Design
EU venues are expected to integrate protective security and access control into operations and design. Preparing for next season means ensuring your accreditation meets those resilience standards.
Canada – Critical Infrastructure Frameworks
Venues increasingly fall under CI risk expectations. Planning cycles must include right-to-work verification, risk-based access, and demonstrable operational security.
New Zealand – PALs (Publicly Accessible Locations) Approach
Guidance emphasises workforce vetting, protective security, and structured access controls. Your next-season plan should treat accreditation as a frontline safeguard.
Planning for Next Year: What Your Accreditation Must Deliver
Every one of these frameworks – formal laws or national strategies – expects operators to show a consistent, auditable, defensible process.
Your accreditation should provide:
- Verified Identity & Right-to-Work
- Role-Based, Risk-Aligned Access
- Contractor & Vendor Accountability
- A Strengthened Security Culture
- Secure, Single-Use Credentials
- Real-Time Oversight for Emergencies
The Business Case for Next-Season Accreditation Upgrades
Better accreditation delivers more than security. It protects:
- Brand reputation
- Operational continuity
- Insurance defensibility
- Legal resilience
- Partner and sponsor confidence
- Fan and workforce safety
- Event ROI
2025-26 is the moment to get ahead of rising standards – not scramble to meet them after the fact.
Accreditation Is No Longer Optional Infrastructure – It’s Your First Line of Protection
Verification is protection.
Visibility is readiness.
Accreditation is leadership.
Your accreditation shouldn’t simply approve passes.
It should strengthen your counterterrorism posture, protect your people, and ensure you enter next season prepared – not exposed.
Footnotes
¹
Defense Intelligence Agency, Worldwide Threat Assessment 2025;
Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Comprehensive Update on Terrorist Financing Risks 2025;
Europol, EU Terrorism Situation & Trend Report (TE-SAT).
Sources:
https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/publications/Methodsandtrends/comprehensive-update-terrorist-financing-risks-2025.html
https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-events/main-reports/tesat-report
²
UK Government, Protect Duty / Martyn’s Law Consultation;
European Commission, Protection of Public Spaces from Terrorist Attacks;
UK Crowded Places Guidance.
Sources:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/protect-duty
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC131172/JRC131172_01.pdf
https://www.telford.gov.uk/media/y1epbwxc/170607_crowded_places_guidance_v1.pdf
³
NPSA (UK), Insider Risk Guidance;
UK Crowded Places Guidance;
UN, Compendium of Good Practice for Critical Infrastructure Protection.
Sources:
https://www.npsa.gov.uk/specialised-guidance/insider-risk-guidance/reducing-insider-risk
https://www.telford.gov.uk/media/y1epbwxc/170607_crowded_places_guidance_v1.pdf
https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/ctc/sites/www.un.org.securitycouncil.ctc/files/files/documents/2021/Jan/compendium_of_good_practices_eng.pdf
Official Framework & Strategy References
United Kingdom – Protect Duty / Martyn’s Law
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/protect-duty
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-factsheets/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-overarching-factsheet
United States – SAFETY Act (DHS)
https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/safety-act
https://www.safetyact.gov
Australia – Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism
https://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/protect-your-business/crowded-places/australias-strategy-for-protecting-crowded-places
https://www.protectivesecurity.gov.au
Singapore – Infrastructure Protection Act
https://www.mha.gov.sg
https://www.mha.gov.sg/what-we-do/managing-security-threats/protecting-infrastructure
France – Vigipirate National Security System
https://www.sgdsn.gouv.fr/vigipirate
https://www.gouvernement.fr/vigipirate
EU – Public Space Protection & Security-by-Design
https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/pps/items/653933
Canada – Critical Infrastructure Strategy / CI Resilience
https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/srtg-crtcl-nfrstrctr/index-en.aspx
New Zealand – Publicly Accessible Locations (PALs) Guidance
https://www.protectivesecurity.govt.nz
