In the fifth of his series of interviews with some of the unsung heroes who work behind the scenes at Goodison Park, Joe Thomas speaks to Everton head of security and stadium safety officer Dave Lewis
There is one thing guaranteed to cause a stir at Goodison Park during even the quietest lull in play. In fact, when Dave Lewis scans the stands he often spots quizzical – and sometimes comical – reactions.
‘Operation Goodison Exercise’ sparks a buzz of intrigue whenever it is announced over the PA system at the Grand Old Lady.
Season ticket holders and other regular match goers may be well-versed in the call to action for the club safety staff and emergency services on duty, but every test is met with puzzled faces. If the match is being shown live on TV it also leads to a flurry of online searches for an explanation, judging by the spike in traffic to an overview on the ECHO website.
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For Dave, the twice-a-season ritual is of the utmost importance. As head of security and stadium safety officer, this is the moment to assess the strength of Everton’s emergency planning.
“We have to test Operation Goodison Exercise,” he says while sat with the ECHO in the Park End. “The public address system will go off and, standby, everyone will start thinking about it happening. Then we will press the button to commence the exercise and then it is as if, without anyone moving, we are all doing what we would do in a stadium evacuation.
“All of the exit gates will open up, and we will communicate with the stewards. The police and traffic management will go out to their positions and we check everyone is doing what they should be and close it down again.”
Behind the scenes the ground is a hive of activity while nearly 40,000 people watch events on the pitch, providing the perfect cover for the practice run.
Overseeing that is just one of the many responsibilities Dave has accumulated in his dozen years since moving to Everton from his former role in the police. His background leaves him well-placed to work with the myriad agencies involved in keeping supporters safe, including the counter terror police he, as all football clubs do, works closely with.
Many of his other duties are just as fascinating and they extend from the storied concourses of Goodison to social media to multi-million pound homes. Should a player receive abuse or a threat on social media – a problem that is a relatively new phenomenon – Dave works with others to assess the extent of the issue and how best to deal with it.
When Everton travel he is often there with the team to keep a watchful eye on events – including at Sligo Rovers during the Blues’ trip to Ireland in the summer. Seamus Coleman’s return to where it all began was an emotive and poignant affair and one that saw Dave rarely off duty as the legend of both clubs was so generous with his time. “You can’t stop him signing autographs,” Dave reflected, “he is a fantastic ambassador for the club”.
Little things can make a big difference when it comes to safety, whether that is of supporters, staff or players. For those who have the honour of wearing Royal Blue to work, Dave is a figure of sage advice of the real world dangers that come with being a high-profile figure getting paid a lot of money.
He therefore sees it as his duty to work with others to help ensure there is no naivety, meaning players are regularly given police briefings on home safety, something the club also helps with.
Dave, who also works closely with the other Premier League clubs in the north west to share intelligence that could be helpful, explained: “It is often just making sure the systems they have got in their properties are up to scratch, their alarms are in working order and they know how to use them. We work with security partners on that. I feel it is part of our remit to make sure as high net-worth individuals they have the proper, state-of-the-art systems in place.”
Watching over the crowds at Goodison, as he now does, means his Everton journey has gone full circle. One of his first memories of his current workplace is standing in the Park End when Colin Harvey sealed the title in a win over West Bromwich Albion back in 1970.
He reflected: “We won 2-0 and we won the league. That was my first memory – West Brom. I won’t tell you how old I was was. How I got a ticket and who took me I don’t know. My uncle used to have a sweet shop at the top of Winslow Street and as I got a bit older and I was in the Gwladys Street I would sit off in there for half an hour, get some free sweets and a drink and get off. It has been a long association.”
That association is now coming to an end and the safety and security arrangements at Everton’s new waterfront stadium are building their way into Dave’s thoughts.
For now, he is doing his best to savour life at his current workplace though. Asked what makes Goodison so special, he said: “It’s everything it is – it is in the middle of an established community, it has supporters who live for Everton. Whenever I speak to people their love for the club is off the scale. We have the church in the corner, stands that have been here a hundred years, it is past its sell by date but there has never been another and there never will be. I will miss coming here.”
