Boundary Spanning at Major Soccer Events: The Roles and Competences of Safety and Security Officers

Abstract

This article is about the day-to-day boundary-spanning activities of safety & security officers (SSOs) employed by professional soccer organizations in the Netherlands. Drawing on Williams, we examined how SSOs perform their roles as reticulists, communicators, entrepreneurs, and coordinators in governing local security networks. The findings reveal that, in practice, these roles are deeply interconnected, with SSOs identifying coordination as their primary function. The other roles support this central activity: to successfully negotiate and align their partners’ interests (coordination role), boundary spanners must build personal relationships (reticulist role), engage with various stakeholders (communicator role), and demonstrate creativity and entrepreneurial skill. Our insights can guide the enhancement of educational and training programs, as well as improvements in the cultural and structural conditions under which boundary spanners operate. Future research may investigate the effects of political pressures in high-risk matches and new security technologies on the work of boundary spanners operating in sports venues.