The first 'match' was the weekend before when a couple of 'Z'-list celeb teams had a knock-about on the pitch whilst local Brent residents inspected their new neighbour.
Much was learned from this first test* and last weekend's U21 match was the next step towards a full safety cert. This phased approach seems to be sensible doesn't it?
*Lesson learnt? : About 40 fire safety marshalls were in place for each event, who after a briefing, patrolled their own defined patch in the complex.
One lesson (hopefully) learned from the 1st test day was that the fire desk within the event control should be manned before the end of the marshalls briefing. This would prevent the repeat of the situation where a fire marshall - upon leaving the briefing - almost immediately discovered a fire in an industrial hot fat fryer in a kitchen, but was unable to contact event control by radio as the control personnel were still making their way to it from the safety briefing!!
Oops! - But surely that is what these tests are for- to iron out procedural difficulties before they become major problems
