The program can be led by University of New Haven professors who’re consultants in sports activities safety and disaster response, together with a retired U.S. Secret Service supervisory agent and a present municipal emergency administration director.
October 13, 2025
The University of New Haven introduced it’s collaborating with the Leaders Development Institute in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to provide a sports activities occasion safety coaching program. Offered by way of two week-long immersive modules, this system is designed for middle-management professionals in Saudi Arabia’s sports activities sector who’re accountable for occasion operations, safety, and danger preparedness, notably these concerned in nationwide or worldwide sporting occasions.
The Saudi Sport Security Program can be delivered to a single cohort by way of two weeklong modules which might be designed to equip individuals with the data, expertise, and confidence to handle safety and security at main sporting occasions in Saudi Arabia and past.
“We are pleased to partner with the Leaders Development Institute to provide an immersive and comprehensive learning experience for sports security professionals in Saudi Arabia,” mentioned Mario T. Gaboury, J.D., Ph.D., the University’s vice chairman for presidency affairs and world engagement. “The program will be led by international experts in emergency management, crisis response, and sports security, supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and its focus on hosting major global events. I expect this experience will be transformative for the participants, and the university is honored to be ‘part of shaping the future of Saudi sports’ as the announcement stated.”
The first module, Foundations of Sports Event Security from Oct. 19-23, can be led by Robert E. McDonald, a retired U.S. Secret Service supervisory agent and the previous senior director of world occasions safety for the NBA, who’s an assistant professor of observe in the University’s Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences. It is designed to equip individuals with the important data and expertise to determine, assess, and mitigate dangers in sports activities occasions, design emergency plans, handle incidents and crises, guarantee crowd security, and plan operational security measures.
The second module, an Advanced Seminar in Sports Event Security and Crisis Management from November 9-13, can be led by Richard Fontana, emergency administration director for the City of West Haven and the previous director of emergency administration & homeland safety for the City of New Haven, who’s a practitioner-in-residence in the University’s Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences. The second week advances individuals’ experience in menace evaluation, venue safety design, disaster communication, and worldwide sports activities occasion planning by way of interactive workshops, real-world case research, and scenario-based workouts.
Last April, on the second annual Human Capability Initiative in Riyadh, the University signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education, its Ministry of Investment, and the Royal Commission for Riyadh City to assist the University establishing a department campus in Riyadh that may open in Fall 2026. The University of New Haven is the first foreign entity to apply for a higher education license from the Kingdom to open an international branch campus in Saudi Arabia.
“In advance of opening a campus in Riyadh that we expect to grow to serve 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the University is excited to continue to work with Saudi leaders to showcase our commitment to educating the elite global workforce of the future,” mentioned Dr. Gaboury. “Our faculty are distinguished experts in their fields, and they have a long history of delivering high-quality educational experiences that will greatly benefit the Kingdom’s workforce development goals.”