DARLINGTON Football Club's stewards are being kept up to date with what they need to know for their job from a safety course.

Experts at Darlington College are teaching the stewards the latest FA regulations, fire safety, first aid, crowd control, emergency management and conflict management.

If successful, the 48 stewards will on completion receive a level two City and Guilds NVQ in spectator safety.

The stewards are also being assessed at Darlington home games.

The club's safety officer, Steve Wood, said: "We have had as many as 12,000 people in the ground, although the average for matches is around 4,000. With that many people in one area it is vital we have staff on the ground to control incidents that may arise."

Sue Rogers, from the college, said: "This qualification raises the profile and the esteem of the stewards, giving them greater respect."