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The University of New Haven announced it is collaborating with the Leaders Development Institute in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to offer a sports event security training program. Offered through two week-long immersive modules, the program is designed for middle-management professionals in Saudi Arabia’s sports sector who are responsible for event operations, security, and risk preparedness, particularly those involved in national or international sporting events.

The Saudi Sport Security Program will be delivered to a single cohort through two weeklong modules that are designed to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage security and safety at major sporting events in Saudi Arabia and beyond.

“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,” said Mario T. Gaboury, J.D., Ph.D., the University’s vice president for government affairs and global 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, will be led by Robert E. McDonald, a retired U.S. Secret Service supervisory agent and the former senior director of global events security for the NBA, who is an assistant professor of practice in the University’s Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences. It is designed to equip participants with the essential knowledge and skills to identify, assess, and mitigate risks in sports events, design emergency plans, manage incidents and crises, ensure crowd safety, and plan operational safety measures.

The second module, an Advanced Seminar in Sports Event Security and Crisis Management from November 9-13, will be led by Richard Fontana, emergency management director for the City of West Haven and the former director of emergency management & homeland security for the City of New Haven, who is a practitioner-in-residence in the University’s Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences. The second week advances participants’ expertise in threat assessment, venue security design, crisis communication, and international sports event planning through interactive workshops, real-world case studies, and scenario-based exercises.

Last April, at 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 support the University establishing a branch campus in Riyadh that would 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,” said 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.”