09/19/2026
💥ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT 💥- Nicholas Cusano '18
For Nicholas Cusano ’18, a degree in Sport Management from Flagler College led to a career helping some of the world’s largest sporting events move safely and efficiently. After graduating in 2018, Nicholas built experience in stadium operations and crowd management, working events including the Super Bowl, NFL Draft, NBA All-Star Game, and MLS All-Star Game before joining FIFA’s Access Management operation.
During the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and FIFA World Cup 2026, Nicholas helped plan and manage crowd movement across tournaments representing approximately 9.2 million spectators. His work focused on crowd modeling, arrival patterns, pedestrian movement, queues, and operational planning to help ensure fans could safely enter and exit stadiums.
One memorable project took place at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City, where Nicholas and his team worked to address an uneven distribution of spectators between two stadium entrances. By redesigning the arrival strategy to encourage a more balanced flow, the team helped reduce pressure on pedestrian routes and potential choke points.
Another standout moment came during the FIFA World Cup in Miami, where Nicholas worked the Colombia-Portugal match. After the challenges surrounding the 2024 Copa América Final in Miami, seeing a sold-out stadium operate safely was especially meaningful. “It was really a pinch-me moment,” Nicholas said. “You are standing there looking at a sold-out stadium and realizing that you had a part in getting all of those people in safely.”
Today, Nicholas is continuing that work through CrowdSafe Group, the company he founded to help venues and major events understand how people move and identify potential operational challenges before they happen. His journey from Flagler’s Sport Management program to the world’s biggest sporting stages is a testament to the many career paths available within the sports industry.
Website: CrowdSafegroup.com
Email: [email protected]
