The Home Office today (Thursday 22nd September) released its football-related arrest and banning order figures for England and Wales, covering the 2021-22 season. You can find more information here and the FSA response below.

Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Association, said:

“Football arrest figures have been falling for decades and were at an all time low in 2019, so an increase was possible at some point, and this post-Covid dataset shows a rise back towards 2013/14 levels.

“While we’d always like to see falling arrest rates, it’s important to put these figures into context – one arrest for every 20,000 supporters. Across the Premier League and the EFL this equates to less than one arrest per match and compares favourably to many other large public events.

“A very small minority of people cause issues and this matters to our members, match-going supporters, more than anyone. But it’s also worth saying that football is a safe environment with hundreds of thousands of law-abiding fans and their families attending week in, week out.

“The FSA will continue to work with the Premier League, EFL, FA and other authorities on projects which seek to reduce disorder via proportionate and effective measures.”

More info:

• English football launches new measures to curb pitch incursions and pyro
• The stands are for the fans, the pitch is for the players
• Flare play: Pyro and the law