Posted on 9th October 2013
The report of our Women at the Match survey has been released, giving fans more details on the work that was carried out earlier this year when we polled women supporters from both the men’s and women’s game.
Posted on 9th October 2013
This is a story from the FSF archive – the FSF and SD merged to become the FSA in 2019.
Newly-released figures show the general downwards trend in football-related arrests is continuing, although the Home Office says there remains a “significant risk” that will change if efforts to tackle disorder are reduced.
During the 2012-13 season the number arrests in connection with all international and domestic football matches involving teams from, or representing, England and Wales was 2,456. This is a slight increase of 4%, or 93 arrests, on the 2011-12 total which was the lowest total on record.
The statistics cover all arrests designated in law under schedule 1 of the Football Spectators Act 1989 reported by police to the Football Banning Orders Authority.
This includes football specific offences, such as throwing missiles in a stadium or pitch encroachment, and a wide range of generic criminal offences committed in connection with a football match. The figures cover arrests at any place within a period of 24 hours either side of a match.
For the first time data was collated on a full season of football-related offence arrests made by British Transport Police who made an additional 316 arrests.
Facts and figures:
FSF response
Malcolm Clarke, Chair of the Football Supporters’ Federation, said: “These figures are very low – there was only one arrest for every 14,000 fans. While there’s no room for complacency my daughter and I feel much safer going to a football match every weekend, than I do walking past the clubs and pubs near my home on a Saturday evening.
“We never like to see arrest figures rise but the increase is minimal compared to last year’s 23% decrease. It is time that football fans and football clubs are given some credit for the huge reduction in football disorder in recent years.”
Thanks to Joe Dunckley for the image reproduced under CC license.
The report of our Women at the Match survey has been released, giving fans more details on the work that was carried out earlier this year when we polled women supporters from both the men’s and women’s game.
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