Is fan violence on the up? Supporter views on attending football matches

Manchester City were 1 of respective clubs who were punished for transportation invasions past season

The begetter of a 15-year-old miss who was injured astatine a Carabao Cup lucifer said behaviour of fans astatine shot grounds is getting worse.

"It is perfectly febrile," helium said, adding that going to large distant games tin consciousness similar "running the gauntlet".

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the UK's Football Policing Unit lead, said connected Thursday determination is simply a "worrying level of disorder" astatine shot matches aft a study showed 999 arrests were made betwixt 1 July and 31 December 2022, a 10% summation connected the aforesaid play past year.

But Michael Brunskill, from the Football Supporters' Association, said it is important to enactment incidents into discourse and wouldn't privation to represent shot arsenic the "wild west".

There were 2,198 football-related arrests during the 2021-22 season, the highest fig since the 2013-14 season, according to Home Office figures.

A instrumentality introduced successful 2022 stated fans volition person an automatic nine prohibition for invading the transportation aft concerns were raised astir information astatine grounds pursuing a fig of incidents astatine the extremity of past season.

BBC Sport hears from a enactment of fans astir their experiences of going to shot matches.

'It's perfectly febrile'

Daniel, a Manchester City instrumentality who attends matches with his family, said the ambiance astatine games is getting much hostile, having seen his girl deed connected the caput with a weighted pint solid astatine a lucifer past month.

"I've been going to shot games for 30 years and I've ne'er experienced a shot situation similar we person astatine the moment," helium said.

"I was astatine the Euro last successful 2021 and my stepson got deed connected the caput by an bare tin of brew walking up Wembley Way. It's febrile and it is different, and anyone who says that it isn't either doesn't spell to a batch of shot oregon isn't adjacent capable to the crippled to recognize the change.

"It would beryllium excessively wide to accidental it's got worse everyplace but large games, it's perfectly febrile.

"We're going to the Manchester derby but we'll beryllium successful the distant extremity and I cognize that it's going to beryllium similar moving the gauntlet.

"At large games, it's ever been similar that but it does consciousness backmost to however I retrieve the aboriginal 1990s was to me.

"I retrieve being successful a cage astatine Cambridge successful the location extremity to support america successful and determination was a consciousness that shot fans were a antithetic breed - but I felt it had go a household game, a much household sport.

"Now, it feels similar it's got worse to me. The large games consciousness adjacent much tense."

However, helium says his girl has not been enactment disconnected going to matches pursuing the incidental astatine Etihad Stadium, for which some clubs apologised for, but for which the idiosyncratic liable has not yet been identified.

"Both clubs aft the lawsuit were brilliant, successful presumption of however they person dealt with it and however earnestly they person taken it, on with the constabulary and some sets of fans.

"We're inactive trying to place the idiosyncratic that did it but she [his daughter] seems good physically, She hasn't been backmost to the crushed yet but she's hopeless to spell backmost and she's watched each lucifer since connected the telly."

'Aggression seems to beryllium growing'

Emily, a Port Vale instrumentality who travels location and distant with her 14-year-old lad to ticker their side, said: "Overall we've had a beauteous bully acquisition astatine Vale Park but not away.

"For example, astatine Sheffield Wednesday implicit Christmas, we parked adjacent the crushed and were wearing our shot colours. We walked distant from the car and a load of Sheffield fans keyed the car. It was unnecessary and truly difficult.

"In the ground, we haven't truly seen galore problems but my 12-year-old girl refuses to travel to the shot due to the fact that of aggression she saw erstwhile Port Vale played Manchester City successful 2020. The distant supporters were truthful assertive towards Vale fans - men virtually foaming astatine the mouth, not adjacent watching the lucifer conscionable turning astir and shouting maltreatment and swearing.

"That benignant of acquisition tin truly enactment kids disconnected a shot match.

"There are immoderate clubs with that peculiar estimation and you conscionable deliberation 'I'm not going to instrumentality the kids to that'. We deliberation cautiously astir which games we spell to. I interest little wrong the stadium; I interest overmuch much outside.

"The different happening which is simply a caller magnitude is the online satellite - societal media is fuelling an atrocious batch of aggression and unit pre-match betwixt fans. You tin spot it flooded connected to Twitter and different societal media platforms.

"Planned meet-ups for unit happen, with loads of aggression towards fans and that is 1 of the happening fuelling the emergence of aggression extracurricular the grounds.

"It is simply a portion of the game, it is simply a number but the societal media facet is 1 that we can't not speech astir successful the modern game."

'Atmosphere is much affirmative astatine home'

Sebastian, a Barnsley fan, attends matches with his begetter and younger member and said helium does consciousness "more safe" during location matches.

"You bash announcement the full ambiance being much affirmative astatine location - the situation is much household friendly," helium said.

"Away games are a spot much tense, a spot intimidating astatine times. You privation to make an ambiance but sometimes the enactment is overtaken.

"I bash thin to deterioration my colours - but erstwhile it's derby games oregon section rivals, I deterioration my garment but past a overgarment to possibly screen it, to debar immoderate altercations extracurricular the ground."

'This is simply a nine problem'

Faye, London: It's 50-50 - immoderate of the men are drunk and precise assertive and intimidating. Pushing and shoving, it's an aggravated environment. We don't spell to distant games, conscionable home. Away games are rather intimidating, it's a tight-knit radical with radical fighting.

Phil, Sheffield: Away fans are getting a truly atrocious threat. I question to 90% of Sheffield United distant games and you spot it each implicit the place. I was connected a manager going to Port Vale that was getting bricked by Vale fans, truthful it does hap everywhere. This is simply a nine problem. This is younger guys successful nine looking for much than what they're getting from their shot team.

Claire, Oxford: I'm fortunate that I haven't witnessed thing peculiarly terrible but I bask it - I emotion the chants, the banter and the atmosphere. I don't condone the unit but I've got a 16-year-old girl who goes arsenic overmuch arsenic she tin and loves it. Isn't it portion of going to a shot match?

Devon, London: At an Under-16s Arsenal and Spurs match, the maltreatment was disgusting and nary 1 was doing thing astir it. It was precise bad, the language. People are saying this is passionateness - it's not, it is madness.

Terry, London: I've been going since 1979, location and away. I've travel crossed a batch of bully distant fans but besides beryllium successful the vicinity of immoderate fans astatine distant matches who I deliberation 'I'm gladsome I don't beryllium adjacent to them astatine home'. It's similar a battlefield astatine times. It's not conscionable astir going to the match, it's astir getting location and getting distant from the vicinity safely - it's not nice. A batch of radical are conscionable goading each different and not watching the match.

Mark, Tottenham: At the Premier League it's precise sanitised. But I went to a Bristol Rovers crippled and determination was a radical of lads successful their aboriginal 20s goading the distant fans and I had to accidental thing to them successful the end. I deliberation there's an constituent of young radical watching the aged hooligan films similar Green Street and The Firm, and it's similar they privation it to beryllium 1985 and moving astir with the casuals. Maybe they consciousness they've missed retired connected that and what they spot connected TV is simply a spot of a fantasy. But successful wide it's a batch amended than it was successful the 1970s and 80s.

Football is simply a harmless situation - fans' group

Brunskill, from the FSA, acknowledged a tiny conception of instrumentality behaviour is unacceptable but was keen to guarantee shot fans are not enactment disconnected by the actions of a number of disruptive supporters.

"I wouldn't privation to represent shot arsenic a chaotic westbound that mean radical can't spell to - it's a harmless environment, hundreds of thousands of radical spell each week and person a large time," helium said.

"Yes, determination is the the unusual occupation but I deliberation a batch of it is educating people, peculiarly the younger fans.

"For illustration pyrotechnic usage seems to person been normalised - radical usage it astatine Glastonbury and it's amerciable determination arsenic good and shouldn't beryllium happening but it's celebrated. But successful a shot context, it's punished and radical person gone to jailhouse for it.

"Pitch invasions and pyrotechnics are amerciable and we truly request to discourage that behaviour - the consequences tin beryllium serious.

"It's astir passionateness without poison and surely without violence, and that does hap astatine astir games. We indispensable amended astir what is and isn't allowed - not conscionable represent the unpleasant incidents arsenic the norm."

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