Police data show rising football disorder, as clubs face new pressure

Police are again urging football clubs in England and Wales to do more to shoulder the costs of matchday security, after new Home Office figures showed a record number of games linked to reported disorder last season. The annual report, released on Thursday, says the number of matches with reports of football-related anti-social behaviour, violence and disorder rose by 4% in the 2025-26 season, from 1,580 to 1,644. That marks the highest level recorded in the data cited by the Home Office. At the same time, the number of arrests has continued to move back toward pre-Covid levels rather than surge in line with the increase in reported incidents. The report says there were four arrests for every 100,000 people attending games. That gap matters because it suggests many incidents are being logged by police even when they do not result in arrests. The figures are likely to reignite a long-running argument over who should pay for the heavy policing required around major fixtures. Clubs, supporters and police forces have repeatedly clashed over the extent to which taxpayers should continue to fund a security burden tied to a commercial sport with significant matchday revenue. The Home Office data does not, on its own, explain why more matches were flagged by police last season. It also does not break down whether the rise was driven by larger crowds, more rivalry-related disorder, better reporting, or changes in police practice. Those details will matter to clubs and fans alike, because they shape whether the trend is being treated as a genuine worsening of behaviour or a reflection of stronger enforcement and recording. Even so, the headline number is politically awkward. Any increase in reported disorder gives added weight to police calls for clubs to contribute more directly to the costs of stewarding, public order operations and other matchday measures. For supporters, the issue is often framed more bluntly: if football generates the risk and the revenue, why should the public cover so much of the bill? What is clear from the Home Office report is that football continues to place a substantial demand on police resources despite arrests remaining relatively contained. That combination may sound contradictory, but it is exactly the sort of data that tends to drive disputes between police and clubs. One side points to the scale of the operational response; the other looks at the arrest figures and argues the problem is being overstated. The debate is unlikely to disappear quickly. England’s bigger clubs now operate as major entertainment businesses, yet the police presence around many fixtures still resembles a public-order operation. As long as that remains the case, the question of who pays will stay live. What the latest figures do not answer is how much of the burden is avoidable, how much is baked into the modern game, and whether clubs could be asked to contribute more without pushing costs back on to fans. Those are the questions likely to shape the next round of discussions between football authorities, police and government.

Source: The Guardian Football - https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/23/arrests-football-matches-police-home-office