From grassroots and Sunday League fixtures to the palpable electricity offered by a top-of-the-table clash, there’s little that compares to the beautiful game. But while it’s got an undeniable magic to it and creates some of the most iconic moments in sporting and cultural history, football’s also built a reputation for evoking the worst in some.
Drugs, violence and illegal pyrotechnics often sour what can be an incomparable experience for fans, and while policing and improving security services in football stadiums go a long way towards preserving that sense of atmosphere and pinprick tension, football stadiums often tread the line between safe haven and dangerous.
Of course, across the multiple tiers of English football, no two teams or stadia see the same issues. That’s what Churchill are exploring with our latest criminal exposé, delving into some of England’s worst (and best) football stadiums by their arrest rates and banning orders.
The latest data available for the 23/24 season across England and Wales’ top four flights of football threw up some surprise conclusions for the worst stadiums across the country. While we’ve gone into more detail on our methodology later in this piece, here’s why the top 3 most dangerous stadiums made it onto our list.
In a season overshadowed by The Royals’ six-point deduction due to financial issues, Reading’s troubles manifested both on and off the pitch. January’s fixture against Port Vale was arguably the culmination of fan frustrations, with the game abandoned after less than 20 minutes as protesters pelted the pitch with tennis balls before swarming the field of play.
Issues around finances, uncertain management and a below-par finish meant arrest figures in and around the Madejski reached boiling point, with 1.75 arrests made for every 10,000 fans. Of the 53 arrests made throughout the 2023/24 season, 39 were a result of violent misconduct, with 32 of those coming in December’s clash with Oxford United.
While the transfer window brought in some of Chelsea’s biggest coups since their title wins in the mid-2000s, the season itself was arguably underwhelming at best. A monumental 5 – 0 loss to bitter rivals Arsenal in April was the final nail in the proverbial coffin of the Blues’ 2023/24 campaign.
Those subpar performances, and a shaky first-and-only season under Mauricio Pochettino, meant Stamford Bridge features as one of the UK’s most dangerous football stadiums. With 1.72 arrests per 10,000 fans, Chelsea saw 129 arrests in total – equal to around 7 arrests for every home game, and indicative of London’s ongoing criminal issues.
Perhaps a surprise inclusion as the third-most dangerous stadium in the UK, Wycombe’s season ended with a whimper rather than the bang many had hoped for, with a 2 – 1 loss to Peterborough in the EFL Trophy final capping off a mid-table finish. However, despite stability on the pitch, the troubles off it can’t be ignored.
An overall rate of 1.48 arrests per 10,000 fans equates to 17 arrests at Adams Park throughout the season. Diving deeper uncovers a concern around illegal pyrotechnics and Class A drugs, with 3 and 2 arrests made for each of those respectively.
While the top 3 warrant enough concern as it is, we’ve rounded it out to an even 10 of the most dangerous stadiums in England and Wales. While the graphic above speaks for itself, we’d draw your attention to the 3 Premier League clubs – Chelsea (at #2), Brentford (at #5) and Manchester City (at #6) – that make the unwanted cut.
Despite increased revenue and resources to put towards better security solutions, it’s clear that clubs across major cities – namely London and Manchester – still face their issues. Small towns aren’t immune, either, with Walsall and Mansfield both creeping steadily up a table they don’t want to climb.
Millwall also makes the list which, while not surprising given the unsavoury reputation of the club and some of its fanbase, is no doubt a concern with the stadium’s proximity to residential areas and South Bermondsey station.
Of course, arrest rates and police involvement only tell a partial story of the most dangerous football stadiums across the UK. While a last resort for many clubs, repeat offenders and disruptive “fans” often need to be served with a banning order to keep the ground safe for all involved.
Some clubs are more affected than others by that, of course. Let’s look at how banning orders stack up across the FA’s top 4 flights of football.
Reputation often precedes Millwall fans, and while the club sought to break free of a past marred by discrimination and violent crime, the statistics show just how far there is to go. A turbulent season on the pitch – best exemplified by the revolving door of 4 managers in just 5 months – only served to exacerbate those ongoing issues.
Millwall’s 23/24 season saw 82 separate banning orders, placing it an order of magnitude above any other Championship club. That’s roughly 3 banning orders for every home game of the season.
A recent addition to the football league having secured promotion from the National League in 2022, Grimsby’s 23/24 campaign lacked the lustre of past seasons for The Mariners. A managerial change in late October was perhaps characteristic of a season that saw Grimsby finish in a disappointing 21st – just 7 points clear of the drop.
There seems to be a correlation between the performances on the pitch and in the dugout, and the amount of bans fans received, with Grimsby’s supporters seeing 1.44 banning orders per 10,000 fans. With an average attendance of just 6,354, those 21 banning orders become all the more concerning.
Birmingham’s 2023/24 season could only really be described as torrid. Whether that’s in their new board, the loss of manager Tony Mowbray through ill health, or their ultimate relegation to League 1, the former Premier League side experienced a rollercoaster campaign to say the least.
While problems on the pitch are one thing, it’s the club’s disciplinary issues that spark concern. That’s manifested itself in the club’s bans, with 1.27 banning orders issued per 10,000 fans in the last season.
Of course, while the most dangerous football grounds in the UK do see their fair share of banning orders, others follow not far behind them. Breaking that down further, the Championship and League 2 saw an even split of the most clubs in the top 10 – 4 across each of the leagues.
One thing to note here is that no Premier League club earned a spot among the worst football clubs for banning orders. The closest was Everton, which saw 72 banning orders for a rate of 0.97 per 10,000 fans.
Of course, while we’ve seen a range of different tiers of English football make the cut for the most dangerous football stadiums, not every league sees equal representation. We’ve taken the time to drill down into the clubs that bring a sour reputation to their league and fans of other clubs.
We’ll be covering the 4 top flights of football here, starting with the Premier League and some of England’s largest clubs.
Chelsea’s 23/24 season is one very much of two halves. While signings like Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernández brought a new sense of urgency and passion that persisted in the early part of the 24/25 season, an 8th place finish and uncertainty in the dugout underscored what was an unremarkable season for one of England’s largest clubs.
That distaste has led to Stamford Bridge being the most dangerous football ground in the UK, seeing 2.43 incidents per 10,000 fans. Breaking that down further, we find the Blues saw 129 arrests, as well as 54 banning orders in spite of an average attendance that dipped below 40,000.
The 23/24 season was one of unprecedented success for Manchester City. A fourth title in a row saw them overtake their bitter rivals from across the city, and Erling Haaland continued his almost inhuman scoring form. However, those successes didn’t detract from crashing out of the Champion’s League on penalties, nor to losing the FA Cup to those same Mancunian rivals.
While things on the pitch may have spelt domestic success, the issues outside of that saw the club rise up the ranks of England’s most dangerous football stadiums. A total of 133 arrests (the most in the Premier League) and 63 banning orders see the Cityzens take second spot.
While the Hammers’ season started shakily with the loss of cub captain and fan favourite Declan Rice, their final season under David Moyes was one of mixed fortunes. While the club played in the Europa League for the first time as champions of the Conference League, they were narrowly pipped to the European spots for 24/25 by London rivals Chelsea.
Off the pitch, West Ham’s fans were comfortably among the worst in the league, with 102 arrests placing them 3rd in the Premier League. The club dished out a league-leading 93 banning orders, however.
With a history of football hooliganism that can be traced back as far as 100 years, it’ll come as no surprise to see Millwall top the charts as one of the most dangerous football grounds in the Championship.
Instability on the touchline only served to draw attention to issues off the pitch, and while Millwall’s mid-table finish was admirable given the circumstances that marred the early part of the season, fans still lived up to that long-standing infamy.
Both the amount of arrests (42) and the amount of banning orders (82) over the 23/24 campaign are far above the league- and country-wide averages.
Leicester had, by all accounts, an excellent season. A 3 – 0 win in late April confirmed them as champions of the Championship, and new signings like Mads Hermansen, Stephy Mavididi and Harry Winks settled into the squad to become first-team regulars. Despite that, the Foxes saw more substantial issues off the pitch.
A Championship-high number of arrests (68 in total), as well as an equally concerning 72 banning orders, all combined to see the King Power earn a spot among the most dangerous stadiums in England.
The 23/24 season at St. Andrew’s was, to say the least, a shock. Despite the former Premier League club’s appointment of former Premier League legend Wayne Rooney, and their undeniable popularity as one of the Midlands’ biggest clubs, the campaign finished with relegation, managerial instability and fan disappointment.
Fans have been alarmingly vocal about the season, and while many turn to social media, others have taken it upon themselves to disrupt the relative peace St. Andrews’ had seen in previous seasons. The club’s figures in both arrests (27) and banning orders (62) illustrate that best.
While the Royals have already clinched an unwanted top spot as the club with the highest rate of arrests, the Madejski also earns the title of League 1’s most dangerous stadium. While much has been made about the club’s 6-point deduction that proved a hammer blow to the club’s promotion ambitions, it’s the figures in arrests and banning orders that also underscore a 23/24 campaign Reading fans would rather forget.
The headline figure for the South Coast club is a league-leading 53 arrests, but 8 banning orders were also issued during the 23/24 campaign.
The club’s 137th season as a professional team perhaps didn’t end as many had hoped. A mid-table finish in 10th was to be expected given The Chairboys’ cup run, but it’s the dramatic fashion by which they were beaten in the EFL Cup Final that meant fans saw red.
While comparatively low figures in arrests (17) and banning orders (3) may not tell the full story, Adams Park earns its spot among the most dangerous football grounds in the UK when we consider the average attendance was just 4,980 over the 23/24 campaign.
Carlisle’s 23/24 campaign was one the club would rather forget. Epitomised by a rock-bottom finish that led to the club’s relegation, League 1 proved to be too much too soon for the newly promoted United. Fans have been quick to demonstrate their distaste, which has seen Brunton Park earn a spot among League 1’s most dangerous football grounds.
While attendance figures tell a story of disenfranchised supporters and dwindling backing, it’s the club’s figures in arrests (16) and banning orders (15) that truly drive home the issues at England’s northernmost football club.
Priestfield did not make for holy ground in the 23/24 season. While the sacking of long-standing manager Neil Harris just 2 months into the season did prove to be the right decision with Gillingham finishing squarely midtable, it’s meant displeasure in the stands and around the stadium.
A total of 13 arrests and 18 banning orders were characteristic of the club’s campaign in 23/24, with the 24/25 season already off to a better start.
While many of the other more dangerous football stadiums across the UK were marred by managerial instability and on-pitch woes, Walsall saw little of that. While fans would naturally demand a better finish than 11th (understandable given the start to their 24/25 campaign), there was a good sense of consistency at Brunton Park.
However, that’s not fed into the crowd, with The Saddlers seeing the joint-highest amount of arrests (18 – tied with Mansfield Town), as well as 7 banning orders.
Much has been made of Grimsby’s 23/24. A 21st-place finish – narrowly above the drop zone – for a club that’s so often been chasing promotion was one thing, but departures in the summer that weren’t replaced, as well as a change of personnel on the touchline, all fed into a subpar season for The Mariners.
Frustrations have spiralled in the stands and around the ground, with Blundell Park seeing 7 arrests and 21 banning orders in the 23/24 season.
While the writer of this piece is a football fan, we’ve sought to be as unbiased as possible, seeking to evenly represent the differing tiers of English and Welsh football. We’re using official data from the Office of National Statistics, who release new data about crime at football stadiums at the end of each season.
We’ve taken the number of arrests and banning orders (released as separate reports), as well as information on average attendance figures from several sources across the web, and gate figures from the clubs themselves.
We take average attendance figures, multiply that by the number of home games per season (19 in the Premier League, and 23 across the other 3 leagues), and then frame that as a ratio of the number of incidents per 10,000 matchday fans.
This allows for a more comprehensive picture of the UK’s most dangerous football stadiums, as well as taking into account variables like size, location, stadium capacity and even the team’s changing fortunes.
For teams that don’t necessarily see 10,000 fans at each match, we’ve provided a figure of what that would be were the team to attract those attendance figures. We understand that not all clubs can attract those figures, nor accommodate fans in those numbers, but in the interests of fairness, this ratio allows us to better illustrate the UK’s most dangerous football stadiums.
How Scottish police data is reported differs substantially from that of England and Wales, and the same datasets are not available for the top tiers of Scottish football. However, if you’d like an approximation of issues in and around places like Ibrox or Tynecastle, our reports below give an excellent indication of both city- and country-wide crime statistics:
