The UK football stadiums with the highest rates of crime

Article by: Nicholas Crouch - Casino Еxpert

Date Published: 20/10/22

Like many countries across Europe and South America, the UK has a troubled history when it comes to crime at football matches. Throughout the decades, there have been countless incidents when the communal passion that engulfs our most famous stadiums has descended into hostility, disorder, and violence.

The history of crime in football

With football hooliganism reaching its catastrophic peak in the 1980s, substantial collective efforts were made by fans and the authorities to ‘clean up’ our national sport and create a safe, inclusive spectacle befitting its unrivalled popularity. The results were profound, with British Football in the 21st century defined by the modernised, family-friendly stadiums that can be found across the Premier League and beyond.

Despite the undeniable progress, however, there have been worrying signs in recent years of a trend upwards in stadium crime. This trend was best emphasised by a report in the Guardian, which found that stadium arrests had increased by 60% across England and Wales in the 2020/2021 season. While it’s far too early to suggest a return to the dark ages, a collective effort must be made across British football to reverse this trend to avoid significant damage to the game.

With this in mind, Scams.info conducted a study across 106 football stadiums across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Comparing the average attendance of each stadium with its average crime incidence per annum, we ranked each stadium based on its crime incidence per 100 attendees to reveal the UK football stadiums with the highest rates of crime.

The 10 UK football stadiums with the highest rates of crime

1. Mourneview Park, Glenavon F.C.

Despite a modest average attendance of just 585 fans per game, Glenavon’s Mourneview Park tops our list with an alarming average crime incidence of 1,258 per year. The Northern Irish club, who ply their trade in the nation’s NIFL Premiership, are comfortably ahead of all other clubs in our study, with their rate of 13.44 crimes per 100 attendees indicative of the game’s rising problems.

2. Solitude, Cliftonville F.C.

Northern Ireland’s unwanted presence at the top of our list continues with the home of Glenavon’s NIFL Premiership opponents, Cliftonville, taking second place. With nearly three times more attendees per annum than Mourneview Park, Cliftonville’s Solitude stadium recorded a shuddering average crime incidence of 12.51 per 100 attendees, with an average of 3,208 incidents reported each year.

These figures paint an alarming picture of crowd disorder in Northern Ireland’s top division. Despite the league’s semi-professional nature and its comparatively low attendance, the crime rates of these two grounds were found to be considerably higher than any team in England, Scotland, or Wales.

3. Edgar Street, Hereford United

Defunct West Midlands club Hereford United recorded the highest crime rate in the English Football league with their Edgar Park home possessing a steep crime rate of 7.74 per 100 attendees. The 98-year-old club was dissolved in 2014 amid ongoing financial troubles before being re-established as Hereford F.C. that same year.

Though Hereford F.C. continued to play at Edgar Street, our data only accounts for the latter years of Hereford United, suggesting the anger surrounding the club’s uncertain future may have amplified stadium hostility.

4. Newry Showgrounds, Newry City

The bad news gets worse for Northern Ireland, with NIFL Premiership club Newry City’s home ground becoming the third stadium from that league to make our top five. With an average of just 3,706 attendees per year, Newry Showground’s average annual crime incidence of 241 resulted in a crime rate of 6.50 per 100 attendees.

5. Rodney Parade, Newport County

Newport County are the highest Welsh entry on our list with their Rodney Parade home occupying the fifth spot. As one of three Welsh sides currently competing in the English Football League, the club were found to have an average crime incidence of over 5,000 per annum.

With an average of 80,201 fans visiting Rodney Parade each year, the stadium recorded a worrying crime rate of 6.35 per 100 attendees.

The rest of the top 10

The remainder of our top 10 is made up by the stadiums of Aldershot Town, Berwick Rangers, Ballymena United, Carrick Rangers, and Hartlepool United. With an average crime incidence of over 2,300 and nearly 42,000 annual attendees, Aldershot’s Recreation Ground was the sixth-highest stadium on our list.

In seventh place was Berwick Rangers’ Shielfield Park, which was the only Scottish league stadium on our list with a crime rate of 5.38 per 100 attendees. The figures got even more damning for Northern Ireland when Ballymena United’s Ballymena Showgrounds and Carrick Rangers’ Belfast Loughshore Hotel Arena took the 8th and 9th spots with crime rates of 5.14 and 4.51, respectively.

Rounding off our top 10 was Hartlepool United’s Victoria Park, with the club affectionately known as the Monkey Hangers recording a crime rate of 4.51 per 100 attendees.

Elsewhere, Newcastle United’s St James’ Park was found to have the highest crime rate of all the teams currently playing in the English Premier League. With a capacity of 52,000, St James’ Park recorded an average of over 10,000 crimes per year between the years 2011 and 2022. Tellingly, the majority of these years came under the ownership of derided former chairman Mike Ashley, a period defined by the widespread malaise among supporters.

The 10 UK football stadiums with the lowest rates of crime

1. Amex Stadium, Brighton and Hove Albion

With five consecutive seasons of Premier League football under their belts, Brighton are amid one of the most successful periods in their 121-year history. The good vibes can be felt across the Amex Arena, with the 31,000-capacity stadium found to have the lowest crime rate of all the stadiums in our study.

Opened in 2011, the Amex Arena has recorded an average of just 180 annual incidents of crime during that period, resulting in a phenomenal crime rate of 0.04 per 100 attendees.

2. Old Trafford, Manchester United

Despite their declining fortunes on the pitch, Man Utd can nevertheless boast one of the lowest stadium crime rates in British football. Old Trafford, a ground christened the Theatre of Dreams by the legendary Bobby Charlton, attracts an average of over 1.4 million fans from around the world each year.

Despite these gargantuan figures, the 74,000-capacity stadium has an average of fewer than 900 incidents of crime per annum, resulting in an exceptional crime rate of 0.06 per 100 attendees.

=3. University of Bolton Stadium, Bolton Wanderers and Adams Park, Wycombe Wanderers

Old Trafford is followed by another northwest ground, with Bolton’s University of Bolton Stadium found to have the joint-third lowest crime rate in our study. While the last decade has been a turbulent time for The Trotters with multiple relegations and financial problems, this appears to have had minimal effect on matchday crime.

With an average of just 366 crimes per annum, the League One stadium’s excellent crime rate of 0.09 is a credit to the club, fans, and local authorities.

Joining the former Reebok Stadium in third is Adam Park, home of fellow League One side Wycombe Wanderers. With less than a third of Bolton’s annual attendance, Wycombe’s average annual crime incidence of 113 is the second-lowest in our entire study.

5 . Madejski Stadium, Reading

Currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons, Reading’s Madejski Stadium was found to have the lowest crime rate of all the teams currently playing in the Championship.

With an average of nearly 300,000 visitors each year, the Berkshire grounds crime rate of 0.1 per 100 attendees makes it a worthy addition to our top five.

Places six to ten

The English domination continues throughout the remainder of our top 10. Derby’s Pride Park and Stokes Britannia stadium share sixth place, with both boasting impressive crime rates of 0.12 per 100 attendees.

With an average crime incidence of just 1,526 per annum, eighth-placed Manchester City are the third Premier League club in our top ten with their Etihad Stadium. With a minute crime rate of 0.15 per 100 attendees, it’s tempting to wonder whether the combination of consecutive league titles, some of the best football players in the world and Pep Guardiola’s swashbuckling football is playing its part in keeping crime low at the club’s Eastlands home.

The top ten is rounded off by two of the Midlands’ most iconic grounds, with Aston Villa’s Villa Park and West Brom’s The Hawthorns finishing ninth and tenth, respectively.

Conclusion

Despite the admirable steps taken across British football to reduce crime in recent decades, the recent sharp rises represent a worrying trajectory. As our national sport, it’s imperative that football matches feel safe and accessible to all fans regardless of their age, race, gender, or background.

While a collective effort is required from the British football community to reverse the upward trend, there are an array of quick and easy measures you can take to ensure you stay safe while attending a football match.

Safety expert, Nicholas Crouch, gives tips on keeping safe at football matches:

There are a few things you can do both before and during matchdays, however, to keep yourself safe and reduce the threat of crime:

1. For those attending games with children, purchasing tickets in the family stand is an ideal way to stay away from any potential trouble. Most grounds will have stands known to be less raucous and more family-friendly. If you’re unsure which stand is more family-inclusive at the stadium you’re attending, then the club’s staff or ticket office should be able to advise you on this.
2. While for many, the passionate atmosphere at matches is a big part of the appeal, there are times when the fun can turn unpleasant. If you witness any violence or abusive behaviour or feel threatened yourself, then don’t hesitate to inform the ground staff. Nobody should feel unsafe at a football match, and stadiums should be armed with enough nearby staff to stamp out antisocial behaviour and ensure your safety.
3. While football crime is typically associated with crowd fights and anti-social behaviour, there is also the issue of thieves and pickpockets. Ensuring your phone, wallet and other valuable items are kept in your front pockets will reduce the chances of being caught off guard.

By remaining aware of your surroundings and taking a few precautions in advance, you’ll be free to enjoy the match the way it’s supposed to be — living and breathing every pass, tackle, and goal in an atmosphere like no other.

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