The Nature and Extent of Football Hooliganism in England and Wales

This essay demonstrates the difficulties in defining 'football hooliganism' and the shortcomings in the available statistical data. Using privileged access to alternative empirical data sources, the study concludes that hooliganism is associated with about one match in 20 and that only 0.011 per cent of spectators are arrested for a football‐related offence. Over half of reported incidents take place away from the ground, and just under half take place after the match. One in five incidents involves fans of teams that have not played each other that day. Football hooliganism involves public disorder, sometimes with the use of missiles, but it does not generally result in injuries. It is thus not a particularly violent phenomenon.