Revealed: Number of football-related arrests for fans of Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday

Fewer Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday supporters were arrested at football matches last season, new figures show.

The Home Office figures show police arrested 27 Sheffield United fans in the 2022 - 2023 football season, when the club was in the Championship. This compares with 30 arrests recorded in the 2021 - 2022 season, representing a decrease of three (or 10 per cent).

Alleged football-related offences leading to the arrest of United fans included: throwing missiles; public disorder; violent disorder; possessing pyrotechnics and possessing weapons.

A Sheffield United spokesperson said: “Sheffield United wants supporters to be part of the passion in a safe, secure and enjoyable environment. Using our high-quality CCTV systems and working proactively with South Yorkshire Police, as well as our own detailed stewarding operation, the club actively look to identify and deal with any offences to ensure the safety of all persons attending matches at Bramall Lane.”

The same, recently-released Home Office dataset shows that during the 2022 - 2023 season, when Sheffield Wednesday were in League One, a total of 24 fans of the club were arrested. This compares with 40 Wednesday fans recorded as being the subject of football-related arrests, equating to a decrease of 16 or 40 per cent.

Among the alleged football-related offences Wednesday fans were arrested for include: violent disorder; public disorder; possession of Class A drugs and possession of pyrotechnics.

A Sheffield Wednesday spokesperson said: “We are pleased these figures have declined in number, which is a reflection of Sheffield Wednesday’s commitment to providing as safe an environment as possible for all supporters. As far as we are concerned, even one arrest is one too many and we will continue to work tirelessly to stamp out all forms of unlawful behaviour at Hillsborough.”

Both clubs were promoted at the end of the 2022 - 2023 football season, with Wednesday securing a return to the Championship in the play-offs at Wembley, and United sealing automatic promotion to the Premier League.

The drop in the number of arrests of fans of Sheffield's two biggest football clubs come as the number of arrests made at football games across England and Wales reached a nine-year high.

The National Police Chiefs Council said the police "are continuing to take positive action" to reduce a rising trend in disorder at football matches.

Nationally, 2,264 football-related arrests were made, up from what was already an eight-year high of 2,198 in the previous campaign.

This included 200 arrests for the possession of class A drugs – which was added as an offence under the Football Spectators Act in November – and 101 arrests in England and Wales relating to the World Cup in Qatar.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, NPCC lead for football policing, said: "It is encouraging to see a slight reduction in the number of reported incidents, but we must put this into context and remember that the level of disorder we are seeing across football continues to be much higher than before the pandemic.

"Police are continuing to take positive action to reverse this trend by making a high number of arrests."

In 2022-23, incidents were reported at 1,516 of 3,024 monitored matches (50 per cent) – slightly lower than the 53 per cent of matches in 2021-22.

Last season also saw the highest number of new banning orders handed out since the 2010-11 season.

Douglas Mackay, sports lead prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, said football banning orders are "one of the many tools available to the justice system" to help reduce disorder at football matches.

Mr Mackay added: "At the CPS, we play a crucial role in tackling these crimes and making our national game inclusive, and safe to watch and play in. There is no place for violent and hateful criminal acts in football, and incidents such as these have a significant negative impact on players, spectators, and the integrity of the game.

"The CPS is currently working with the police, football clubs, football authorities and charities seeking to stamp out this blight on football."

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: "It is so important for our communities that fans can go to watch their club play without fear for their safety. Hooligans are not true fans, and have no place in the game.

"With more people banned from football for their criminal acts and illegal drug taking being tackled, we will continue to make football safer for supporters up and down the country."