Exeter City Football Club and other League One clubs are being told to contribute more to the cost of match policing to ease the burden on taxpayers. The current model, where clubs are not responsible for policing expenses outside stadiums, is unsustainable, with £70m of police funding for football matches last season.
What's the issue?
The UK's football policing lead, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, has urged clubs to contribute more to the cost of match policing. He believes the current model is unsustainable and that taxpayers should not be left footing the £70m bill each season.
Why it matters for Exeter City Football Club
Exeter City Football Club, like other League One clubs, is being urged to contribute more to the cost of match policing. This is a significant issue for the club, as it could impact the cost of policing matches at St James Park.
What comes next?
The UK's football policing lead, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, is urging clubs to contribute more to the cost of match policing. This could lead to changes in the way policing is funded for football matches in the future.
In the 2021-22 season, when fans returned to stadiums following the Covid-19 pandemic, there were 2,198 football-related arrests. This number decreased to 2,004 in the 2024-25 season, before falling by 40 again last season. The number of arrests falling, despite the increase in football-related offences going up over the last few years, is another indicator of the work being done by police.
Unauthorised entry at matches became a criminal offence in March as part of new legislation, while in 2024 the possession of class A drugs was also included in football-related arrests. A Premier League spokesperson said: "The Premier League and its clubs work closely with police forces at a national and local level to ensure safe and welcoming environments for all fans. We are investing more than £90m a season in stewarding, security, and policing."
The increase in "high severity" incidents at football matches last season is a concern for Chief Constable Roberts. However, Geoff Pearson, a professor of law at the University of Manchester, believes that the increase could be due to improved recording systems and devices. He points to the fact that violent disorder incidents falling by 17% year on year is an indicator of the UK police's good work.
The statistics released by the Home Office show that incidents were reported at 1,644 matches last season in England and Wales - the highest figure since the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) started collecting the data in 2017-18. The £70m of police funding for football matches last season is a significant burden on taxpayers, and Chief Constable Roberts believes that clubs should contribute more to ease this burden.
