The Home Office has initiated a series of consultations that could force Premier League football clubs and other major sports bodies to pay millions of pounds more for policing around their events, sparking grave concern across the industry.
Taxpayer Burden Under Scrutiny
Currently, football clubs in England and Wales are only required to pay for policing conducted on their own private property. However, senior police figures argue that the organisations staging major events should shoulder the full cost of maintaining public order in the surrounding areas on match days, a burden currently falling on the public purse.
According to data from the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), the total bill for police services for football during the 2023-24 season was £71.69 million. Of this, clubs contributed just £14.87 million, or 20.7%, leaving taxpayers to fund the remaining £56.82 million.
Potential Impact Across Major Events
The proposed change would not only affect Premier League and Football League matches but could also extend to international rugby and cricket fixtures, the London Marathon, and major cultural events like the Notting Hill Carnival and Pride celebrations.
The financial implications for individual clubs could be severe. For instance, policing for a recent Aston Villa Europa League match was reported to cost around £2 million. In another example, a source suggested that if Millwall were to host Leeds United, the home club could face an additional policing bill exceeding £100,000 if required to cover costs outside the stadium.
Mark Roberts, the Chief Constable of Cheshire Police who leads the UKFPU, has been lobbying ministers on this issue. He contends that reallocating the £56.82 million currently paid by taxpayers could fund an additional 1,200 police officers on Britain's streets. Roberts has expressed frustration at the pace of government action, describing it as "glacial," and highlighted a perceived imbalance where top clubs spend hundreds of millions on transfers but a fraction on policing.
Industry Backlash and Government Stance
In response to the proposals, a coalition of leading sports bodies, including the Football Association, Rugby Football Union, England & Wales Cricket Board, the Jockey Club, Silverstone, and the Boat Race, voiced strong opposition. In a joint letter sent via the Major Event Organisers Association (MEOA) to then-Opposition Leader Keir Starmer in April, they warned that an "ill-thought-out change would damage a crucial sector of the economy."
The group stated they were "gravely concerned" at Roberts's approach, emphasising that the impact would be widespread: "This is simply not just a Premier League football issue."
The government has signalled its intent to examine the issue closely. In October, Sarah Jones, the Minister of State, told Parliament: "The Home Office is concerned that the cost of policing football matches that is currently falling to the public purse is too high and is exploring ways to address this." She added that any solution must balance costs with the cultural and economic value of major events.
With consultations now underway, the sports and events industry faces an anxious wait to see if a fundamental shift in the funding of public safety at major gatherings is imminent.
