‘Yobs see us as easy to target’
NON-LEAGUE football is battling with an alarming growth in cases of violence and disorder at games.
Last week the Southern League derby between Tamworth and Nuneaton was abandoned after fans fought, some attacking stewards and throwing missiles.
It appears that with less policing, fewer stewards because of financial restraints, and in many cases no CCTV cameras, the hooligans see non-League grounds as an easy touch for their disorder, which is in danger of driving ordinary fans and families away.
Clubs low down the football pyramid are also concerned that with rising hooliganism the authorities could opt to clamp down on drinking alcohol in the social clubs – a major source of income.
Mark Harris, the Northern Premier League chairman, warned: “This problem has seeped into non-League from above mainly because it’s easier to cause trouble at our games than it is at Premier League or EFL matches.
“Some of the non-League’s key selling points – lower ticket prices, limited crowd control or alcohol-consumption controls – have had unintended consequences.
“In short, it’s simply easier to misbehave at non-League grounds and get away with it.
“Rather than eradicate hooliganism, stadium banning orders have shifted the problem from the professional game to non-League.”
If the anti-social behaviour continues, the worry is that clubs, many of which are already struggling due to increasing costs, will have to battle harder to survive.
Harris added: “Any ban on serving or consuming booze at grounds will push clubs close to ruin, due to that lost, vital income.
“At a Northern Premier League match recently, stewarding and security costs ate up 39 percent of the gate takings.”