The UK's Most Hazardous Football Grounds Exposed

During the 2023/24 season, there was a concerning increase in the number of arrests made at football matches across England and Wales. The Home Office recently announced that a total of 2,584 football-related arrests were recorded throughout the season.

This marked a 14 per cent year-on-year increase, following last year's figures of 2,264 arrests which was a previous high.

One of the key drivers behind this increase was a growing number of arrests for possession of class A drugs, which rose by 144 on the 2022/23 figures.

Most dangerous grounds revealed

Following the release of these Home Office figures, security experts at Get Licensed have broken the 2022/23 data down to reveal the stadiums with the highest arrest and banning order rates to reveal which grounds are the most 'dangerous' in England and Wales.

Topping their list is Peterborough United's Weston Homes Stadium, which saw 63 arrests that season, which equated to 3.04 arrests per 10,000 attendees - the highest in the country.

Second on their list is League Two side Barrow, where there 21 arrests, which equates to 2.61 arrests per 10,000 match-goers at their Holker Street ground.

Rochdale's Crown Oil Arena also tops more than two arrests per 10,000 attendees, with Lincoln City and Blackpool completing the top five.

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Millwall are the top-ranked Championship side and sit sixth on this list with 1.18 arrests per 10,000 supporters, while Chelsea are the highest Premier League at ninth place, with 0.99 arrests per 10,000 supporters,

At the other end of the table League One Burton Albion and League Two side Harrogate Town are the 'safest' grounds in the game, with no arrests made at either stadium during the 2022/23 campaign.

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The safest Premier League ground is Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park, with just 0.06 arrests per10,000 supporters, the third-best rate in England and Wales.