The History of Football Hooliganism in England
What is a Football Hooligan and Where do They Come From
© Kim Ford
Sep 9, 2009
Although football matches still suffer from crowd trouble on occasions, nowadays they are relatively safe and hassle free.
The Appearance of Violence at Matches
Large scale violence between rival fans started to appear in the late 1960s and peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s. It took the form of fighting, aggression, chanting, pitch invasions and drunkenness. Perhaps more worryingly, trouble was sometimes associated with racism, political allegiance, violent behaviour and crime.
The violence witnessed between fans at matches has been referred to as the ‘English Disease’ however it is not only England that has suffered from this problem. Many other countries around the world encounter similar difficulties between rival fans.
Back in England, the trend started calming down after the Heysel Disaster in 1985 and the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989. This was partly down to the inquiry into the Hillsborough Disaster and the resulting Robert Taylor report. The report called for the modernisation of football stadiums after the high steel fencing put up to cage the terraces and keep the fans both off the pitch and away from one another was found to have caused the massive crushes.
The modernisation meant that football stadiums became seated venues monitored by CCTV. Many of the new stadia featured special family areas and the violent scenes from the past began to subside.
The History of Violent Football Matches
Although hostilities between fans at games was common in the second half of the twentieth century disturbances have been described as early as the nineteenth century.
In his ‘Fig Fact-Sheet Four: Hooliganism’ paper, Geoff Pearson from the University of Liverpool said: “During a Match in 1846 in Derby the riot act was read and two troops of dragoons called in to deal with a disorderly crowd.” He also explains that pitch invasions were a common sight in the 1880s.
Mr Pearson’s words will go a long way to proving that the problems emerging in the 1960s were nothing new but an existing problem on the increase.
A Definition of a Football Hooligan
The term ‘football hooligan’ was penned by the media to describe a person involved in football violence. The term is not specific and can include anyone involved in either major or minor incidents.
Minor incidents include small scale disorder such as chanting, small arguments and scuffles between fans. Major incidents are often pre-planned and do not always take place on the day or at the ground where the match is taking place. These major incidents nearly always involve gangs or firms attached to football teams.
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