‘Schooligans’ incident in Chester spotlights growing antisocial behaviour in non-league football
On Saturday afternoon in Chester, the teenage ultras of Hednesford Town travelling to a National League North fixture were involved in an incident in which local youths attempted to attack their taxi and a boy “no older than 16” pulled and brandished a long blade, prompting a police investigation; the match went ahead and Cheshire police escorted the Hednesford group safely back to the station.
Clubs across the non-league pyramid have reported a rise in trouble caused by supporters under 18, with some appearing to be as young as 10, and the UK Football Policing Unit has described the issue as its “most important” priority. Incidents cited include a series of disorderly episodes at Aldershot Town in February, a complaint from Enfield Town in August, a Gloucester City supporter struck by a rock thrown by teenagers at Redditch United during an FA Trophy tie, and Soham Town Rangers urging parents to ensure children make “sensible choices.”
Hednesford’s problems are longstanding and, according to owner and chair Craig Gwilt, a “rising tide of disorder was harming the club,” with behaviour that included “pitch invasions, fighting, abuse directed towards players, missiles being thrown at opposition goalkeepers, flares entering the field of play and even interference with players’ water bottles”. Gwilt called on fans to improve their behaviour or risk permanently damaging the club; three weeks after his statement Hednesford banned 20 young supporters following trouble away at Telford.
The club has imposed measures this season to stop under-16s entering without an accompanying adult and added extra matchday security ostensibly to manage car parking; those steps appear to have contained trouble in and around the stadium but groups of up to 50 youths now tend to gather after matches at a distance and travel to away fixtures. On the journey to Chester, the Hednesford group were removed from one train for antisocial behaviour and were drinking alcohol throughout their journey up, according to the account of the trip.
Hednesford’s security staff have nicknamed the group the “schooligans” and the club’s chief executive, Marvin Robinson, said: “I’m not really sure I understand why it seems to be a trend. It’s a wider social issue but what is it and what will it become? Is it a social media thing? Is it about notoriety or becoming known for something? The adult response online has been almost to normalise it. I don’t agree with that.”
Social media has amplified the phenomenon, with TikTok and aggregator accounts hosting posts that celebrate groups who “mooch” to grounds and “run” opponents out of town, often set to electronic dance music and captions such as “this weekend’s got me feeling like a little kid at Christmas.” TikTok has begun appending disclaimers stating: “Participating in this activity could result in you or others getting hurt,” and the platform removed an account named “NLN [National League North] gimps and chants” when alerted to it by the Guardian. Teenagers have used Snapchat’s mapping feature to announce their presence on matchdays, and the reporting notes references to the film Green Street among the groups; children as young as 12 have been detained in the north-west after travelling from the south coast, a distance of more than 200 miles, and one member of the Chester incident asked: “What experience do you get from chasing a taxi?” TikTok and Snapchat were approached for comment.
David Faulkner, chair of Redditch, described a “travelling circus” of fluid alliances between ultra groups and has used video to call for wider action, saying: “People think of non-league football as one man and his dog, but we need to catch up with the fact that it’s massive now. Some clubs have attendances bigger than in League One but the regulations were put in place decades ago. We need that extra regulation, that support, so we can get the funding to put things like CCTV and more stewarding in place. Because the other way this could go is that [change only happens] when someone gets seriously hurt. I haven’t got metal detectors on our gates to stop kids bringing knives in. None of that stuff. I’d rather take action before something happens.”
The Football Association says fan behaviour is primarily a matter for clubs and relevant authorities while it works on policies to welcome young fans safely to National League grounds, and the UK Football Policing Unit is working with leagues and the Crown Prosecution Service to develop new policies around “youth risk” that are likely to include an extra focus on education via schools and community work. Mike Ankers, deputy director of the UKFPU, said: “It’s probably the most important area of football policing that we’re focused on. We are seeing children as young as 12 or 13 engaged in antisocial behaviour at best, but also actual violence and that’s up and down the country, with some travelling hundreds of miles. There comes a great risk and a great safeguarding issue with regards to that. In terms of our focus, we are making sure that we bring the right people together to have a solution. It’s not just the policing, it requires a more holistic view.”
Ankers added: “These children need a strong adult role model. I would very much question that if your 12-year-old is going out to follow football and is being detained, perhaps 200 miles away, then you need to look at how they’ve been able to travel and have those conversations. I think there’s very much a role for parental responsibility.”
