With the 2024/25 season soon to get under way, and football fans looking forward to cheering their teams on again, the English football authorities are working together to ensure matchdays are as safe as possible.  

At the start of the 2022/23 season, The FA, Premier League, EFL, Barclays Women’s Super League, Barclay’s Women’s Championship and the National League System  – backed by the Football Supporters’ Association – came together to launch the “Love Football. Protect the Game” campaign, reminding fans of enhanced measures and tough sanctions in place to help keep matchday environments safe for all. 

Football is an inclusive game, with a unique power to unite fans and bring communities together to share and celebrate their passion. Messaging will be promoted to fans throughout the season, to remind supporters to help keep matchdays a positive and welcoming experience for all, making it clear discrimination and other unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated and action will be taken. 

All football bodies are also working together with the PGMOL to make the on-field environment safe.

Last season, a new Participant Behaviour Charter was introduced across the Premier League, EFL, National League System (Steps 1-4), Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship.

The Charter outlines stronger measures for players, managers, coaches, support staff and club officials to adhere to on a matchday. As a result, charges for surrounding match officials and of mass confrontations were significantly lower in the 2023/24 season than the previous year. Under the new approach, match officials have been empowered to take a robust approach to incidences of unwanted behaviour. This has resulted in a rise in technical area misconduct charges and dissent cautions last season.

The English football authorities will once again provide match officials with their full support when dealing with unacceptable behaviour from participants during the 2024/25 season.

Misconduct cases in the 2023/24 season:
– 45 per cent  decrease in charges for surrounding of a match official (from 64 to 35 charges)
– 21 per cent decrease in charges for mass confrontations (from 133 to 105 charges)
– 67 per cent increase in charges for technical area misconduct (from 168 to 280 charges)

Match discipline in the 2023/24 season:
– 73 per cent increase in dissent cautions for players (from 2,532 to 4,388 cautions)

2023/24 Results in full 

The below figures include all fixtures from each respective league in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, offering a comparison pre and post the implementation of the Participant Behaviour Charter. They apply to the Premier League, EFL, National League (Steps 1 -4), Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship.

Premier League & EFL

National League (steps 1-4) & WSL/WC

Totals