Burnham Bins Beer Ban: The worst fanbases for alcohol-related offences in England

Andy Burnham has announced that he plans on scrapping the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands, in an effort to tackle the ‘discrimination’ of working class football fans across the country.

Due to this announcement, TipMan Tips have decided to analyse the past 10 years worth of Home Office statistics surrounding alcohol-related arrests at football stadiums, in order to reveal which fanbases have been the biggest offenders when it comes to alcohol-fueled arrests while supporting their team.

The data revealed that since the 2016/17 season, Leeds United fans have been the worst offenders for alcohol-related arrests as fans of the Whites have been arrested 74 times over the past 10 seasons for alcohol-related offences.

More than 10 Leeds United fans were arrested in one season alone on three separate occasions: 2016/17, 2018/19 and 2019/20.

Manchester United fans take second place with 60 alcohol-related arrests made over the past decade. Unlike Leeds United fans, the highest number of Manchester United fans that were arrested across one season is nine.

Completing the top five is Newcastle United fans in third place with 53 alcohol-related arrests, and in joint fourth place are Birmingham City fans and Aston Villa fans with 52.

The 20 fanbases with the highest number of alcohol-related arrests over the past 10 seasons

Rank
Club
16/17
17/18
18/19
19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
10 Season Total
1
Leeds United
14
8
12
15
0
7
5
3
2
8
74
2
Manchester United
6
9
4
5
0
9
9
9
3
6
60
3
Newcastle United
5
4
7
2
0
8
9
5
5
8
53
4
Birmingham City
18
5
2
6
0
6
7
2
2
4
52
5
Aston Villa
12
9
1
1
0
6
4
5
13
1
52
6
Manchester City
13
3
6
1
0
6
4
5
6
6
50
7
Sunderland
4
10
12
1
0
0
3
4
3
4
41
8
Chelsea
3
1
5
2
2
7
3
1
6
6
36
9
Sheffield United
4
8
6
3
0
3
0
3
4
1
32
10
Middlesbrough
3
2
2
3
0
9
9
2
0
1
31
11
Arsenal
7
0
0
3
0
2
5
4
3
5
29
12
Millwall
2
2
4
2
0
3
4
3
7
2
29
13
Stoke City
5
0
7
4
0
2
1
7
2
0
28
14
Liverpool
4
5
5
5
0
1
2
1
2
2
27
15
Sheffield Wednesday
5
4
2
4
0
5
0
4
2
1
27
16
Nottingham Forest
2
1
1
1
0
6
6
3
2
4
26
17
Leicester City
6
4
0
1
0
5
4
3
3
0
26
18
Burnley
1
1
3
2
0
2
11
1
4
1
26
19
Cardiff City
6
5
4
2
0
0
4
3
2
0
26
20
Derby County
11
4
4
1
0
2
1
2
0
0
25
As for which fanbases had the highest arrest rate per 1,000 supporters, Grimsby Town fans take the top spot with 2.20 alcohol-related arrests per 1,000 capacity, followed by Leeds United fans in second with 1.97 and Luton Town fans in third with 1.85.

Commenting on the analysis, Fraser Bricknell, founder at TipMan Tips, said:

“While everyone who goes to the football wishes they could have a pint in the stands when they’re told they can’t, I don’t think lifting the ban would be a good idea, and neither do most fans on social media.

“Looking at these numbers, there is already a problem with alcohol at the football and scrapping the ban would only make it worse. In addition, you also have the problem of people throwing their pints in the air when someone scores – you’ll need a rain jacket on just so you don’t get covered in beer!”