Dangerous Derbies - Which football derbies are the riskiest for fans in England?

Football fans' loyalty and adoration for their teams is unmatched, whether your team is on winning form in the Premier League or in danger of being demoted to a lower division. Every goal is important to supporters, but local derbies are some of the most intense fixtures on the calendar, with these match-ups feeling like more than just a game. 

Unfortunately, fans' passion for the beautiful game sometimes leads to a less-than-perfect atmosphere in the stands. With this in mind, we'll examine the most dangerous football clashes across all English domestic competitions to uncover which fixtures have resulted in the most unrest since 2021.

Most Dangerous Football Match-Ups in England and Wales

2021/22-2023/24 Seasons Across All Domestic Competitions

1. Cambridge United vs Luton Town - 76.9% of the Home Team’s Total Arrests

Surprisingly, the 20 arrests between Cambridge United and Luton Town over the last three seasons came from their FA Cup match at Cledara Abbey Stadium in 2022. The visitors won with a convincing scoreline of 0-3, and the Cambridge United fans were not pleased. 

As a result of the cup game, 16 home fans and four away fans were arrested for violent and public disorder, and these 20 arrests make up more than three-quarters of all incidents across Cambridge United’s domestic home games since 2021. To add even more salt to the wounds, three football fans were issued banning orders for their behaviour. 

2. Doncaster Rovers vs Crewe Alexandra - 44% of the Home Team’s Total Arrests

The match-up between Doncaster Rovers and Crewe Alexandra is next on this list. Over the last three football seasons, these teams have only played each other twice at Keepmoat Stadium, and both have ended in arrests. Moreover, these fixtures make up 44% of all arrests made when Doncaster Rovers have played at their home ground.

A League Two clash in the 2023/24 season saw Crewe Alexandra pick up four yellow cards, but Doncaster Rovers’ fans misbehaved, with nine arrests in one game despite their team winning the match 2-0. 

3. Reading vs Oxford United - 43.2% of the Home Team’s Total Arrests

Over the last three football seasons, games at Reading’s home ground, the Select Car Leasing Stadium (more commonly known as the Madjeski Stadium), have resulted in more than 70 arrests. More than 40% of these came during a 1-1 encounter between Reading and Oxford United last season, making this fixture one of the most dangerous matchups on this list.

A violent disorder arrest was made to 32 fans during the Thames Valley derby, with much of the trouble starting before the match even began.

Most Dangerous Football Stadiums for Home Fans

1. Manchester City - 9.89 /10 Overall Danger Score

Whether you are a Manchester City fan or not, their dominance in domestic football cannot be understated. However, Manchester City’s fans don’t always set a good example in their behaviour at the Etihad. 

The Citizens’ home ground may not be the biggest in capacity, but it has had one of the highest arrest numbers among all football teams in England and Wales since the 2021/22 season—a less-than-impressive accomplishment for the club.

2. Manchester United - 9.73 /10 Overall Danger Score

Manchester United is arguably one of the most well-known football clubs, with fans worldwide and a boatload of major trophies under their belts.

Unfortunately, their lacklustre performances in recent years have caused frustration among fans, and the team’s fanbase has channelled this energy in unlawful ways. 

Since the 2021/22 season, there have been almost 200 arrests at Old Trafford, most involving home fans.  

3. Middlesbrough - 9.14 /10 Overall Danger Score

Middlesbrough completes this rank with an overall score of 9.14/10. Known as one of the most dangerous cities in the North Yorkshire region, violence is among the most common offences in the stadium’s postcode.

Compared to the average crime risk score of stadiums on this list (614/1000), Riverside Stadium has a higher-than-average crime score of 711/1000. 

Additionally, 67 home fans have been arrested at Riverside Stadium across all domestic games since 2021. This has contributed to the highest overall danger score of any team in the Championship.

Most Dangerous Football Stadiums for Away Fans

1. Manchester City - 9.89 /10 Overall Danger Score

After being revealed as having one of the highest total arrests at their home stadium, it may be unsurprising that Manchester City also tops the away rank. Considering how successful the Citizens have been in recent years, it's enough to ruffle the feathers of any away fan.

Since the 2021/22 season, 155 visiting fans have been arrested at the Etihad across all domestic cups, with just under a third of these coming from FA Cup matches, including a 2024 match-up against Newcastle, which resulted in 11 arrests.

However, in terms of arrested fans, Manchester United supporters are responsible for the most trouble against Manchester City, making up 23 arrests during this time. 

2. Manchester United - 9.56 /10 Overall Danger Score

Just like the ranking for the most dangerous home fans, this away ranking is a battle between the Manchester sides. However, Manchester United fans would be glad to finish second in this title race. 

Over half of the domestic arrests for away fans at Old Trafford have come from Premier League games. The most arrests in a single Premier League game during this period came from a clash between the Red Devils and Everton in March 2024. Two clumsy tackles in the penalty box resulted in a 2-0 loss for the visitors, and this enraged fans.

3. Leeds United - 9.09 /10 Overall Danger Score

Northern clubs dominate this top three, with Leeds United completing the ranking. Since the 2021/22 season, the Whites have been between the Premier League and the EFL Championship.

This club's ups and downs have resulted in 133 arrests at Elland Road, with 74 involving away fans. This, paired with a crime risk score of 696 /1000, has contributed to this club's high stadium danger score, totalling 9.09 /10.

The Riskiest Football Derbies in England and Wales

1. Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur - 65 derby arrests since the 2021/22 season

The North London derby, fought between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, is one of the most bloodthirsty matches in English football. These two teams have been playing each other for decades, which is always eventful.

Unfortunately, with derbies come incredibly passionate fans, and this tends to get ugly. Since 2021, domestic meetings between Arsenal and Spurs have led to 65 arrests. 

2. Manchester City vs Manchester United - 55 Derby Arrests Since the 2021/22 Season

The hotly contested Manchester derby is fought between Manchester United, one of the most converted sides in English history, and Manchester City, one of the best teams in recent times. 

The inter-city competition to be Manchester’s champion has resulted in lots of unlawful behaviour from fans of the Reds and the Blues. Between 2021 and 2024, 55 arrests were made for supporters of these teams during Manchester derby days.

3. West Bromwich Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers - 39 Derby Arrests Since the 2021/22 Season

The match-up between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers completes this ranking of the riskiest football derbies. 

In January 2024, a match between these two teams was like any other, with both sides eager to claim bragging rights in the Black Country derby.

However, the game was overshadowed by a fan-related incident, as supporters invaded the pitch. This led to a 35-minute stoppage and multiple arrests among fans of both teams.

Most Violent Football Derbies in England and Wales

1. Chelsea vs Arsenal - 7.17 /10 Overall Danger Score

The London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal is a rivalry that stretches back decades. The pair have clashed in a range of domestic competitions over the years. Unfortunately, the passion of both fans has led to some behaviours that they won’t look back fondly on.

When analysing incidents from all domestic competitions since 2021, some of the factors making up this rivalry’s 7.17 /10 overall danger score include six hate crime incidents and three people in possession of pyrotechnics (fireworks). This match-up is also home to more attacks on stadium staff than any other derby on this list, totalling four incidents.

2. Manchester City vs Manchester United - 7.11 /10 Overall Danger Score

As well as being one of the riskiest derbies in terms of arrests, it appears that the Manchester derby is also known for its incidents on match day.

Hate crimes make up the most significant proportion of all domestic incidents for fans of these two teams. With the majority of these coming under the umbrella of ‘race’, it makes football movements like ‘No Room for Racism’ all the more important. 

This derby has also recorded more incidents of fans throwing missiles than any other in this ranking - another unwanted title for these teams. 

3. Manchester United vs Liverpool - 5.79 /10 Overall Danger Score

Fought between Manchester United and Liverpool, the North West Derby never fails to disappoint in terms of drama. Games can get heated on and off the pitch, with attacks on police and criminal damage, among other things. With a score of 5.79 /10, this derby is one of the most dangerous in English football.

To add more stakes to this already fierce rivalry, these two teams are constantly battling for bragging rights as the club with the most honours across domestic competitions in England- a title that currently sits with Liverpool after their recent League Cup final win over Chelsea in 2024.

Methodology

Most dangerous match-ups

We made a list of all football clubs in the Premier League, Championship, League One, and League Two as of the 24/25 season, noting their stadium. 

Using GOV data, we found the following figures for each club across domestic competitions for the 2021/22-2023/24 seasons:

• Total arrests during home games
• Team with the most arrests against the home team, noting the number of arrests

We removed teams with less than 20 arrests over the last three seasons.

We divided the number of arrests for the most dangerous team by the club’s total during home games to calculate the percentage of arrests for the most dangerous match-up in each club. 

Most dangerous stadiums

We used the same seed list as we did for the most dangerous match-ups.

We used GOV data to record the number of arrests of home and away fans at the stadium across domestic competitions for the 2021/22-2023/24 seasons.

We used CrimeRate to find the crime risk score (/1000) of each stadium’s postcode.

We used the stadium-related factors (crime risk score, total arrests, and total arrests for home fans) and normalised each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall home danger score. This was repeated to find the most dangerous away teams.

Riskiest derbies

We used a series of listicles, including Give Me Sport and One Football, to make a seed list of big UK football derbies in England and Wales. 

We used GOV data to find the number of arrests in matches between rival teams across domestic competitions for the 2021/22-2023/24 seasons. Using the same source, we also recorded the number of violent crimes attributed to supporters, including the following crimes:

• Hate crime total (added together the figures for race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and gender identity
• Inappropriate chanting
• Attacks on stadium staff
• Attack on police
• Criminal damage
• Weapons
• Pyrotechnics
• Throwing missiles

We used derby-related incidents (hate crime total, inappropriate chanting, attacks on stadium staff, attacks on police, criminal damage, weapons, pyrotechnics, and throwing missiles). We normalised each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall danger score.