Five Wigan Athletic fans banned from matches

The orders are given to those who commit certain offences within a stadium, travelling to or from a game, or are crimes that are deemed to be football-related.

If issued, the fan cannot go to any football match within the UK, and has to surrender their passport when a national game is played outside of the country.

There were five football banning orders in force for fans of Wigan Athletic at the end of last season.

Of these, three were issued during the 2021-22 season.

And as Wigan Today reported this week, another one has now imposed.

Matthew Burgoyne recently admitted to disorder at Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park ground last November when he appeared before city magistrates.

The hearing was told that the 23-year-old from Wigan Road, Standish, was involved in a fight in the players' car park before the final whistle and was seen to punch a supporter.

Justices fined Burgoyne £1,102 and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £110 plus court costs of £310. He was also told to pay the entire £1,522 amount within 28 days.

Burgoyne was also made the subject of a Football Banning Order (FBO) lasting three years which will bar him from "entering Wigan town centre and around the area of Wigan Athletic’s ground on Saturdays and Sundays four hours prior to kick off and six hours on the conclusion of the fixture when Wigan have a home fixture, and on any other weekday from 4pm to 12 midnight when Wigan have a home fixture."

It also prevents him from "attending at or travelling to, any town or city in the United Kingdom on a day that Wigan are playing there" and from "attending at or travelling to, any town or city in the United Kingdom on a day that England are playing there."

Across England and Wales, football-related disorder has surged.

Football-related arrests were up by 59 per cent compared to 2018-19, the last season undisrupted by the pandemic, to 2,198.

The was also the highest number since 2,273 were made in the 2013-14 season.

And the authorities dished out 516 new football banning orders in total, meaning 1,308 were in force by the summer of 2022.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for football policing, said: “Disorder is a problem that has not gone away, and throughout the whole of last season we saw an increase in crime at football matches across the country – from the Premier League right down to the National League.

“Following constructive talks with the Premier League, EFL and FA we are keen to support our partners in delivering their proposals – including the introduction of stadium bans for people who enter the pitch, as well as those who use pyrotechnics.

“The statistics released today show a worrying rise in these crimes, which are both extremely dangerous for players, staff and fellow fans alike.”

The Premier League saw the most banning orders of England and Wales’ top five leagues, with 412 in force at the end of the season, while League One fans were issued 238.

The figures also show there were 27 football-related arrests of Wigan Athletic fans last season – the most since at least the 2014/15 season, when figures are first available.

Last season, the most common offence was public disorder, for which there were 13 arrests.

West Ham had the highest number of arrests for a single club – 95 across the season – followed by Manchester City with 76, and Manchester United with 72.

Nationally, hate crime was reported 384 times, and drug use 170 times – both all-time highs.

Home Office Minister Jeremy Quin said: “Our football clubs are at the heart of our communities, and it is unacceptable that the game we all love is tarnished by a minority of selfish troublemakers.

“The increase in football-related arrests shows that police are taking firm action to stop this disorder and preserve the enjoyment of the game for fans and families which I wholeheartedly support.”