Schooligans: Teenage Football Disorder Alarms Non-League Clubs

Teenage football supporters are increasingly becoming a source of concern across English non-league football, with reports of fighting, intimidation, dangerous objects and antisocial behaviour emerging from grounds across the country. Known in some circles as the new generation of ultras or “schooligans”, these young groups are drawing attention from clubs, police and local communities as their activities become more organised and visible on social media.

Hednesford Town has become one of the clubs at the centre of the issue. Its young supporters have been involved in repeated incidents, prompting the club to introduce restrictions and increase security. However, the problem appears to extend beyond stadiums, with groups gathering around railway stations, travelling to away fixtures and using social media to publicise their activities.

Chester incident highlights growing concerns over teenage football disorder

It was shortly after 3pm on a Saturday when a group of teenage Hednesford Town supporters arrived in Chester for their team’s National League North fixture. The group, known among supporters and club staff as the “schooligans”, had travelled by taxi and appeared determined to make their presence felt.

As one taxi moved away from Chester’s historic half-timbered streets and entered a narrow residential area, around six local youths wearing balaclavas appeared. They attempted to attack the vehicle and chased it as the driver pulled away. Pyrotechnic smoke was reportedly present in the area as the confrontation unfolded.

The situation escalated when one teenager, believed to be no older than 16, produced a long blade from inside his trousers and brandished it. The taxi eventually managed to escape, while the local group remained in the road shouting and gesticulating.

No one was injured, and the incident ended without further violence. However, a police investigation was launched. The match itself passed without trouble, and Cheshire police escorted the Hednesford supporters safely back to the railway station.

The incident illustrates the challenges facing non-league football, where clubs are increasingly dealing with disorder involving supporters who are still children. The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) has described youth-related disorder as its “most important” priority, reflecting the growing concern about the scale and potential consequences of the behaviour.

Clubs across England report disorder involving young supporters

Hednesford is not the only non-league club experiencing problems. Throughout the year, teams from the south coast to the north-east have reported incidents involving supporters under the age of 18, with some appearing to be as young as 10.

In February, Aldershot Town reported a series of disorderly incidents involving young people, including fights outside the stadium. The club described the behaviour as “wholly unacceptable and [which] will not be tolerated”.

Enfield Town raised similar concerns in August following a fixture in Lewes, saying it was “concerned and disappointed” by the conduct of some young supporters.

More recently, during an FA Trophy tie at Redditch United, a Gloucester City supporter was struck by a rock thrown by teenagers. Even clubs competing in lower divisions have been forced to address the issue. Soham Town Rangers, from the ninth-tier Eastern Counties League, urged parents to ensure their children made “sensible choices” before a match against Mildenhall Town.

These incidents suggest that youth-related disorder is not limited to one club, town or region. Instead, football authorities and local communities are facing a wider challenge involving young supporters who travel to matches and sometimes become involved in confrontations away from stadiums.

Hednesford Town introduces measures to control schooligans

Hednesford Town has experienced repeated problems over several seasons. In August, club owner and chairman Craig Gwilt issued a public appeal asking supporters to improve their behaviour and warning that continued disorder could permanently damage the club.

Gwilt highlighted several incidents that had affected the club, including pitch invasions, fighting, abuse directed towards players, missiles thrown at opposition goalkeepers, flares entering the field of play and interference with players’ water bottles.

His statement called on supporters to recognise the consequences of their actions and help protect the club’s reputation. However, the appeal did not immediately resolve the situation. Three weeks later, following trouble at an away fixture against Telford, Hednesford banned 20 young supporters from attending matches.

The club has since introduced additional measures aimed at reducing the risk of further incidents. Under-16s are now required to attend with an accompanying adult, while extra security has been introduced on matchdays. Although the additional security is ostensibly intended to manage car parking, it also forms part of the club’s wider efforts to maintain order.

These measures appear to have helped contain trouble around the stadium. However, groups of up to 50 young people have reportedly continued gathering away from the ground after matches, where they can look for confrontation or prepare for future away trips.

Hednesford’s chief executive questions the rise of schooligans

Hednesford is a town of approximately 19,000 people on the edge of the protected Cannock Chase landscape. Its town centre is described as neat and well maintained, with a monument to the Stafford regiment at its heart. The local football club remains an important part of the community, making the repeated incidents involving young supporters particularly difficult for the organisation to understand.

The nickname “schooligans” was coined by Hednesford’s security staff. Club chief executive Marvin Robinson says the behaviour has left officials struggling to understand why the trend has developed, particularly as the club would prefer to focus on its recent progress and modernisation following back-to-back promotions.

“I’m not really sure I understand why it seems to be a trend,” Robinson says. “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.”

Robinson’s comments point towards a broader concern about how young people are influenced by online attention. Videos celebrating disorder can give the impression that aggressive behaviour is an accepted or even admired part of supporting a football club.

TikTok and Snapchat help spread the schooligans culture

Social media appears to play an important role in the visibility and organisation of these groups. On TikTok, videos from aggregator accounts and individual accounts linked to teenagers show young supporters celebrating their activities around non-league fixtures.

The posts often feature footage of groups walking towards stadiums, confronting rival supporters or attempting to drive opposition fans away. Captions and upbeat electronic dance music give the videos a celebratory tone, sometimes presenting the incidents as exciting memories or achievements.

Some posts use language such as “top lads” and “mooch” to describe the groups’ activities. Others feature captions expressing excitement about upcoming weekends and away fixtures. The presentation can make disorder appear nostalgic or entertaining rather than highlighting the potential consequences for those involved.

In recent weeks, TikTok has started adding warnings to some videos, stating: “Participating in this activity could result in you or others getting hurt.” The platform also removed an account named “NLN [National League North] gimps and chants” after the Guardian alerted it to the content. The account was found to breach guidelines that prohibit material glorifying violence.

The growing online presence has added another challenge for clubs and authorities. Footage can circulate beyond the local communities where incidents take place, potentially increasing the visibility and perceived status of those involved.

Today’s teenage groups differ from traditional football firms

The schooligans appear familiar with the mythology of traditional football hooliganism, with references to the 2005 film Green Street reportedly common among the groups. However, their behaviour does not necessarily follow the methods associated with older football firms.

Rather than routinely arranging fights with rival groups in advance, teenagers reportedly use Snapchat’s mapping feature to make their presence known to opposition supporters on matchdays. What happens next can depend on who turns up and how the groups respond to each other.

Rivalries and alliances are also less predictable. In the West Midlands, young supporters associated with Hednesford may join forces with teenagers linked to Redditch or Cannock Town. This fluid approach makes it difficult for clubs and police to identify where trouble might occur or which groups may become involved.

Police comments following disorder at a Hednesford fixture in Hereford highlighted the complexity of these relationships. Local officers said most of the disorder had been caused by Redditch supporters chasing fans of Solihull Moors.

The issue is not confined to nearby towns. Children as young as 12 have been detained in the north-west after travelling from the south coast, covering a distance of more than 200 miles. Such journeys have raised concerns about supervision, safeguarding and the ability of young teenagers to travel long distances to attend matches and become involved in disorder.

Redditch chairman warns of a travelling circus

Redditch chairman David Faulkner has been dealing with the consequences of the incident involving a Gloucester City supporter who was struck by a thrown rock during the FA Trophy fixture. He believes the changing alliances between groups have created a situation in which clubs cannot easily predict where disorder will occur next.

Faulkner has described the groups as a “travelling circus” and has started using YouTube videos to highlight the problem and encourage clubs to work together. He has also adopted the nickname “the non-League chair” as he seeks to draw attention to the challenges facing smaller football organisations.

“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,” Faulkner says. “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.”

He warned that waiting for a serious injury before introducing stronger safeguards would be the wrong approach. Faulkner said clubs should be able to take preventive action rather than responding only after a major incident.

“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.”

His comments underline the financial and operational difficulties faced by non-league clubs. Many organisations may not have the resources required to install extensive CCTV systems, increase stewarding or introduce more advanced security arrangements.

Football authorities consider education and stronger safeguarding

The Football Association says responsibility for supporter behaviour primarily rests with clubs and the relevant authorities. However, it is also working on policies intended to ensure that young fans can attend National League matches safely.

The UK Football Policing Unit is working with leagues and the Crown Prosecution Service to develop new policies focused on what it calls “youth risk”. These plans are likely to place additional emphasis on education through schools and community-based work, recognising that policing alone cannot address the wider causes of the problem.

Mike Ankers, deputy director of the UKFPU, described youth-related disorder as one of the most important areas of work for football policing. He said authorities were seeing children as young as 12 or 13 involved in antisocial behaviour and, in some cases, actual violence across different parts of the country.

“It’s probably the most important area of football policing that we’re focused on,” Ankers says. “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.”

Ankers stressed that the situation also creates significant safeguarding concerns, particularly when children travel long distances without appropriate adult supervision. He said police were bringing together the relevant organisations to develop a broader response.

“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.”

Police call for greater parental responsibility

Ankers also backed Faulkner’s decision to speak publicly about the issue, arguing that adults need to take greater responsibility for the behaviour and welfare of young supporters.

“These children need a strong adult role model,” he says.

He questioned how a 12-year-old could travel hundreds of miles to follow a football team and become involved in incidents serious enough to result in detention without parents or guardians being aware of the journey.

“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.”

The comments highlight the need for cooperation between families, football clubs, schools, local communities and police. While clubs can introduce stadium restrictions and authorities can respond to incidents, the involvement of parents and other responsible adults may be essential to preventing children from becoming involved in dangerous situations.

Schooligans return home after another eventful away trip

After being escorted to the platform by police in Chester, the Hednesford supporters began their journey home by train. Their return trip was disrupted by Halloween revellers and a national signal failure, leaving the group stuck while they waited to continue their journey.

During the delay, the teenagers reportedly spent time looking at footage from other young supporter groups on their phones and discussing the day’s events. They eventually concluded that they had come out of the encounter on top.

One teenager summed up the group’s attitude with a question: “What experience do you get from chasing a taxi?”

The comment offers a troubling glimpse into how some young supporters view confrontations, treating potentially dangerous incidents as experiences to be judged or celebrated. For clubs, local residents and football authorities, the concern is that such behaviour could escalate if it continues to be normalised.

The growing schooligans problem has therefore become more than a question of matchday discipline. It raises wider issues around youth safety, online influence, parental responsibility and the resources available to non-league clubs. With the UKFPU making the issue a major priority and clubs calling for greater support, the challenge now is to prevent further disorder before someone suffers a serious injury.

TikTok and Snapchat were approached for comment.