Premier League / safety: three pilot projects to be launched in 2026-27 in partnership with the police
• "Piloting drones in the West Midlands to provide an improved picture of what is happening around football stadia and help manage risks to public safety more effectively;
• Leveraging data and AI-driven predictive modelling to understand crowd dynamics and enhance public safety in Merseyside;
• Piloting live intelligence-led facial recognition in London to identify and prevent serious offenders attending matches, building on the experience of deployments that have already taken place at some major events in the capital."
These are the three pilot projects that will be launched in 2026-27 at Premier League
Top English professional football division. 20 clubs.
matches taking place in the relevant geographical areas, as part of a partnership announced on 10/12/2025 between the English professional league and the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC). The agreement, which aims to "further strengthen matchday safety and enhance the experience for football fans," will see the Premier League invest "up to £10m (€11.4m)" in these three planned initiatives.
"The aim is to learn from the projects to establish if they enable safer and more effective delivery of public events for the public as well as sharing best practice which could benefit sport and other major events nationwide," said the Premier League, which "has already invested an additional £3m (€3.4m) in projects to enhance fan experience in stadia including improvements in national stewarding."
- "Local pilots will be developed in the force areas, working with Premier League Clubs engaging with stakeholders, including fans, as the projects are delivered," said the Premier League.
"This partnership will build a stronger relationship between the Premier League and police" (C. Sumner, Premier League)
• "The Premier League recognises the significant contribution that police forces make to the safety of Premier League fans, both on match days and more broadly in the communities that our Clubs are at the heart of.
• I am pleased that this partnership will take our collaboration further, building an even stronger relationship between the Premier League and police."
Clare Sumner, chief policy and social impact officer at the Premier League
"I cannot think of any similar initiative anywhere else in the world" (M. Roberts, UK Football Policing Unit)
• "This is a positive joint approach between policing, the Premier League and Clubs to deliver safe and secure football events for supporters and the general public. It enables us to develop technologies that will assist us in our joint efforts and I cannot think of any similar initiative anywhere else in the world.
• The additional benefit is that it will allow us to develop national capability which is transferable to other areas of policing and public safety."
Mark Roberts, chief constable at the UK Football Policing Unit
"Easing the burden on law enforcement while improving public safety" (S. Jones, Minister for Policing)
• "Every fan deserves to feel safe when they go to the stadium. I therefore welcome the Premier League's collaboration with the police to use cutting-edge technology on match days.
• By working together, we can ease the burden on law enforcement while improving public safety."
Sarah Jones MP, Minister of State for policing and crime
France / LFP: an agreement signed by three Ministers in June 2025 to improve security at football matches
Gérald Darmanin, Minister of Justice, Bruno Retailleau, then Minister of the Interior, and Marie Barsacq, then Minister of Sports, together with Vincent Labrune, president of the Ligue de Football Professionnel, have signed "a new agreement to improve safety at football matches" at the Ministry of the Interior on 25/06/2025.
According to the signatories, this agreement is intended to be "a firm and effective response to violence, so that football stadiums are only and exclusively festive and convivial places."
The text sets out "three clear priorities":
- To secure the entire fan journey, from ticket purchase to return home, using a three-phase approach: before the match (risk analysis, consultation and preparation), during (clear, unified management from the security control centre) and after (identification/arrest/prosecution of any troublemakers, systematic feedback).
- To clarify the responsibilities of all parties involved by strengthening cooperation between the State, the clubs, the security forces and the courts.
- To strengthen local ties, with the creation of "Local Security Contracts" and the appointment of police officers to work with clubs.
Italy / Lega Calcio Serie A: a meeting with police representatives to discuss match safety
• Ezio Simonelli, president of Lega Calcio Serie A, Luigi De Siervo, CEO, and Andrea Butti, head of competitions, met with representatives of the Italian law enforcement authorities at the league's headquarters in Milan (ITA) on 10/12/2025.
• Also in attendance were Vittorio Pisani, chief of police, Bruno Migale, Milan police commissioner, Diego Parente, director general of the police department, and Maurizio Improta, president of the National Observatory for Sports Events.
• "The meeting focused on issues relating to stadium safety and the management of public order during competitions organised by the Lega Calcio Serie A. It was a moment of constructive exchange aimed at strengthening collaboration between law enforcement forces and professional football," stated the Italian body.
• "All parties shared the desire to make a joint commitment to developing initiatives and tools to guarantee an increasingly safe, inclusive and respectful environment in all stadiums."
Germany / DFL: new measures taken to enhance stadium safety
- Appointing an events manager in each Bundesliga
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German professional football first division. 18 clubs.
and 2.Bundesliga
German second division. 18 clubs.
club; - Hiring at least one full-time security officer, possibly two for Bundesliga clubs;
- Higher qualification requirements for security personnel;
- An increase from three to six supporters' representatives in the Bundesliga (two to three in the 2.Bundesliga).
German professional football first division. 18 clubs.
These are the measures adopted by the DFL general assembly on 04/12/2025 to "strengthen safety management and the clubs’ efforts in terms of fan prevention and crowd control."
"German professional football is committed to ensuring safety in stadiums and a vibrant fan culture, both now and in the future. This decision also lays the groundwork for a further reduction in police intervention during professional football matches in Germany," said the DFL.
German football executives negotiating with the ministers of the Interior of the various Länder (German regions) are primarily seeking to avoid collective sanctions, which they believe "would neither be effective in improving stadium safety nor acceptable to millions of football fans."
The starting point for these discussions was a meeting in October 2024, following violent incidents at football matches, between the interior and sports ministers of the various Länder and representatives of the football world, concerning the amount of time spent by police forces in ensuring the safety of matches.
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Sector: English professional football first division league
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# 1163, created on 06/02/14 at 18:33 - Updated on 27/04/26 at 15:42
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