SEASIDERS supporters are among the best behaved in the league – with only a handful of fans running into trouble with the law.
During Blackpool FC’s promotion bid last year just five fans were arrested at Bloomfield Road, with a further 11 falling foul of the law away from home.
Police today praised the club for their approach to stewarding games and its fans for being on their best behaviour.
Chief Insp Ian Mills, from Blackpool Police, said: “Blackpool fans are generally well-behaved.
“The police, the club and the fans policing themselves have all led to a decrease in banning orders.
“The stewarding has now got so much better and it is really professional at Blackpool, which has played a huge part in reducing trouble.”
According to the statistics, released by the Home Office, there are currently 10 Blackpool fans prohibited from watching the club, the fourth lowest number of banning orders in the Championship.
By contrast, the team who defeated Blackpool in last year’s play-off final, West Ham United, have 78 fans banned while Cardiff City have 135 and Leeds United 91.
Trouble flared at last year’s play-off final between Blackpool and West Ham United, and the statistics show 46 arrests were made across all four play-off finals, ranging from the Championship to the Conference.
Nationally, 53 per cent of matches were completely police-free, and Chief Insp Mills said the force consistently works with Blackpool FC to plan policing levels.
He added: “We work with the club to assess the risk of any fixture – what is policed, what isn’t policed and to what extent it’s policed is based on the threat.
“There is a marked increase in police for certain matches in consultation with the club and lower police presence at others down to the increase in stewarding and the impact of banning orders.”
Fiona Martin, vice-chairman of Blackpool Supporters Association, said she was proud of Pool supporters.
She added: “The statistics are a credit to the fans and show our supporters are a credit to the club in how they behave. We have a good reputation and don’t bring shame on the club.”
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