New Premier League rules revealed: Doing these things in a football ground could lead to automatic ban

Premier League clubs have agreed to impose automatic minimum bans in a bid to clamp down on anti-social and criminal behaviour at football grounds.

All participating members of the English top division voted on the matter at a stakeholder meeting in July.

It was decided on Wednesday, September 21 that fans will face a minimum club ban of one year.

The Football Association (FA) has also agreed to tougher sanctions for clubs, including working to improve searches for individuals, increased use of sniffer dogs at football grounds and removal of social media videos showcasing illegal fan behaviour.

The English Football League will also introduce these measures to tackle fan behaviour issues.

Why has the Premier League introduced new automatic bans?

Action was taken following a sharp rise in anti-social and criminal behaviour in football grounds.

High profile incidents include Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen being assaulted at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium during the last day of the 2021/2022 Premier League campaign.

While a Nottingham Forest fan was jailed after headbutting Sheffield United’s captain Billy Sharp following the play-off semi-final last season.

In a statement issued during yesterday’s meeting, a Premier League spokesperson said: “Clubs unanimously agreed to introduce minimum-length bans for supporters who take part in anti-social and criminal behaviour at league stadiums.

“These bans could be extended to accompanying parents or guardians of children who take part in such activities.”

Here is everything you need to know about the change in the Premier League’s approach to tackling fan behavioural issues.

When will minimum bans be enforced in the Premier League?

Premier League and EFL football supporters will not need to wait long for these measures to be introduced at grounds across the country.

The change will come into effect immediately and will be applied to home and away matches.

The crimes and anti-social behaviour that could land you with Premier League ban

The minimum-length one year bans in the Premier League and EFL will be put into effect to limit the following anti-social and criminal behaviour:

• Pitch invasions / supporters entering the field of play
• Use of flares, smoke bombs and other pyrotechnics
• Throwing objects on the field of play, at footballers or other fans
• Discriminatory behaviour
• Taking illegal drugs

Premier League CEO, Richard Masters said: “Everyone should feel safe and able to enjoy a football match. Together, with clubs and partners across football, we are making clear the type of incidents we saw last season must stop. If we don’t take collective and sustained action, it may only be a matter of time before someone is seriously injured, or worse.

"These new measures are a strong response to a significant increase in fan behaviour issues, but we know it is the minority who have behaved unacceptably and unlawfully. Premier League football should be a fantastic experience for everyone and we don’t want matches to be marred by these sorts of events in the future.”

For more information and to view the official Premier League statement and information, visit the Premier League website.