How many arrests and banning orders were dished out to Blackpool fans last season?

Figures released by the Home Office show there were 26 football-related arrests involving Blackpool fans during the 2021/22 season.

Fifteen of the arrests occurred at Bloomfield Road, while 11 happened during away games.

The previous highest it’s been was 17 during the 2018/19 campaign, while the following season it stood at 16.

During the 2014/15 campaign, 12 supporters faced arrest.

By comparison, only five new banning orders were handed out to Blackpool supporters last season.

The 2021/22 campaign saw the return of capacity crowds after a year of Covid-19 restrictions, so there were only two arrests during the 2020/21 season.

Nine of the 26 arrests related to public disorder, six were for throwing missiles, five for alcohol-related offences and three for violent disorder.

Blackpool supporters also faced punishment for possession of an offensive weapon, pitch incursion and possession of pyrotechnics.

The number of football-related arrests across the country jumped by 59 per cent compared to 2018/19, the previous campaign with no games behind closed doors.

There were 2,198 arrests in total in 2021/22, the highest since 2013/14, ending a downward trend that started in 2010/11.

In terms of banning orders, 516 were issued in total. The top three clubs for new banning orders were Millwall (33), Leicester City (28) and Everton (26).

Only last week a Blackpool fan was slapped with a three-year banning order after using racist language as players took the knee before the game against Stoke City in November 2021.

Harold Bowden, of Breck Road, Poulton, was convicted of a racially aggravated public order offence following the incident.

Joshua Ayres, meanwhile, was given a one-year ban from all football grounds after admitting lobbing a smoke bomb onto the pitch during the derby against Preston North End.

Ayres, of Wetherby Avenue, South Shore, was also ordered to pay £189 in costs. The court heard Ayres had already been banned by the club.

In recent seasons, Blackpool have had to issue a number of warnings about anti-social behaviour and the use of pyrotechnics inside Bloomfield Road.

The club has been threatened with partial stadium closures should the minority of supporters involved in these incidents not curb their behaviour.