ANALYSIS OF SPECTATOR INJURY STATISTICS FOR THE 2008/09 FOOTBALL SEASON
Introduction
- The FLA collates and publishes every year an analysis of the reported injuries to spectators at football grounds in England and Wales. The raw data, provided by all Premier League and Football League clubs (plus Wembley and the Millennium Stadium), covers every competitive first team league and cup game. For the 2008/09 season we asked each club to provide us with the total number of reported injuries as part of the annual club record return submitted with its licence application to the FLA. We also requested a breakdown of the cause, nature, location and outcome of each injury. All 94 clubs / grounds submitted returns.
- This report covers all injuries, namely wounds, trauma, hurt or harm, reported as having been sustained by spectators within the curtilage of the ground on a match day. It excludes any pre-existing injuries as well as any illnesses for which treatment is sought at the ground.
Summary
- There was a fall in the number of reported injuries suffered by spectators at the grounds during the 2008/09 season. This partly reversed the rise in the previous year. It brought the overall figure back to the level last seen in 2003/04. However, while the numbers remain very small relative to overall attendances, they have varied up and down over the past few years.
- The headline figures for 2008/09 were as follows:
- There were 1410 injuries incurred at the grounds for which spectators are reported as having sought treatment; this represents a 10% reduction from the 1559 reported in 2007/08. However, this fall was wholly concentrated in the Premier League and half the clubs in the Championship.
- The reported overall injury ratio improved from one injury per 23,502 spectators in 2007/08 to one per 25,941 in 2008/09. Both the Premier League and the Championship experienced an improved ratio; however, the reverse applied in the two lower divisions.
- The total number of injured spectators reported taken to hospital was down to 91 from 145 in the previous season.
- As in previous years, most injuries were minor and were treated by the sports ground medical teams.
Detailed analysis
- Table A shows the number of spectators reported as having been treated for injuries sustained at league or cup football matches during the 2008/09 season. For the purpose of comparison, the table shows the equivalent figures for 2007/08.
|
|
Total spectators treated for injuries |
Taken to hospital |
Attendance |
1 injury per |
Premier* |
2007/08 |
789 |
72 |
18,740,056 |
23,752 |
2008/09 |
655 |
39 |
18,514,438 |
28,266 |
Championship |
2007/08 |
426 |
44 |
10,220,025 |
23,991 |
2008/09 |
382 |
27 |
10,883,113 |
28,490 |
League 1 |
2007/08 |
213 |
19 |
4,960,391 |
23,288 |
2008/09 |
225 |
19 |
4,643,130 |
20,636 |
League 2 |
2007/08 |
131 |
10 |
2,719,714 |
20,761 |
2008/09 |
148 |
6 |
2,536,427 |
17,138 |
Total |
2007/08 |
1559 |
145 |
36,640,186 |
23,502 |
2008/09 |
1410 |
91 |
36,577,108 |
25,941 |
*The Premier League figures include the returns from Wembley and the Millennium Stadium
- A comparison shows that much of the reduction occurred in the Premier League. Most of the fall in the Championship was concentrated in a small number of clubs. The lower divisions overall showed a very slight increase. There was no obvious pattern nor any evident safety factors to explain the changes in the figures.
- Experience has shown that comparisons between one season and another are not always particularly helpful. The movement of clubs between divisions and changes in weather conditions, for example snow or wet weather, can have a disproportionate impact upon what are generally fairly small figures. So can spectator behaviour, rivalries with other teams and the success or otherwise of a particular team – which may in turn affect attendance figures. The impact of the wider economic climate upon spectators must also be taken into account.
- Moreover, as indicated in our 2008 analysis, we had reservations about the accuracy of some of the returns for 2007/2008, which appeared to group illnesses and injuries together at two major clubs (that employed the same first aid provider). Despite our best efforts, we were unable to resolve. We did, however, take steps to ensure that the recording procedures were overhauled so as to prevent any recurrence of this problem in 2008/09.
- We have therefore traditionally found it more useful to maintain rolling three-year averages for all 94 grounds and for each division. This reduces the impact of individual one-off events, such as the promotion or relegation of larger clubs skewing the figures. It becomes easier to identify any underlying trend. Figures 1 and 2 show the three-year rolling averages for the past five years.
- Figure 3 breaks down the injuries sustained by spectators by category. The information for these categories is collated from the descriptions of the injuries submitted to us by the clubs. Categorising the injury is often difficult as the club’s description is open to interpretation.
- An analysis of the figures shows that the largest reported category is that of “injuries to limbs”. From the short descriptions on the returns from the clubs it has been difficult to place them accurately into a ‘cause’ category. However it is suspected that a majority of them should be attributed to slips, trips or falls. Elsewhere, the number of spectators reported being injured by being hit by footballs has increased. The causes of this category could be due to the lightweight nature of the modern football and its ability to fly faster and further through the air, the pre-match practice using several balls on the pitch or the proximity of spectator seating to the pitch. However the increase is evenly spread across all divisions with the highest individual club total of 6 for the season.
- The great majority of the injuries where the nature or cause was identified were minor. They were typically cuts and bruises, resulting from trips and falls, or scalds from hot drinks. The injuries of those transferred to hospital appear to have been predominantly known or suspected fractures, as a result of falls.
Standing
- We have examined in greater detail whether there has been any obvious link between standing and injury rates at grounds during the 2008/2009 season. We have looked at three different scenarios:
- grounds that still retain standing accommodation
- grounds where home supporters have been reported as standing in large numbers in seated areas;
- matches where visiting supporters have been reported as standing in large numbers in seated areas
- All but one ground in Leagues 1 and 2 provided us with breakdowns of the locations where the injuries occurred. From these returns we have been unable to establish any clear link between the type of accommodation and the number of reported injuries. In almost every case the standing accommodation is now fully compliant with the Green Guide. With most such accommodation rarely full, there is generally sufficient space for standing spectators without risk of surging or crushing.We have likewise been unable to establish any pattern between supporters standing in seated areas and the distribution of reported injuries between the different areas of the grounds in the top two divisions. This applies both when home and visiting supporters are standing. While we lack detailed breakdowns for eight grounds, we do not consider that this has materially affected the results.
- In reaching this conclusion, we can only proceed on the basis of reported injuries despite some evidence of underreporting. Indeed we have observed a number of cases ourselves where spectators have been injured while standing in seated areas but have not sought treatment.
- We understand that the clubs are required to provide returns of the numbers persistently standing in seated areas to the football authorities (because this is a breach of their ground regulations). We have sought but so far failed to be provided with these statistics, which are probably not collected systematically.
Conclusions
- The decrease in the number of reported injuries in the Premier League and Championship, following the previous season’s rise, is very welcome. However, it is difficult to identify the causes with any certainty (see paragraph 7 above). At most grounds, in particular in Leagues 1 and 2, the numbers are very small and can be significantly affected by a single event. We recognise, moreover, that the level of injuries can realistically only fall so far despite the best efforts of ground management.
- Because of the variations over the past three years, we have not found the use of three year averages particularly helpful this year. However, we shall maintain this series in the hope that it will once again provide us with a better indicator of trends in future years.
- Over the past year we have attempted to obtain more accurate figures from the football clubs. A pilot scheme to collect data on a match by match basis was suggested and six clubs offered to take part in the trial. Sadly all six clubs found the task too onerous; they preferred to submit the information at the end of the season. In response we simplified the questions hoping to acquire a consistent reporting structure.
- As a result of our initiative and the condition in the safety certificate on the maintenance of injury records, we have observed that many clubs have produced better recording systems. The returns have provided clearer information on the nature and location of the injuries. This is benefitting both the club and the FLA.
Football Licensing Authority
Secretariat
January 2010
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