The Premier League, Football League and FA have launched a supporter education campaign on the danger of pyrotechnics at football grounds, following research among fans that they would like more knowledge on how to address it.
The research, which was conducted with 1,635 Premier League supporters, found that 87% of fans believe that pyrotechnics such as flares and smoke bombs are dangerous at matches, and that 86% were concerned for their safety.
The same number think flares and smoke bombs are a fire risk and 79% consider them to be a health hazard.
To help better inform fans who are not aware, clubs throughout the Premier League, Football League and Football Conference will be supporting a new campaign on the dangers of pyrotechnics by running adverts in their grounds and in programmes and websites.
More action required
Research finds a third of fans have been affected by pyrotechnics and 78% want more action taken against pyro users
The campaign, which features posters parodying football chants, also has an online presence www.facepyrofacts.co.uk and real-life examples of how pyrotechnics are not, as pyro users attest, ‘innocent fun’, but can have serious repercussions.
Among the facts revealed in the advertising are that it is illegal to enter a football ground with a pyro and that supporters risk jail and banning orders even for being in possession of one.
Flares are used for marine distress and are designed not to be extinguished easily or quickly. They contain chemicals and burn at temperatures of 1600°C, the melting point of steel.
Smoke bombs are mainly used recreationally in paintballing and war games, but these also burn at high temperatures and are designed to be used in wide open spaces. They are dangerous for those with asthma or breathing difficulties and can cause panic in a tightly packed crowd. They are not designed for use in confined spaces and it is illegal to enter a football stadium with one and set it off.
The kids are alright?
Children as young as eight have been found smuggling pyrotechnics into grounds on behalf of adults.
“The use of pyrotechnics in the closed environment of a football stadium presents a clear health and safety risk to spectators and can spoil other supporters’ enjoyment of the game," said Chris Whalley, The FA's senior manager of stadia safety and security.
"It is also a criminal offence and supporters taking pyrotechnics into a football stadium could face a long ban from attending matches. Fans can help everyone by keeping our stadia safe and smoke-free.”
The use of pyrotechnics is a relatively new phenomenon in English football, with the trend imported from Europe where the issue is much more prevalent.
It is a rising issue: in the 2010-11 season there were just eight incidents across the Premier League, Football League and Football Conference and the domestic cup competitions. In 2011-12 this rose to 72 and last season it jumped to 172 incidents. During the 2013-14 season (up to the end of October 2013) there has been 96 incidents.
Although the use of pyrotechnics is still rare, this is an issue that many fans would like addressed: 78% of those surveyed would support more action against the proliferation of flares and smoke bombs.
Over half of fans have now witnessed pyrotechnics at a match, and 36% have been directly affected: 24% have had their view of the match obscured, 10% have suffered from smoke inhalation and 2% have been affected by heat from a flare.
Click here to read the facts about pyrotechnics in football.
Click here to see the 'Facts About Flares' poster campaign.
