Summary
Over the last five seasons, there have been 656 fans arrested in the UK for pitch invasions.
Five Premier League giants have racked up the most arrests including Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Manchester City had almost three quarters of their arrests occur in one day.
While a football pitch is designed to be a safe haven for players who are competing with everything they have for ninety minutes, history has shown that it doesn't always stay that way. Pitch invasions have slowly become part of the norm in football culture, whether that be because supporters have run onto the pitch to celebrate, protest, or in some cases, just because they were dared to.
As is the case with anything, some are more prone to going to the extreme than others, and data collected from SeatPick has found which football clubs in England have seen more of their fans be arrested for invading pitches over the last five seasons, with a Premier League giant taking the top spot.
English Teams With Most Pitch Invasions Over the Last Five Seasons
Rank
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14.
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5 English Clubs With the Most Arrests in the 2023/24 Season
The top five teams all come from the Premier League.
10 Arsenal
(=10) 12 pitch invaders arrested
Arsenal fans
Most would say that the last five years for Arsenal fans have been some of the more promising in recent memory, considering the lows that were the end of Arsene Wenger's reign in charge, Unai Emery's stint, and the rocky start to Mikel Arteta's tenure.
However, over the last five seasons, the Gunners find themselves joint 10th when it comes to pitch invasions, with 12 fans finding it acceptable to march onto the green grass of the Emirates for one reason or another. If they finally end their wait for a Premier League title, the scenes might be far crazier.
9 Sheffield United
(=8) 14 pitch invaders arrested
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder
Some would argue that Sheffield is the proverbial home of English football, considering that the oldest team in the country came from the area. As for the biggest team from the city, the moniker would right now have to go to Sheffield United, who are looking to bounce back to the top flight after being relegated at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Chris Wilder has been in charge at the club for the majority of that period across two different spells, and in that time, the Blades have seen 14 pitch invaders get off their seats and escape the stewards to get onto the blades of grass — no pun intended - only to be put in handcuffs after.
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8 Bolton Wanderers
(=8) 14 pitch invaders arrested
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Once of Premier League fame, Bolton Wanderers are far from where they were two decades ago, when they had been graced by the likes of Ivan Campo and Jay-Jay Okocha. They are now fighting for a play-off spot in League One after years of financial trials and tribulations.
As a result of that, fans have understandably grown frustrated and have been longing for yesteryears. It is perhaps partly due to this that the Wanderers' supporters have been involved in 14 pitch invasion incidents over the last five years, as well as numerous protests regarding the state of the football club.
7 Coventry City
16 pitch invaders arrested
Coventry City supporter looks on in the play-off final
For those unaware of how difficult Coventry City fans have had it over the last decade or so, here's a quick summary. The club was poorly managed, and disputes regarding the rent on their stadium saw them have to play away from the city on two different occasions. The fact that this is the same club that made the FA Cup semi-final last season and the play-off final the year before is a minor miracle.
Either way, the last five years have seen 16 Coventry fans arrested for pitch invasions, meaning they have likely been banned from watching the remarkable work Frank Lampard is doing in charge at the club.
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6 QPR
(=5) 19 pitch invaders arrested
The QPR players celebrate in front of their fans.
Much like Bolton, QPR fans may be wondering where the times they had some of the biggest cult heroes in Premier League history have gone as they continue to flirt with the bottom half of the Championship table. The London club looks nowhere near to returning to the top flight, and at times, they have looked more like a side destined for League One.
Over the last five years, Rangers fans have watched as 19 of their own were arrested for pitch invasions, though at times, you could question whether or not they would actually have ended up being more helpful on the pitch, doing a job up top.
5 Liverpool
(=5) 19 pitch invaders arrested
Liverpool fans
Joining QPR with 19 arrests are current Premier League leaders Liverpool. The Reds are home to one of the most intense atmospheres in British football, fueled by the passionate Kop and the rest of their Merseyside support, who serenade their players in unison each matchday.
However, that passion can sometimes spill over into something that crosses the line of what they should or shouldn't do. Though they aren't the biggest culprits in the city, there could very well be more invasions in the not-too-distant future if they wrap up the league title in front of their fans, having missed out on doing so in front of a full stadium in 2020.
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4 Manchester City
20 pitch invaders arrested
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Winning a league title is a momentous occasion, and by the looks of it, the manner in which Manchester City claimed the Premier League in the 2021/22 season led to the majority of their arrests. Having been 2-0 down at home to Aston Villa and on the verge of handing the crown to Liverpool, Ilkay Gundogan inspired a turnaround that saw them beat the Villains, then managed by Steven Gerrard, 3-2.
The scenes at the Etihad were something to behold, and 14 people were arrested for invading the pitch that day alone. That doesn't include the several hundred who seemingly got away with their offence, though admittedly, it was incredibly difficult to police. As a result, the club were slapped with a £300,000 fine.
3 Everton
(=2) 21 pitch invaders arrested
Everton fans invade the pitch at Goodison Park
Incredibly, there were no arrests made when Everton completed a superb comeback to beat Crystal Palace in 2022 to secure their Premier League status. Thousands of fans stormed the pitch to celebrate with the players and manager Frank Lampard, and the only thing that came from it was a £260,000 fine.
Nonetheless, other incidents have seen the Toffees climb up to third when it comes to fans arrested for pitch invasions, with most of these coming as a result of complaints regarding the management of the club by former owner Farhad Moshiri. Supporters will be hoping that a move to their new stadium next season will be an instigator for brighter days, though that is far from guaranteed.
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2 West Ham
(=2) 21 pitch invaders arrested
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Given that this is the very same club that had a fan run onto the pitch, pick up the corner flag, and stick it in the centre circle a few years ago in protest of the club's ownership, there shouldn't be much shock to see that West Ham have appeared right towards the top of this list. In fact, the Irons have seen the most arrests of their fans overall over the last half-decade.
As the data shows, 21 of those have been as a result of pitch invasions, putting them level with Everton and behind one other Premier League staple.
1 Manchester United
23 pitch invaders arrested
Manchester United fans cheering on the Premier League team
Cost-cutting measures. Poor performances. The Glazer family. There's not a lot Manchester United fans haven't got to complain about, such is the dire position the club finds itself in. It feels as though fans are now at the boiling point, and the statistics show that things may have already spilled over as 23 fans have been arrested for pitch invasions.
The majority of these have come as a result of anti-Glazer protests, while there was also the time when fans broke into the stadium during the pandemic ahead of a game against Liverpool to protest about the club, leading to the game getting postponed.
All statistics courtesy of SeatPick - accurate as of 29/03/2025.