Trigger Warning: This article contains frequent references to domestic abuse
Coming away from yet another England loss in a Euros final under Gareth Southgate, England fans are plunged into an all-too-familiar state of disappointment. This morning, the sobering reality of the defeat is setting in for England fans, as the nation’s hope that “It’s Coming Home” has been postponed yet again. As everyone returns to work and begins to dismantle their England flags, it looks as if life is returning to normal. For some people, domestic abuse is the furthest thing from their minds right now. And yet for others, it is the only thing.
A study published in 2014 analysed the number of domestic abuse reports made to Lancashire Constabulary across three separate World Cup tournaments (2002, 2006 and 2010). The study was carried out by Dr Stuart Kirby and Professor Brian Francis of Lancaster University with Rosalie O’Flaherty and published in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. The study found that “the risk of domestic abuse rose by 26% when the English national team won or drew, and a 38% increase when the national team lost”. Lancaster University’s summary of the study added that “the average number of incidents of domestic violence on the days when England played was 79.3 compared with 58.2 on the days the team did not play”.
Studies have drawn different conclusions about whether the number of domestic abuse reports increases more when England wins or loses a match. A more recent study, published in 2022 by researchers at Warwick Business School in the journal Social Science and Medicine, found that “reported cases of alcohol-related domestic abuse rose by 47 per cent on the day of an England victory at the World Cup or European Championship”. This is due to the excess of emotion that gradually compounds and accumulates throughout the intense 90 minutes of action.
But no matter the final score, the number of domestic abuse reports does increase significantly during the World Cup and European Championship matches. There are many reasons for this. For one thing, the public’s accessibility to football games is no longer strictly restricted to a specific country or social group.
The first FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930, with 93,000 spectators watching the final match. In the most recent 2022 World Cup, whilst more than 89, 000 people watched the final match between Argentina and France in the Lusail Stadium, a record of 1.5 billion viewers watched the final outside of the stadium. In all, an estimated 3.575 billion people were able to watch the matches without even leaving their home towns.
Now more than ever, watching the game has never been easier.
Another reason for the increase in reports of domestic abuse lies in the fact that there is a strong cultural connection between watching sporting events and the consumption of alcohol. As the football season starts, pubs all up and down the country are flooded with the cheers of fervent footie fans. A perpetuator’s behaviour towards the victim would likely be exacerbated after several hours of day-drinking and loud cheering in a rowdy pub. Whilst alcohol is never an excuse for domestic violence, alcoholic substances can act as catalysts for domestic abuse by triggering the intoxicated person to become overly irritable or angry, which can then transpire into violence.
Anna Trendl and Neil Stewart’s 2020 report found that “There was no increase in reports of non-alcohol-related domestic abuse on England match days”, which suggests that alcohol consumption does contribute to the rise in domestic abuse cases. This is certainly not to excuse the behaviour of the perpetrators in any way, but rather, to explain one of its potential causes.
This year, the Euros Final took place on July 14th, a Sunday. Since it took place over the weekend, most people in the UK were off from work and were, therefore, more likely to watch the match. The Lancaster University study took account of this by reporting that “the number of cases…rose whenever the England game was played on a weekend.” The kickoff time was scheduled for 8.00 in the evening, meaning drinking was more socially acceptable.
All of these factors come together: the stressed caused by the humid weather, the over-consumption of alcohol, the high level of anxiety produced by watching the near-misses and close goals inches away from you.
Whilst it is not the sport itself which has this effect on the number of domestic abuse reports, the atmosphere that is built up during the match does invariably create an environment where perpetrators are more likely to commit domestic abuse. Teresa Parker, Head of Media Brand & Relationships at Women’s Aid, a charity which works to end domestic abuse against women and children, stated, “While domestic abuse is not caused by football, we know existing abuse can become more severe or frequent during big tournaments.” Anna Trendl, a post-doctoral researcher at Warwick Business School, said: “It is important to recognise that for victims, domestic abuse does not occur once every two or four years following a football match. It is a lived experience of constant fear.
It is time to have a serious conversation about the culture surrounding alcohol and football in this country. This is an important issue, but sometimes it seems that it is swept under the rug to avoid taking attention from the game itself. Even though cricket is the official national sport, I’d argue that football is also very influential and that we have an obligation to address its consequences, even if they aren’t directly related to the sport itself. On June 24th, Women’s Aid launched its “No More Years of Hurt” Campaign, where slogans such as “No More Years of Hurt,” “He’s Coming Home,” and “England Till I Die” were printed on the classic, striped football scarves. This is an example of how people can condemn the violence whilst also showing their love for the sport.
Sport is a powerful thing. Whilst football has the power to unite a whole country in a way that few other things can, it can also bring out the worst in certain individuals and spark destructive habits. We should be aware of what goes on beyond the headline matches after the whistle blows and be mindful of the hidden victims of the game.
You can contact the freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. University of York students can also access support via the Student Hub.