The Home Office is considering calls from the Metropolitan Police to make Premier League clubs pay a greater share of the cost of policing football.
Last week the Commissioner of the Met, Sir Mark Rowley, said he wanted the government to legislate to ensure that football clubs reimburse local forces when resources are required to police matches. The police chief added that it was about time “the polluter pays”.
The Home Office did not comment but is understood to be examining whether the current framework strikes the right balance between policing costs covered by the taxpayer and the costs recovered from football teams. The assessment could ultimately lead to changes in legislation.
The latest full-season statistics from City Hall state that just £2.1m was reimbursed by football clubs against a policing cost of £23.4m in 2024-25. Club sources point out, however, that the Premier League and its teams invested over £100m into safety last season alone, with the cost of Special Police Services – resources additional to regular police duties – reaching £8m for the 2025-26 season.
Joanne McCartney, London Assembly member for Enfield and Haringey, said: “At a time when the Met is already under pressure to deliver vital services, including counter-terrorism policing, we need to make sure its resources are being used where they are needed most.
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SUBSCRIBE HERE“It’s time for clubs to pay a fairer share of the policing costs associated with their matches. That burden should not fall on the public, including fans of rival clubs.
“Premier League clubs generate enormous revenues and benefit from the safe environment that police officers help provide. It gives supporters, including families, greater confidence to attend matches. Its only right that clubs contribute towards the cost of keeping supporters and local communities safe.”
It is understood that the Home Office – currently headed up by MP Shabana Mahmood – is monitoring concerns around events policing and the pressure put onto policing budgets when frontline forces are needed at sports fixtures.