Pitch invaders at Premier League and English Football League matches will face an automatic club ban under new fan-behavior measures.
Concerns were raised about ground safety following a number of pitch invasions at the end of last season.
Individuals carrying or using pyrotechnics or smoke bombs will also be prohibited, and offenders will be reported to the police.
The Football Association will also impose harsher penalties on clubs.
The Football Offences Act 1991 makes it an offense for fans to enter the pitch “without lawful authority or lawful excuse,” but offenders are not always prosecuted.
However, under the new measures, prosecuting offenders will now be the “default response.”
The leagues and the FA will:
- Work with clubs to improve searches of individuals
- Increase use of sniffer dogs at grounds
- Work with social media platforms to quickly remove fan-generated videos of illegal behaviour
- Ask the government to restrict the supply of pyrotechnics and smoke bombs
- Potentially ban accompanying parents or guardians of children who take part in illegal behaviour
The Premier League, EFL, and FA will also collaborate with police forces to “establish a new principle for pyrotechnics and smoke bomb cases.”
Following a series of incidents, Premier League clubs agreed on new measures to deal with pitch invasions last month.
On the final day of the season, Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen was assaulted at Manchester City, while a Nottingham Forest fan was jailed for headbutting Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp at the end of their play-off match.
“The rise in anti-social behaviour that we saw in stadiums at the end of last season was entirely unacceptable and put people’s safety at risk,” FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said.
“Together, English football has introduced new measures and stronger sanctions, for the start of the coming season, to send out a clear message that we will not tolerate this type of illegal and dangerous behaviour.
“It is the responsibility of everyone in the game, including governing bodies, clubs, players, coaches, and fans, to ensure that we all play our part in protecting our game and each other.”
“We are contacted by supporters on a fairly regular basis who have been caught jumping on the pitch, or with pyro in the stands, and without exception they regret doing it. continued Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Association.
“Whether they had positive intentions or not is irrelevant in the eyes of the law – pyro and pitch incursions are illegal, you will be prosecuted and you will be banned by your club.” He said