Football fans have “ingenious ways” of breaking into grounds, a Labour peer has warned.
Lord John Mann questioned what “unauthorised entry” meant, as he backed plans for new fines and banning orders for spectators who intentionally make their way into stadiums without a valid ticket.
Lord Kevin Brennan, who is steering the Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill through the upper House, said that “the actions of a few should not be allowed to compromise the safety and security of the majority” at football fixtures.
The proposal has already cleared the Commons. It received peers’ backing at second reading and faces further scrutiny in the Lords at a later date, before it can become law.
Lord Mann warned that his colleagues had “significantly underestimated” the number of Premier League tickets being sold in the secondary market.
“This is very big business,” he said.
“The majority of these tickets are being bought online, electronically, from abroad, so Dublin is a huge centre of this as one example, but there are many more outside this country.
“And that is the business model. And the term used to me by the people I know who have the most expertise in this field is ‘organised crime’.”
Ticket touts are “not the old-school of freelancers or interesting characters with a flat cap running a cash-in-hand business outside a stadium”, he added.
Lord Mann later said: “There are many ingenious ways in which football fans will attempt to see fixtures when they’re fans.
“At Oxford United last March, I witnessed – although the police did intervene after 10 minutes – the most ingenious of attempts where a van was parked in a public car park adjoining the smallest stand.
“A ladder which was more like a window cleaning device was hired and, in great comfort, two fans started to observe the fixture from on high.
“Such was the angle of the ladder they may well have technically been inside the stadium, and I use that as an illustration of the many ways in which the true fan – but one without a ticket – may attend to see a fixture.”
The peer also recalled how at the old Leeds United Scratching Shed stand, “fans of all ages would climb onto the roof”.
Lord Mann said when he first attended matches, he “was getting in for free, and not by going through the turnstile, but by being lifted over the turnstile”.
He said the point of how “unauthorised entry” was defined was an “interesting one”.
Once the Bill clears both Houses of Parliament, unauthorised entry will become an offence at national team fixtures, and games in the top tiers of English and Welsh football, including the Premier League and Women’s Super League.
Labour former minister Lord Brennan of Canton said: “The vast majority of football fans across the country supporting clubs, such as my team Cardiff City or any others, do so in the right spirit.
“It’s important, though, that they feel safe and secure when supporting their football teams.
“I make it clear that the intention of the Bill is to support real football fans and to keep them safe and secure while they’re enjoying the spectacle of supporting their team.
“Football’s a big part of our culture.”
The Bluebirds fan later added: “The actions of a few shouldn’t be allowed to compromise the safety and security of the majority.”
Speaking for the Government, Lord Lemos said: “This Bill addresses a clear and pressing issue – the growing problem of unauthorised access to football matches, particularly at high-profile fixtures.”
He described banning orders as a “strong deterrent” against break-in attempts and added: “Forced entry, tailgating and so-called jibbing are not victimless acts.
“Those involved are often aggressive, violent or threatening, and their actions can lead to overcrowding, blocked emergency exits and frightened conditions for innocent fans.”
