Walsall's Bescot Stadium ranked 'seventh-most dangerous ground' in the country for arrests
Walsall's Bescot Stadium is the seventh-most 'dangerous' ground' in the country for the number of arrests made, new data shows.
The newly christened Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium ranks seventh out of the 92 league grounds in England, according to figures from the Home Office.
No other West Midlands club was included in the top ten list, which was topped by Barrow, Chelsea and Brentford.
Research by Tipman Tips analysed the latest Home Office police data from August 2024 to May 2025 which revealed the number of arrests made at each stadium.
The number of arrests was then compared to average stadium attendances during the same period.
Across the EFL and Premier League, a total of 1,837 arrests were made in all competitions, which is an average of 19.97 arrests per football ground.
Walsall’s Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium saw 12 arrests throughout the 24/25 season, resulting in an arrest rate of 18.6 per 10,000 fans.
The worst outbreak of violence at the Bescot Stadium last season was when Chesterfield supporters were cuffed for public and violent disorder when the sides met in the playoffs in May.
In September last year an away fan was arrested during a Carabao Cup clash between Walsall and Leicester City.
Last year West Midlands Police officer PC Richard Mannox was dismissed following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after using excessive force during the arrest of a football fan, Edward Papas, outside Bescot Stadium in 2023.
Fraser Bricknell, founder at Tipman Tips, said: “Walsall’s Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium ranking as the seventh-most dangerous out of the 92 stadiums is a worrying statistic and one that I’m sure raises real concerns about matchday behaviour.
“The fact that half of the top ten was made up of Premier League stadiums goes to show there’s a real problem in our top flight. Let’s hope that for the upcoming season, behaviour improves so that everyone can enjoy football safely."
