Football Cops

Channel 4

29 May

A four-part series following the challenging work of officers from the UK Football Policing Unit for the very first time. Each professional club in Britain has a Dedicated Football Officer who works under the radar to tackle the violence, disorder and anti-social behaviour which historically has gone hand-in-hand with Britain’s most-loved game. They’ve never been filmed until now and this is their story.

Filmed across the 2022-23 season, each episode takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the huge policing operation which goes into every game – from the England team to the Premier League right down to the bottom tiers – as specialised officers try to root out troublemakers, keep rival fans apart and diffuse tensions before they spiral out of control.

At the heart of the action are the Dedicated Football Officers, or DFOs, who are assigned clubs to look after. Amid a surge in football-related violence, and with passions often running high, this is no easy job. From young fans brawling on the streets, to pyrotechnics thrown into crowds and pitch invasions, officers have to be ready for things to kick off at any moment. Getting to know the “risk fans” is imperative and a bit of banter with a smile on their face can go a long way.

Among them are Stu Spencer, the DFO for Coventry FC – affectionately known as Cardio, since he suffered a heart attack 20 years ago while chasing a suspect – Match Day brings a punch up in a carpark, pyros in the stands, and dog handlers are called in when a set of fans start chucking metal barriers at the police. Over in Walsall West Midlands based Lizzie, tries to ignore the unwanted attention and comments that come with being one of the few women in the role and Macca the Walsall DFO is kept busy by youth goading older risk fans, with a busy road separating them, so as tensions rise the risks of something going very wrong increases.

The series will also follow officers as they head overseas, tasked with keeping England fans safe as the national side plays away. With the rising threat from hyper-violent Ultra groups in Europe, and the legacy of English hooliganism, the so-called ‘English disease’, likely to prompt an over-zealous response from local police, the British officers are braced for trouble. Having no powers of arrest in a foreign country the Football Cops rely heavily on their mediation skills and ability to predict where “a bit of fun” could quickly get out of control and at times their medical training even saves lives.

With unprecedented access to the UK Football Policing Unit, Football Cops will offer a fascinating look behind-the-scenes of a sport watched by 30 million devoted fans every year. Full of drama, tension, and laughs, this thrilling series will show a side to the game – and the police – which has never seen before.

RUNTIME:
4 x 60 Minutes

PRODUCER DIRECTORS:
Helena Rochester
Tom Jenner

SERIES PRODUCER DIRECTOR:
Jezza Neumann

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Brian Woods

RELEASED:
2024