The Football (Offences) (Designation of Football Matches) (Amendment) Order 2025
The Football (Offences) (Designation of Football Matches) (Amendment) Order 2025, effective September 5th, 2025, updates the Football (Offences) (Designation of Football Matches) Order 2004.
It replaces outdated league names—Football Conference with National League, Football Association Women’s Super League with Women’s Super League, Football Association Women’s Championship with Women’s Super League 2, and Welsh Premier League with Cymru Premier—to ensure accurate designation of football matches under the Football (Offences) Act 1991 for the purposes of preventing disorderly conduct.
Arguments For
Maintaining Accuracy of Designated Matches: The amendment ensures the continued accurate designation of football matches under the Football (Offences) Act 1991, reflecting current league naming conventions.
Streamlined Enforcement: Updated league names simplify enforcement of the Football (Offences) Act 1991 by eliminating confusion caused by outdated terminology.
Legal Clarity: The amendment enhances legal clarity and consistency, ensuring no ambiguity regarding which matches are covered by the 1991 Act.
Alignment with Current Practice: The change aligns the legal framework with the actual names of the leagues, promoting effective law enforcement and public understanding.
Arguments Against
Minimal Impact: The amendment is minor and might be considered unnecessary by some, given the low likelihood of confusion over league names.
Administrative Burden: Though minimal, some administrative cost is associated with updating records and disseminating information about the name changes.
Alternative Approaches: There might be alternative approaches, such as issuing guidance clarifying outdated terminology instead of formally amending the order, though this could lead to inconsistancies.
Unforeseen Consequences: While unlikely, amending the order might have unforeseen consequences in relation to pre-existing legal cases or precedents.
Citation, commencement and extent 1.
(1)
This Order may be cited as the Football (Offences) (Designation of Football Matches) (Amendment) Order 2025 and comes into force on the 5th September 2025.
(2)
This Order extends to England and Wales.
This section establishes the order's title, effective date (September 5th, 2025), and geographical scope (England and Wales).
It provides the formal citation for future reference and clarifies where the legal changes apply.
Amendment to the Football (Offences) (Designation of Football Matches) Order 2004 2.
In Article 3(2) (designated matches) of the Football (Offences) (Designation of Football Matches) Order 2004—
(a)
for “Football Conference” substitute “National League”;
(b)
for “Football Association Women’s Super League” substitute “Women’s Super League”;
(c)
for “Football Association Women’s Championship” substitute “Women’s Super League 2”; and
(d)
for “Welsh Premier League” substitute “Cymru Premier”.
This section details the specific amendments made to the 2004 Order.
It lists four outdated league names and their corresponding current replacements.
These changes ensure the legal framework accurately reflects the current names of the respective leagues.
Explanatory Note
(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order amends the Football (Offences) (Designation of Football Matches) Order 2004 (“the 2004 Order”), which designates certain football matches for the purposes of the Football (Offences) Act 1991 (“the 1991 Act”).
Under section 1 of the 1991 Act, it is an offence to engage in certain types of disorderly behaviour at designated football matches. The 2004 Order specifies which matches are designated for this purpose.
This Order updates the terminology used in the 2004 Order to reflect the current names of the following football competitions: the National League, the Women’s Super League, the Women’s Super League 2 and Cymru Premier. These changes ensure that the designation of matches under the 1991 Act continues to apply to the relevant competitions under their current names.
A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen. The Explanatory Memorandum is available at www.legislation.gov.uk; copies may be obtained from the Home Office at 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF.
The explanatory note clarifies the purpose of the amendment.
It explains that the changes are intended to keep the 2004 Order up-to-date with current league names, ensuring continued accurate application of the 1991 Act.
It also notes the absence of a full impact assessment due to the limited anticipated impact.