Cost of policing Sheffield's Steel City Derby fixtures revealed
The Steel City Derby has been called one of the most expensive fixtures in football for police
The famous Steel City Derby in Sheffield has cost £300,000 in extra policing costs over the last two seasons, The Star can reveal.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, it has been revealed that the last four derby day fixtures - between November 2024 and February 2026 - have cost police £322,066.32 in additional costs specifically connected to the games.
On November 10, 2024, after a five-year gap, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday clashed once again in an exciting return of the famed Steel City Derby.
South Yorkshire Police had to deploy an additional 505 officers, costing the force an extra £113,318.79 on top of what it would have normally spent on policing without the game.
These figures released under the Freedom of Information Act only cover additional costs for officers and staff working overtime and do not include the hours worked by those on normal duty on those match days.
A total of 1,759 extra officers were deployed and support from other forces were needed across all four derby days.
The most expensive match was in November 2024 at Bramall Lane - the first after the half-decade break.
The next derby that season, at Hillsborough in March 2025, cost around half that with £65,970.95 spent on additional costs, with an extra 390 officers deployed.
| Date | Location | Additional Officers Deployed | Additional Costs |
| 10/11/24 | Bramall Lane | 505 | £113,318.79 |
| 16/03/25 | Hillsborough | 390 | £65,970.95 |
| 23/11/25 | Hillsborough | 385 | £79,736.00 |
| 22/02/26 | Bramall Lane | 479 | £63,040.58 |
With Sheffield Wednesday preparing for League One next season, and United retaining their place in the Championship, there will not be a Steel City Derby for the next 12 months.
Historically, the Steel City Derby has been labelled the most expensive fixture in the country for police.
In 2018, data gathered by the BBC revealed that a derby match at Hillsborough on September 24, 2017, cost £203,000 to police.
A year later, in 2019, South Yorkshire's then-Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts pointed out the financial pressures police face, telling The Star: “What we've got to accept is that football is a wealthy industry.
“Last year, the Premier League clubs paid something like £211 million to agents. That is more than 27 out of 43 police forces get to deliver 24 hour, seven days a week policing with the complexities that come with that.”
In the response to the latest figures, superintendent Charlotte Bloxham said: “Serving and protecting those in attendance, as well as the wider Sheffield community is our priority during a policing operation of football fixtures.
“Following the announcement of a football derby or any high-risk fixture, our planning departments begin their work, ensuring that all aspects of the safety of attendees and our communities are considered.
“Months of planning starts with us liaising with the football clubs and other organisations to ensure our plans are robust.
“Our staffing on the day is a mixture of officers already on planned duty, our own officers working overtime, and those on mutual aid from other forces. We also consider a range of tactics to ensure that we protect our communities and officers in the most efficient and effective way possible.
“It cannot be shied away from that policing football matches has a financial implication on the force. The football clubs do financially support our operations, but the majority of the costs are absorbed by the force, and we ensure that we do all we can to maximise efficiency, by utilising officers on duty and reducing overtime and mutual aid."
Under current law, police can charge football clubs for any operations that take place on land that is owned or leased by the club.
However, this does not cover surrounding land not owned by the club, even if extra policing is needed due to football fixtures.
Last year, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said that it cost police forces across the country £70 million to cover football matches as he called on organisers to put more towards this financial challenge.
Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday have been contacted.