Stoke City v Sheffield United: Dad given lifetime ban after children run onto pitch during match

A dad has been given a lifetime ban after his young sons ran onto the pitch during the match between Stoke City and Sheffield United.
By Robert Cumber
Published 3rd Nov 2022, 12:50 BST
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Stoke City said the boys, aged 11 and 12, had been encouraged by their father to leave their seats in block 38 of the bet365 Stadium and run across the pitch in front of visiting Blades fans during the Championship clash on October 8, which ended 3-1. The club described it as a ‘provocative move that could clearly have had huge consequences’.

The father, who had recently been subject to a three-year football banning order, has been given a lifetime ban from all Stoke City games. His sons have been banned from matches at the bet365 Stadium until the start of the 2027/28 season. Stoke City said they would be invited to take part in a ‘re-education programme’. Neither the father nor his sons have been named by the club.

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The incident last month was the latest in a series of pitch invasions by fans at Premier League and EFL games. Sheffield United’s Billy Sharp was headbutted by a pitch-invading supporter during his side’s play-off semi-final defeat at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground. Everton were recently fined £300,000 after fans came onto the pitch as they secured their Premier League survival in dramatic fashiin against Crystal Palace, and Manchester City were ordered to pay £260,000 over the pitch invasion which happened when they clinched the Premier League title in May.

Two fans, aged 11 and 12, ran onto the pitch during the Stoke City v Sheffield United match at the bet365 Stadium on October 8. Their father has been banned for life from attending Stoke City games. Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty ImagesTwo fans, aged 11 and 12, ran onto the pitch during the Stoke City v Sheffield United match at the bet365 Stadium on October 8. Their father has been banned for life from attending Stoke City games. Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
Two fans, aged 11 and 12, ran onto the pitch during the Stoke City v Sheffield United match at the bet365 Stadium on October 8. Their father has been banned for life from attending Stoke City games. Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

Data released by the Home Office showed there were 441 pitch encroachments at matches in England and Wales last season, an increase of 127 per cent compared to 2018-19, the last complete season unaffected by Covid-19 restrictions. Earlier this year, the Premier League and EFL confirmed that pitch invaders would receive an automatic club ban.

Stoke City said entering the pitch while a game is in progress was a criminal offence and action would be taken regardless of the age of those involved. “As a club we fully support the Premier League and EFL stance as we are committed to stamping out such encroachments and will take the strongest possible action open to us,” the club added.