Hooliganism is very much alive with a German study showing us that violent crime increases 17% on football match days and spiking to a 63% increase during games between rivals. Just how badass is your team?
There once was a time in football when fences separated rival fans, and skirmishes were a weekly occurrence during a time that hooliganism was known as the “English Disease”. Like a dormant volcano hooligan firms still exist to this day.
During the 2022-23 season the UK witnessed a nine-year high for arrests related to football matches with 2,264. Now that we know that hooligans are still around in English football let’s take a look at the ten biggest football hooligan clubs and firms.
10. The Herd (Arsenal)
Affiliated with Arsenal, The Herd was founded in 1978 and its activities peaked throughout the 80s and early 90s. Unsurprisingly the firm’s main rivalries are with other London-based firms from West Ham, Tottenham, Chelsea and Millwall.
The most notorious involvement of The Herd was during the “riots that brought British football together”. At the 2000 UEFA Cup Final, the firm led a unified attack on Galatasaray fans alongside hooligans from Chelsea, Cardiff City, Swansea, Leeds, Rangers and Linfield in revenge for the stabbing deaths of two Leeds fans in the semi-final.
Did You Know: Former Herd leader Dainton Connell was well known for steering young fans away from joining the far-right British National Party. He earned cult hero status and his funeral was attended by 3,000 fans, including Arsenal legends Ian Wright and Lee Dixon.
9. Soul Crew (Cardiff City)
Founded in 1983, the Soul Crew traces its origins to the hardened dock areas of Cardiff. Inspired by the original firm’s love for soul music, the Soul Crew is one of the most active football firms across the United Kingdom today.
Despite playing mostly in the fourth division during the height of hooliganism, Soul Crew had gained a reputation for being one of the toughest firms to fight.
The makeup of the Soul Crew members reflects the multiculturalism of Cardiff and is notorious for their “invader” status due to their Welsh identity particularly with their biggest rivals, Portsmouth’s 6:57 crew.
8. 6.57 Crew (Portsmouth)
Soul Crew’s biggest rivals 6.57 Crew were established in 1979. The Portsmouth affiliated hooligan firm got their name from the time of the first train time that took Portsmouth fans to London for Saturday games.
During the 1980s the firm was at its most active but even in recent times the 6.57 Crew has caused havoc:
- 22 September 2001: 6:57 Crew hooligans ripped up stadium seats and threw them at Coventry fans in an away game.
- 22 March 2004: 93 fans were arrested following riots against Southampton fans including a 10-year old Portsmouth fan, the youngest hooligan ever to be convicted
- 30 May 2006: Deadline passed for 130 Portsmouth fans, mostly 6.57 Crew, to hand in their passports before the 2006 World Cup.
7. Naughty Forty – N40 (Stoke City)
Affiliated with Stoke City the Naughty Forty were amongst the most violent firms in England during the peak of hooliganism. The firm began in 1985 when a group of forty “naughty” fans made an away trip to Portsmouth.
At its height the firm had over 700 members and although numbers have dwindled, the Naughty Forty are still involved in skirmishes.
The most notorious of those was in 2018 at an under-21s game played at local rivals Port Vale. Violent fighting took place in the streets and inside the stadium with N40 members throwing coins, flares, seats and toilets through windows and at police who struggled to contain the violence.
6. Red Army (Manchester United)
Also known as the Men in Black, the Manchester United affiliated hooligan firm Red Army formed in the 1970s and had the most members of any firm during the height of hooliganism.
The most notorious Red Army incident was in a game against Blackpool in 1974 when a member was involved in the stabbing death of a young Blackpool fan. It was this incident that led to the introduction of crowd segregation and fencing at grounds across England.
Although the Red Army has kept it calm in recent times hooligans attacked the home of Manchester United at-the-time United chief executive Ed Woodward in 2020, and a year later invaded the teams training ground protesting the proposed European Super League.
5. Chelsea Headhunters (Chelsea)
The Chelsea Headhunters started off as the “Shed Boys” in the 1960s before being renamed the Chelsea Headhunters in 1985. The firm has gained notoriety for their strong links to white supremacist organisations and they’ve formed alliances with Scottish club Rangers, and Northern Irish team Linfield, due to their common interest in Unionism.
Chelsea Headhunters remain active to this day with their biggest rivalries with firms from Millwall, West Ham, Cardiff City, Leeds United, Tottenham and Leicester City. In recent times they’ve also been involved in multiple high profile incidents:
- 13 February 2010: The Chelsea Headhunters clash with Cardiff City’s Soul Crew during a fifth-round FA Cup tie. A police officer suffered a broken jaw, Operation Ternhill was launched, and 24 members of the Headhunters were convicted.
- 2 April 2014: Around 300 Chelsea Headhunters clashed with PSG hooligans smashing up shops and cafes in the process in a Champions League quarter-final in Paris. Fans entered France through Belgium to avoid detection.
4. The Zulu Warriors (Birmingham City)
Active since 1982 the Zulu Warriors are the most notorious football firm associated with Birmingham City. At the time of foundation most hooligan firms were almost exclusively white in contrast to the Zulu Warriors who were made up of members of many races.
A fierce rivalry has been built over the years between the Zulu Warriors and Aston Villa Hardcore, as well as firms from West Ham, Cardiff City, Stoke City, Millwall, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton.
Birmingham City supporters have consistently had the highest number of football banning orders, and were again top of the list in the 2021-22 season with 57 in force. At their peak the firm was considered so dangerous, Operation Red Card was launched in 1987 by West Midlands Police to infiltrate the firm.
3. Service Crew (Leeds United)
The Service Crew are associated with Leeds United and were founded in 1974. Named after the trains the firm travelled on to away matches, the Service Crew took these trains instead of chartered trains which were heavily policed.
Notoriously the Service Crew were involved in major disturbances after the 1975 European Cup finals. Ripping out seats at the Parc des Princes following turned-down penalty appeals, resulted in Leeds becoming the first English club to be banned from European competition.
And, one of the darkest days in English football history was as a result of football hooligans. A 14-year-old boy died in 1985 when a stadium wall collapsed as Leeds fans were pushed up against a wall by police. Telford United even refused to host Leeds in a third-round FA Cup tie in 1987.
2. Inter City Firm (West Ham)
The Inter City Firm (ICF) was formed in 1977 and named after the InterCity trains fans travelled on to away games. The firm formed out of several West Ham firms including Essex East London and Mile End Boys. Along with the Millwall Bushwackers and Chelsea Headhunters, Inter City are among the most notorious in London.
ICF have a ferocious rivalry with the Bushwackers, as well as rivalries with the Chelsea Headhunters and the Tottenham associated Yid Army. The firm gained notoriety for leaving calling cards on victims that read “Congratulations, you have just met the ICF”, something that was adopted by other football club firms.
Even the Green Street movie was centred around the Green Street Elite (GSE) firm which is based on the ICF, gaining the firm international notoriety along with their hatred for the Millwall Bushwackers. West Ham continues to struggle with hooliganism and have the most football related arrests in England.
1. Millwall Bushwackers (Millwall)
Millwall’s fanbase was traditionally made up of dock workers and the Millwall Bushwackers are largely a result of the physical and aggressive conditions those dock workers faced, and are the most notorious and worst behaved football fans in England.
Active since 1972 the Millwall Bushwackers have an extensive rap sheet. In an FA Cup away match against Luton Town in 1985, Millwall fans were involved in arguably the worst incident of football hooliganism in English football.
During the Kenilworth Road Riot the Bushwackers were involved in ripping out seats and windows of local buildings. Projectiles were thrown at Luton supporters and police dogs were needed to help clear the pitch. Millwall chairman Alan Thorne even threatened to close the club because of the violence.
The Bushwackers were involved again in one of the worst examples of hooliganism in recent times in 2002. Almost 50 police officers and 24 police horses were injured when hundreds of Millwall fans clashed around St Andrews Stadium following a play-off loss to Birmingham City.
In a dangerous sign and cementing Millwall’s status as the biggest hooligan club, they’ve had the most new banning orders in England.
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