Football Specials
Encyclopedia
Football Specials were chartered train
s operated by British Rail
in the United Kingdom
during the 1970s and 1980s for football
fans to travel to away games.
in the 1970s and 1980s, Football Specials were chartered to ferry fans to away games. Spare carriages and redundant stock were used for many. One football hooligan firm, the Inter City Firm
that follows West Ham United
, was named after the InterCity
trains they travelled on. The firm following Leeds United, the Leeds Service Crew named themselves after the regular services they travelled on due to them being less heavily policed then football specials.
on 14 February 2007, the deputy head of British Transport Police
, Deputy Chief Constable, Andy Trotter, called for re-introduction of the Football Specials, warning that fans were disrupting trains. Trotter said his resources were "being stretched by the pressure of herding growing numbers of fans around the country on match days. Even when services to match day hotspots such as London, Manchester
and Liverpool
pass off without arrests, non-football going passengers can be frightened or irritated by fans' behaviour". Adding that, "There is an argument for the football specials, the trains that take fans backwards and forwards, but that's a matter for the train operators." He said he would like to see fans taken off trains, "I would much prefer if there is something done not to have them coming on the system at all."
British Transport Police welcome their return, a spokesperson saying "it gives us the chance to isolate the fans from other passengers".
Virgin Trains
, whose West Coast service covers 16 clubs, said reviving charted trains was hampered by a lack of spare carriages, unlike in British Rail days when there was spare and redundant stock. Great North Eastern Railway
(GNER), which carries fans between London, Leeds
and North East England, uses Middlesbrough F.C.
stewards to help prevent trouble. GNER said that train timetables were specified by government and did not allow charters.
The Football Supporters' Federation
, said bringing back football specials was the right idea for the wrong reason. "If there was enough demand for a football special and it could be run at a certain time I think a lot of people would be happy with that. But we don't accept that a lot of football fans who go on trains are hooligans."
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
s operated by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during the 1970s and 1980s for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
fans to travel to away games.
Background
During the peak of football hooliganismFootball hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
in the 1970s and 1980s, Football Specials were chartered to ferry fans to away games. Spare carriages and redundant stock were used for many. One football hooligan firm, the Inter City Firm
Inter City Firm
The Inter City Firm is an English football hooligan firm mainly active in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, associated with West Ham United. The name came from the use of InterCity trains used to travel to away games...
that follows West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, was named after the InterCity
InterCity (British Rail)
InterCity was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services ....
trains they travelled on. The firm following Leeds United, the Leeds Service Crew named themselves after the regular services they travelled on due to them being less heavily policed then football specials.
Call for return of football specials
At a transport security conference in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 14 February 2007, the deputy head of British Transport Police
British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
, Deputy Chief Constable, Andy Trotter, called for re-introduction of the Football Specials, warning that fans were disrupting trains. Trotter said his resources were "being stretched by the pressure of herding growing numbers of fans around the country on match days. Even when services to match day hotspots such as London, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
pass off without arrests, non-football going passengers can be frightened or irritated by fans' behaviour". Adding that, "There is an argument for the football specials, the trains that take fans backwards and forwards, but that's a matter for the train operators." He said he would like to see fans taken off trains, "I would much prefer if there is something done not to have them coming on the system at all."
British Transport Police welcome their return, a spokesperson saying "it gives us the chance to isolate the fans from other passengers".
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
, whose West Coast service covers 16 clubs, said reviving charted trains was hampered by a lack of spare carriages, unlike in British Rail days when there was spare and redundant stock. Great North Eastern Railway
Great North Eastern Railway
Great North Eastern Railway was a British train operating company, owned by Sea Containers Ltd. It operated high-speed express train services on the East Coast Main Line from 1996 until 9 December 2007 when the franchise was taken over by National Express East Coast.GNER's primary service routes...
(GNER), which carries fans between London, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and North East England, uses Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
stewards to help prevent trouble. GNER said that train timetables were specified by government and did not allow charters.
The Football Supporters' Federation
Football Supporters' Federation
The Football Supporters' Federation is an organisation representing football fans in England and Wales. It campaigns across a range of issues and supports fan representation on clubs' boards, lower ticket prices, and the reintroduction of safe standing areas at grounds in the top two tiers of...
, said bringing back football specials was the right idea for the wrong reason. "If there was enough demand for a football special and it could be run at a certain time I think a lot of people would be happy with that. But we don't accept that a lot of football fans who go on trains are hooligans."