The Battle of Maze Hill
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Maze Hill was the name given to a violent clash
between Charlton Athletic F.C.
and Southampton
football hooligans which took place at Maze Hill railway station
, south-east London, on 13 April 2002. The resulting investigation into the clash was one of the largest ever investigations into football hooliganism in the UK.
The clash was masterminded by a 37-year old teacher, Dave Walker, from Birmingham. Bolton Wanderers, Tranmere Rovers, Liverpool
and Port Vale
fans were also involved in the organisation. This was therefore not a spontaneous clash between rival fans, but a deliberately organised fight carried out by professional football hooligans. The Metropolitan Police believed that the group who orchestrated the brawl (convicted in 2004) were also planning trouble for the imminent European Championships
which England were involved in. It was mainly organised over the Internet.
In the event, approximately forty hooligans clashed at the station. The mass fight only lasted two minutes but involved weapons such as beer bottles and resulted in the hospitalisation of three men. The Southampton hooligans came off worse since there were about twice as many Charlton Athletic supporters waiting for them at the station. The Charlton fans were also mainly older, experienced thugs while those from Southampton were mainly in their early twenties. Maze Hill railway station
was selected as the location as it is two train stops from Charlton and lacked a police presence.
After the fight, hooligans from both sides contributed to Internet forums expressing admiration and respect for each other.
In the resulting police investigation, 17 men were imprisoned for a total of 38 years.
Football 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...
between Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
and Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
football hooligans which took place at Maze Hill railway station
Maze Hill railway station
Maze Hill railway station, in the Maze Hill area of Greenwich, London, is the closest railway station to Greenwich Park, being about two minutes walk from the north-east corner of the park....
, south-east London, on 13 April 2002. The resulting investigation into the clash was one of the largest ever investigations into football hooliganism in the UK.
The clash was masterminded by a 37-year old teacher, Dave Walker, from Birmingham. Bolton Wanderers, Tranmere Rovers, 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...
and Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
fans were also involved in the organisation. This was therefore not a spontaneous clash between rival fans, but a deliberately organised fight carried out by professional football hooligans. The Metropolitan Police believed that the group who orchestrated the brawl (convicted in 2004) were also planning trouble for the imminent European Championships
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
which England were involved in. It was mainly organised over the Internet.
In the event, approximately forty hooligans clashed at the station. The mass fight only lasted two minutes but involved weapons such as beer bottles and resulted in the hospitalisation of three men. The Southampton hooligans came off worse since there were about twice as many Charlton Athletic supporters waiting for them at the station. The Charlton fans were also mainly older, experienced thugs while those from Southampton were mainly in their early twenties. Maze Hill railway station
Maze Hill railway station
Maze Hill railway station, in the Maze Hill area of Greenwich, London, is the closest railway station to Greenwich Park, being about two minutes walk from the north-east corner of the park....
was selected as the location as it is two train stops from Charlton and lacked a police presence.
After the fight, hooligans from both sides contributed to Internet forums expressing admiration and respect for each other.
In the resulting police investigation, 17 men were imprisoned for a total of 38 years.