A man has been banned from football matches for five years for setting off a flare from the away end at our recent away game against Chesterfield FC.
Andrew Calverley (30), of Cunliffe Street, Wrexham, appeared in court this week where he was issued with a five-year Football Banning Order (FBO).
The FBO issued will now prevent him from attending any football matches in the UK for the duration of the order.
They will also be prohibited from being within 2.5km of any regulated football match, including the Racecourse Ground on matchdays, as well as being banned from entering any town/city where Wrexham AFC or the Wales national team are playing an away match. Failure to comply with the order could result in a fine or a six month prison sentence.
Wrexham AFC CEO Fleur Robinson said, “This week saw the publication of stats showing football disorder is at an eight-year high in England and Wales, and we as a Football Club can only reiterate our zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviour at any of our fixtures.
“The length of this latest Football Banning Order reflects the severe consequences that can come from throwing flares, missiles or other pyrotechnics at football matches.
“As a Club, we have made clear on several occasions that the use of flares has absolutely no place at the Racecourse Ground or any other football stadium.
“As well as the danger they pose to other supporters, and the damage they can cause, the unacceptable and illegal behaviour has consequences for the Football Club too, in the form of fines, higher costs and the threat of stadium closures.
“We hope this latest Football Banning Order reiterates the consequences to individuals found guilty of these criminal offences, and we urge everyone attending Wrexham fixtures to strongly consider this.
“I’d like to thank North Wales Police for their support once again, and we look forward to continuing to work together to ensure the Racecourse Ground remains a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for all.”
Dedicated Football Officer, PC Dave Evans said: “We have seen an increase locally and nationally in pyrotechnic offences.
“We have seen a young Wrexham fan injured as a result of a flare being thrown, and now a football fan is banned from seeing his team for five years.
“Where appropriate we will seek banning orders for these type of offences. CCTV is getting better all the time and I wonder if the fan in question thinks it was worth it?”