Portsmouth and Southampton young fans educated on hooligan culture and anti-social behaviour at football

Police and crime commissioner Donna Jones has praised the Saints Foundation and Pompey in the Community for their collaborative work providing shared workshops for young people ahead of Portsmouth’s Championship match with Southampton at St Mary’s.

Last Friday the two organisations held their latest pitchside workshop, focusing on anti-social behaviour at football and hooligan culture. Previous workshops have covered subjects including knife crime and violence against women and girls.

It comes as Portsmouth play Southampton for the first time since September 24, 2019. On that occasion missiles were thrown at fans and officers when the teams met in the Carabao Cup.

A total of seven men were jailed for a combined total of 12 years after a "large scale disorder" which included a horse being punched twice by a Pompey fan. Police have plans in place to curb any potential trouble on Sunday.

Ms Jones said she was “delighted to see a unified approach by both clubs” to shared workshops on youth offending and “providing young people a safe space through the power of football”.

Ms Jones said: “I am proud to have been a supporter of their project developments, through my Safer Communities Fund, and I am equally proud to see how their collaborative effort has already produced workshops on key areas affecting young people and our local communities.

“Saints Foundation and Pompey in the Community both do great work engaging young people with activities to engage vulnerable young people with positive learning and sporting activities, as well as helping them build a more positive future and avoid youth offending.

“Despite the on-pitch rivalry between the two teams, seeing these two organisations come together for a workshop on anti-social behaviour at football and hooligan culture, shows how they can unify towards positive change.

“In the build-up to this weekend’s Championship match between Southampton and Portsmouth at St Mary’s, it is pleasing to see how the two sides can work together to improve young lives and reduce offending in Hampshire’s two biggest cities.”

Friday night’s workshop was held at the Oasis Academy Mayfield. Ms Jones has funded Create Your Future by Pompey in the Community since July 2022 through the Safer Communities Fund. Create Your Future engages young people aged 11-18 in ways to help prevent offending and exploitation, alongside personal development.

The Saints Foundation received match funding from the commissioner’s Initiatives Budget in 2024 for their Switching Play project, which supports Youth Justice Service referral. This project has continued funding to March 2027 from the Safer Communities Fund for their work helping reduce reoffending and build brighter futures for young people.