Sharp rise in 999 domestic abuse calls during the Euros

New police figures show significant surge on England match days raising questions over culture’ surrounding football

- MADELINE SHERRATT & SONIA TWIGG

During a major tournament like the 2024 Euros, the football scene is inescapable. Children rush to fill sticker books, matches are constantly on the television, and office parties are hosted with big screens showing the action. But there are many across the country for whom football is anything but a cause for celebration.

New data released by more than 30 police forces across England following Freedom of Information requests by The Independent revealed staggering figures on domestic abuse-related 999 calls between 16 June and 14 July this year, when the Uefa Euros competition was taking place.

Calls related to domestic abuse surged 13 per cent above daily averages on England match days, with an average total of 3,256 calls across the country. This surpasses previous data which suggests a domestic abuse-related call is made to the police every 30 seconds on average – typically 2,880 calls a day, according to women’s support charity Refuge. But rates are likely to be even higher than the figures this publication found, the charity warned.

The new statistics come as The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign, in partnership with Refuge, continues its work to raise £600,000 to build two safe houses for survivors fleeing domestic abuse. Donations have poured in from readers, politicians, campaigners, celebrities and the business world, and have now passed £350,000.

Emily, a survivor, believes the culture surrounding football has had a serious impact on the correlation between domestic abuse and the sport. She told