Papers of the Popplewell Inquiry into Crowd Safety in Sports Grounds

1. Sociological articles, causes of football hooliganism, crowd behaviour

Booklet, published London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1984 for the Department of the Environment (DOE). ‘Football Spectator Violence: Report of an Official Working Group’.

1/2. SPG 33

Document by the Scottish Education Department, ‘Report of the Working Group on Football Crowd Behaviour’, dated c. 1976.

1/3. SPG 48

Photocopy of ‘Report of the Departmental Committee on Crowds’, dated 1924.

1/4. SPG 67

Letter addressed to the Chairman, Mr Goodson, Mr Killoran, cc Mr Morgan, from Jill Hales, dated 27 June 1985. Concerning evidence from the Centre for Contemporary Studies. Additional note written on the letter addressed to the Chairman from Mr Morgan dated 8 October 1985.

1/5. SPG 72

Letter addressed to Mr Morgan, from the secretary of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, dated 28 June 1985.

Also enclosed is a Report by a Working Group appointed by the Secretary State for Scotland, title ‘Football Crowd Behaviour’.

1/6. SPG 124

Summary of a report by the Centre for Leisure Research, Dunfermline College of Physical Education. ‘Crowd Behaviour at Football Matches: A Study in Scotland’.

1/7. SPG 125

Note of meeting between Committee of Inquiry and sports correspondents, written by Mr Morgan, dated 15 July 1985. The subject of the meeting was what causes hooliganism and what can be done to prevent it.

1/8. SPG 142

Letter addressed to Mr Morgan from Fred Coalter of the Centre for Leisure Research, dated 19 July 1985. Concerning football crowd behaviour.

1/9. SPG 144

Photocopy of a document of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, ‘Report of the Working Party on Crowd Behaviour at Football Matches’, dated 21 November 1969.

1/10. SPG 144 (2 copies)

Photocopy of a document of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, ‘Report of the Working Party on Crowd Behaviour at Football Matches’, dated 21 November 1969.

1/11. SPG 181

First letter addressed to the Chairman and assessors, cc Mr Morgan, from M.H.S. de Pulford, dated 14 August 1985, relating to SPG 180.

Second letter addressed to Mr Morgan from Gerry Gable (Searchlight Publishing Ltd, researchers into fascism and racism), dated 20 June 1985.

Enclosed are published articles, evidence from Searchlight, Bulldog (NF publication), and National Front News. All articles concerning racism and football.

1/12. SPG 196 (2 copies)

Report addressed to Mr Denis Howell, Minister of Sport. Written by a Birmingham Research Group, published 1968, Bristol: John Wright & Sons Ltd. ‘Soccer Hooliganism: A Preliminary Report’.

1/13. SPG 197

Report produced by a Joint Sports Council/Social Science Research Council Panel. ‘Public Disorder and Sporting Events’.

1/14. SPG 214

Letter addressed to the Chairman and assessors, cc Mr Morgan, from M.H.S. de Pulford, dated 12 September 1985. Summarises Professor Canter’s report on the psychological aspects of crowd safety and control at football grounds.

Enclosed is an addendum to the report.

1/15. SPG 244

Cover letter to Mr Justice Popplewell, dated 25 September 1985, accompanying an essay written by Steven Bridge. ‘Man in Society: Football Hooliganism – An Insoluble Problem’.

Also attached is a letter to Mr Bridge, dated 17 July 1985, thanking him for a copy of the essay from the Rt. Hon Edward Heath M.P.

1/16. SPG 291

Cover note written by the secretary, dated 17 October 1985, summarising attached evidence from the Police Superintendents Association

Attached is a letter addressed to Mr Morgan from the secretary of the Police Superintendents Association, dated 8 October 1985, concerning evacuation procedures at Liverpool and Everton.

Also attached is a document, title ‘Football Hooliganism Experiment’, written by John Harrison (Chief Superintendent), dated 31 December 1984.

1/17. SPG 295

First letter addressed to Miss Sue Vandervord (Department of the Environment) from Timothy Flesher (of the Prime Ministers office) dated 30 September 1985, concerning a note of a meeting of the Working Group on football hooliganism.

Second letter is addressed to the Prime Minister from the Department of the Environment, dated 20 September 1985, enclosing the note of the meeting.

Note title ‘Football Spectator Violence’, produced by the Department of the Environment on 20 September 1985.

1/18. Letter addressed to Mr Justice Popplewell from Eric Moonman (Director) of the Centre for Contemporary Studies (CSS), dated 10 June 1985.

Report on soccer violence: ‘Football as a Focus for Disorder’.

1/19. Letter addressed to Mr Morgan from M.H.S. de Pulford, dated 25 July 1985.

Meant to accompany 1 of 3 publications on public disorder at sports grounds recommended by Professor Canter called ‘Football Hooliganism’ (published by Inter-Action Imprint).

1/20. Note by Mr Morgan, dated 27 September 1985, concerning evidence from the Sociology Department of the University of Leicester.

1/21. Letter addressed to the Chairman, cc Mr Goodson and Mr Killoran, from Mr Morgan, dated 17 October 1985. Concerning a visit by Mr Stuttard on 17 October, and summarises Mr Stuttard’s theories on hooligans.

1/22. Article written by Eric Dunning, Joe Maguire, Pat Murphy and John Williams, published in New Society 27 August 1981. ‘If You Think You’re Hard Enough’ (topic of football hooliganism).

1/23. Paper written by E.G. Dunning, J.A. Maguire, P.J. Murray and J.M. Williams, published in Leisure Studies (1982) 1: 139-156. ‘The Social Roots of Football Hooligan Violence’.

1/24. Study written by Fred Coalter, undertaken by the Centre of Leisure Research, Dunfermline College of Physical Education, for the Football Trust. ‘A Study of the Behaviour of Aberdeen Fans at the European Cup Winners Cup Final, 1983’.

1/25. Study written in January 1984, undertaken by the Centre for Leisure Research, Dunfermline College of Physical Education (sponsored by the Football Trust). ‘Crowd Behaviour at Football Matches: A study in Scotland’.

1/26. Article written by Eric Dunning, Patrick Murphy and John Williams, published in ESRC Newsletter 51, March 1984. ‘Football Hooliganism in Historical Perspective’.

1/27. Article written by John Williams, Eric Dunning and Patrick Murphy, published in New Society 24 May 1984. ‘Come On, You Whites’ (topic of football hooliganism abroad).

1/28. Department of the Environment booklet, ‘Football Spectator Violence – Report of an Official Working Group’, published 1984.

1/29. Paper written by Eric Dunning, Patrick Murphy, John Williams and Joseph Maguire, published in Int. Rev. for Soc. Of Sport (1984) vol.19. ‘Football Hooliganism in Britain before the First World War’.

1/30. Paper/memorandum issued by Chelsea Football Club, 2 April 1985. ‘Hooliganism Football and Society’ (topic of Chelsea’s problem with hooliganism and how to amend it).

1/31. Review written by Eric Dunning, Patrick Murphy and John Williams (University of Leicester), 1985. Prepared for the Sports Council on behalf of the Council of Europe. ‘Crowd Violence Associated with Football Matches: A State-of-the-Art Review’.

1/32. Draft book chapter written by E.G. Dunning, Patrick Murphy and John Williams (University of Leicester), 1985. Chapter 5 title ‘Skinheads’, ‘Doc’s Red Army’ and the ‘ICF’: Action, Reaction and the Rise of the Contemporary ‘Football Ends’. From the book The Social Roots of Football Hooligan Violence.

1/33. Paper written by Eric Dunning, Patrick Murphy and John Williams (University of Leicester), 1985. Accepted for publication in Brit. J. of Sociology. ‘Spectator Violence at Football Matches: Towards a Sociological Explanation’.

1/34. Report written by Professor David Canter (Department of Psychology, University of Surrey) for the Committee of Inquiry into Crowd Safety and Control at Sports Grounds.

Psychological Aspects of Crowd Safety and Control at Football Grounds.

1/35. Study, written by Fred Coalter, undertaken by the Centre for Leisure Research, Dunfermline College of Physical Education (sponsored by the Football Trust). ‘Heart of Midlothian F.C.: A report on the organisational and behavioural aspects of a trip to Paris’.

1/36. Paper written by Eric Dunning, Patrick Murphy and John Williams (University of Leicester). ‘Football as a Social Institution’ (topic of football hooliganism).