Commentary on Sections Part 4: Sport
This Part creates new offences to promote good behaviour by fans of association football, Gaelic games and rugby. The offences are unauthorised pitch incursion; offensive chanting; missile throwing; the possession of flares or fireworks; and the possession of alcohol on hired buses en route to regulated matches. It also introduces football banning orders for the purpose of helping to prevent violence and disorder at association football matches. A court will be able to make a banning order prohibiting a person from attending certain football matches for a set period. It will be a criminal offence to fail to comply with a football banning order.
Chapter 1 and Schedule 3 set out the definitions for regulated matches and the period of a regulated match. Chapter 2 deals with the new offences at regulated matches. Chapter 3 deals with alcohol on vehicles travelling to a regulated match. Chapter 4 deals with banning orders.