Women Want England To Win Football Matches – So That They’re Safe

Domestic violence cases go up significantly when the England national football team is in action.

Domestic violence has been on the rise across the UK but cases go up significantly when the England national football team is in action, several women pointed out on social media after the Euro 2020 final.

The country did not win the European Football Championship and the cup 'did not come home,' putting women at a higher risk of violence.

According to UK's National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV), domestic violence incidents soar, by up to 38 percent, when England lose a match compared to when they aren’t playing.

It is 26 percent higher if England win or if there was a draw.

Even as the final game between England and Italy was underway, social media was filled with posts highlighting helpline numbers for domestic abuse.

What Studies Show

A recent study by the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP), published in July, delves deeper into this picture by analysing 523,546 domestic abuse cases that were reported to UK's Greater Manchester Police between 2012 and 2019.

It also took into account the detailed information on 780 games played by Manchester City and Manchester United in that period.

The study reveals a 5 percent decrease in incidents during the two-hour duration of the game, suggesting a substitution effect of football and domestic abuse. Following the initial decrease, domestic abuse starts to increase after the game and peaks about 10-12 hours after the game.

The 2014 study by Lancaster University also pointed out that domestic violence increased after perpetrators had consumed alcohol, and when games were played before 7 pm.

Games that are scheduled at midday or afternoon enable perpetrators to start drinking early and continue throughout the day, which leads to a peak in domestic abuse, the study said.

Charities, Women Take to Twitter to Warn Others

During the FIFA World Cup 2018, National Centre For Domestic Violence released a picture showing the face of a woman bleeding from her nose – highlighting the increase in domestic abuse during the football matches.

A similar picture was shared once again this year, during the Euro finals, stating “not everyone looks forward to the national team playing a big game."

Several women were seen sharing helpline numbers on Twitter, and urging everyone to reach out to women in distress.