The proposed Dutch Football Law and lessons learned from the English approach to spectator violence associated with football

Abstract

New legislation to combat football hooliganism in the Netherlands is about to become law. The proposed legislation has passed the Second Chamber of Parliament and is currently awaiting approval from the First Chamber of Parliament. This new legislation will most likely enter into force before the end of 2009. This paper presents an in-depth study of the history of the Dutch proposal and how it gives mayors and prosecutors far reaching powers to control football hooliganism. Central among these powers are the Stadium and Vicinity Ban and the Reporting Duty that can be handed out to known and suspected hooligans. This paper presents a comparative study of the proposed Dutch legislation and the English Football Spectators Act. This paper will specifically look at how some of the controversial aspects of the English legislation have been dealt with in the Dutch proposal. In conclusion, the author will argue that the Dutch legislature has remedied most of the deficiencies of the English legislation.