Why fans are kept apart for the South Coast Derby

Fans will be kept apart when one of English football's fiercest rivalries is renewed this weekend.

Sunday's South Coast Derby between Portsmouth and Southampton will see away supporters travel under a tightly controlled "bubble" system.

That means police and the clubs will manage the movement of fans in an effort to avoid a repeat of the violence that accompanied the fixture when it was last played at Fratton Park.

But how exactly will the "bubble" work and why is it being used for this game?

At "bubble" matches, rival supporters are deliberately kept apart before and after the game.

Travel for away supporters is limited to official transport and the system is usually reserved for derbies and games between clubs with intense rivalries.

They frequently involve designated pick-up points and police escorts.

Southampton supporters attending the match will be required to use club-managed transport.

They will travel to Fratton Park on designated coaches departing from St Mary's Stadium, with the £20 cost of travel added to the ticket price.

These will leave between 08:00 and 09:00 for a 12:00 kick-off, and fans will be required to arrive no later than one hour before their coach is due to leave.

Tickets will only be given to fans once the coaches have set off.

Everyone will be searched, and a form of photographic ID must be provided prior to boarding the coaches.

On arrival, fans will be escorted by police into the ground, while officers in protective gear, police dogs and helicopters will be deployed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.

The clubs and the police want to avoid a repeat of the violence seen at Fratton Park when the two teams clashed in 2019.

Fighting broke out outside the stadium, multiple people were injured and a police horse was punched.

Eight men were jailed for violent disorder.

On that occasion, the option of a "bubble" was not available due to the short notice of the Carabao Cup draw.

A "bubble" system was used when the two sides met at St Mary's Stadium last September and, in contrast, only two arrests were made.

Southampton FC said: "The club realises this may inconvenience some supporters, but it is necessary to ensure a safe and enjoyable match day for all."

Fans are divided on the use of bubbles.

Some see it as an inconvenient necessity to quell violence, while others believe it ruins the matchday experience.

Supporter Darren Sumner said: "It's taken a lot away from derby day.

"I've done the bubble previously and, while it confirms safety for the police, it waters down the derby day feeling so much.

"I have Pompey mates who feel the same. I would love it to go back to how it was."

Mark Howie runs a supporters' group called the Committee Of Loyal Saints Living Around Watford (COLSLAW).

He has attended "bubble" fixtures in the past but said he "can't be bothered with the hassle" on this occasion.

"I hate being forced into the bubble, especially having to travel into Southampton just to go back out again, almost the same way I came in," he said.

"But, having done Portsmouth games home and away on a number of occasions, I have to admit it is an evil necessity.

"On a couple of occasions in the past the potential - and actual - violence at both the home and away fixtures was palpable.

"If it wasn't for police protection, it could have been a lot worse and impacted a lot of innocent fans from both sides."

Saints fan Thomas Luffman said: "Unfortunately, the idiots have won as it's not safe for either set of fans travelling to each other's stadium. So there is no alternative, but to have the fans in a bubble."

Civil liberties group The Manifesto Club has been critical of bubble matches.

In a report for the organisation called Criminalising Football Fans, Peter Lloyd wrote: "Bubble match restrictions do not target the minority of troublemakers. Instead, they punish all away fans and hope to deter the violent minority by doing so. This is surely wrong in principle."

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Ch Supt Simon Dodds is leading the policing operation and stressed he wanted to avoid the scenes of 2019.

He hopes instead to replicate last September's meeting of the two sides at St Mary's.

He said: "It may not have been quite the game the fans were hoping for but from our perspective, it was a hugely successful policing operation, which passed without any major disorder and only a handful of arrests were necessary.

"It was great to see overwhelming support from the fans and the local community during and after the game and I am confident we can do the same again."

He said officers would be on hand at every step to ensure the safe arrival and departure of fans at Fratton Park.

Dodds added: "My advice is, don't let your club or yourself down, because if you end up with a conviction and a football banning order, this could have serious implications on your life that go far beyond a game of football."

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said fans appreciated the force's role in derby fixtures.

She said: "A lot of the fans understand that the police need to do what they need to do to keep the game safe.

"That first leg was really successful. There were very few arrests. It was a huge policing success with lots of planning that went into it in advance."

She said the cost of policing both matches will come to more than £700,000.

As well as the increased police presence, one Portsmouth business owner has raised concerns about the impact on traders.

Paul Taylor is the landlord of The Rose in June pub in Portsmouth and frequently welcomes away fans.

He said: "A lot of pubs local to stadiums also welcome in away fans. Unfortunately, because of the rivalry on a local derby, that trade is taken away.

"99% of the time, the fans are well-behaved and there are no problems anymore. The trouble days are nearly gone. It's a lot more fun now on match days."

But he said he still felt it was too early to scrap the bubble.

He continued: "...I think in years to come it will slowly get there. The game at Southampton passed off very peacefully and hopefully the game this Sunday will pass off peacefully as well."

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