Bans issued as Leeds United clamp down on pitch encroachment after Wolves incident

Last season, Elland Road saw a number of young fans illegally entering the pitch in order to interact with their Whites heroes.

The club made a great effort to prevent the trend, but have been moved to reinforce their discouragement of pitch encroachment after fans were seen on the pitch again at United’s 2-1 opening day victory over Wolves.

Two children who entered the pitch have been handed a one-year stadium ban, as have the responsible guardians.

An official statement on the club website reads: "Following on from our statement last season around pitch encroachments from supporters, we were disappointed to see the issue reoccur at our season opening fixture with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

“Fans are not permitted to enter the pitch at any time, this is a criminal offence. Following the incidents at our last home game we can confirm that we are in the process of issuing one-year bans to two separate guardians of children who entered the pitch, as well as the youngsters themselves. We would like to once again remind supporters that we will continue to issue these bans throughout the course of the season.

“The support we receive on matchdays is second to none, the atmosphere within Elland Road is the best in the country and we thank you all for your amazing support – but we do need to ensure the safety of all those in the stadium, and that includes players, staff, and officials as well as supporters, which is why we will continue to take this firm approach to stopping any encroachments.”