Football 'yobs' caught causing disturbances at AFC Bournemouth's Fitness First Stadium, can expect to receive the red card this season.

AFC Bournemouth is teaming up with Dorset Police to 'kick yobs out of football' by introducing a banning order.

The town already has six football banning orders in place, including a 16-year-old girl, several juvenile males and more seasoned football hooligans, known to plan confrontations with thugs from rival clubs.

The police are waiting to hear the outcome of another five cases.

Superintendent Nick Hazelton, operations manager at Bournemouth, said: "Football banning orders are a very effective way of dealing with the small minority who spoil the enjoyment of everyone else who watches local football."

"As well as being banned from local games, people subject to the orders are denied entry to all regulated UK games for three years and have their passports confiscated before England play abroad. Hopefully these strict penalties will act as a deterrent to those who are thinking of causing trouble."

The most recent order involved one fan for inciting racial hatred by chanting racial abuse at players during a home game against Oldham.

The club enjoys civil powers to ban anyone from the ground who causes lower-level anti-social behaviour. Defying the order is similar to having an Anti-Social Behaviour Order and constitutes a criminal offence which would lead at the very least to a much longer ban.

AFC Bournemouth chairman Peter Philips said: "A football crowd is a cross section of society and just like society in general, we have a tiny minority of thugs and bigots. During my time as chairman we have enjoyed excellent support from Dorset Police to identify and exclude these yobs."

Troublemakers can be identified through CCTV footage and ground stewards are shown photographs of those who have received banning orders.

First published: August 14