AQA GCSE Physical Education Paper 2: Socio-cultural influences and wellbeing in physical activity and sport, June 2025: Question 14

Mark scheme

Show the mark scheme

14 The following strategies have been used to reduce hooliganism at football matches:

• Alcohol restrictions

• Banning orders

Discuss the effectiveness of each of these strategies in reducing hooliganism at

football matches.

[4 marks]

Marks for this question: AO3 = 4

Award one mark for each of the following points up to a maximum of four marks.

Alcohol restrictions (sub-max 2 marks)

• Alcohol is not allowed to be consumed whilst watching matches in stadiums to stop fans becoming

drunk and making irrational decisions leading to hooliganism (1)

• Police can enforce early kick-offs to stop fans drinking before a match which reduces the chances of

hooliganism occurring (1)

• Many spectators drink elsewhere (home) which means that excessive consumption occurs earlier in

the day which can lead to disorder at the match or later in the day (1)

Banning orders (sub-max 2 marks)

• These ban known hooligans who have been convicted of football related violence in the past (1)

• This forces them to report to police stations / handing in their passports which has reduced the

number of hooligans travelling / attending matches (1)

• Costs a lot of money and police time to create a list of known troublemakers, their location and their

intentions (1)

• Banned troublemakers still risk attending matches as they have to be spotted for their banning order to

be enforced (1)

Accept any other suitable response.

Maximum 4 marks

How to answer it

Evaluating Strategies to Reduce Football Hooliganism

📋 Assessment Focus

What this question tests

This question assesses AO3 (Analysis and Evaluation). You need to examine both the strengths (effectiveness) and limitations (drawbacks) of specific anti-hooliganism measures rather than simply describing what they are.

Alcohol Restrictions: How banning pitch-side drinking and setting early kick-offs reduces drunkenness, vs. fans binge-drinking beforehand.
Banning Orders: How preventing convicted troublemakers from attending matches or travelling works, vs. costs and enforcement issues.
Balanced Evaluation: Weighing up how well each measure actually stops disorder.

Part 1 • Sub-max 2 marks

Strategy 1: Alcohol Restrictions

Evaluating stadium bans and early kick-off times

✅ Mark Scheme Credit Points

You can achieve up to 2 marks by evaluating effectiveness:

Effective: Alcohol cannot be consumed in view of the pitch, stopping fans getting too drunk and making aggressive, irrational decisions [1 mark].
Effective: Police/clubs can schedule early kick-offs (e.g. 12:30 pm), which gives fans less time to drink before the game [1 mark].
Ineffective / Limitation: Fans may binge-drink before arrival (at home or in pubs), leading to intoxication and disorder anyway [1 mark].

💡 Key Knowledge (AO3)

The Link: Alcohol lowers inhibitions and increases aggressive behaviour/poor decision-making.
The Rules: The Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act bans drinking in sight of the pitch.
The Workaround: Fans often pre-load (drink heavily before matches) or drink heavily in town centres afterwards.

🧠 Exam Technique: "Discuss the Effectiveness"

The command word is Discuss. Do not just define what an alcohol ban is!

Say why it works: "It prevents spectators from becoming overly intoxicated in the stands, reducing impulsive violent behaviour."
Say why it might fail: "However, spectators can easily circumvent this by drinking heavily in pubs prior to arrival."

❌ Common Errors

Only describing: Writing "Alcohol is banned in the stands" gives 0 marks. You must state why this reduces (or fails to reduce) hooliganism.
Ignoring early kick-offs: Forgetting that fixture scheduling is a key part of alcohol restriction strategies.

Part 2 • Sub-max 2 marks

Strategy 2: Banning Orders

Evaluating Football Banning Orders (FBOs)

✅ Mark Scheme Credit Points

You can achieve up to 2 marks by evaluating effectiveness:

Effective: Legally stops individuals with convictions for football violence from entering stadiums [1 mark].
Effective: Forces individuals to report to police stations or surrender passports before international matches, preventing travel to games [1 mark].
Ineffective / Limitation: High cost and extensive police resources required to track individuals and build intelligence lists [1 mark].
Ineffective / Limitation: Difficult to enforce in large crowds; banned troublemakers can still risk attending unless spotted by staff or facial recognition [1 mark].

💡 Key Knowledge (AO3)

What it is: A civil order imposed by a court to prevent violence and disorder at matches.
Domestic vs. International: Domestic bans stop fans going to UK grounds; international bans require fans to hand in their passports to prevent trouble abroad.
Enforcement Challenge: Grounds hold 30,000 to 80,000 people. Spotting one banned individual at turnstiles without biometric tech is very hard.

🧠 Exam Technique: Structuring Sub-Max Marks

Notice the mark scheme specifies (sub-max 2 marks) for each section.

Even if you write 4 brilliant points on alcohol, you will only score a maximum of 2/4.
Always balance your effort equally between both strategies (give 2 solid evaluation points for each).

❌ Common Errors

Confusing club bans with legal banning orders: Legal banning orders are enforced by courts and police, involving passport surrenders.
Assuming they are 100% foolproof: Thinking a ban automatically makes it impossible to enter. Top candidates point out the difficulty of policing turnstiles.

Model Answer

Full Mark (4/4) Sample Response

Alcohol Restrictions

Alcohol restrictions prevent fans from consuming alcohol in view of the pitch, which stops them becoming heavily intoxicated and making irrational, violent decisions during the game. Furthermore, police can enforce early kick-off times (e.g. midday), giving spectators less time to drink before arriving, significantly reducing aggressive behaviour.

Award: 2 marks (sub-max achieved for Alcohol Restrictions)

Banning Orders

Banning orders are effective because they legally require known, convicted offenders to hand in their passports or report to local police stations during matches, removing the ringleaders from games entirely. However, they are difficult and costly to enforce completely, as banned individuals can still attempt to slip through crowded turnstiles unless spotted by stewards or police.

Award: 2 marks (sub-max achieved for Banning Orders)

Topics

3.2 Socio-cultural influences and wellbeing in physical activity and sport · 3.2.2 Socio-cultural influences