After England secured victory in their opening World Cup match against Croatia last night, a Reform MP has taken to social media, and called on the team to "keep winning for the sake of women's safety." Sarah Pochin, the member of parliament for Runcorn and Helsby, posted on her X account today (June 18), to highlight what she said were links between football results and domestic violence.
Ms Pochin shared a video in which she said: "England won the football last night and thank goodness they did, because on the occasions England lose football matches, the incidences of domestic violence go through the roof. So boys, keep winning."
The video was accompanied with the following text: "For the sake of women's safety we need England to keep winning."
Ms Pochin's post prompted lots of reaction, with many critical of how the MP had framed the issue, with many describing it as inappropriate or clumsy. One user wrote: "So are you inferring that if they don't win and there is a spike in the numbers of women assaulted by their partners that it is the England team's fault if they don't win, rather than the individual responsibility of those men who choose to behave in that way?"
Another commented: "Domestic violence increases whether England win or lose. There are thousands of women out there who dread these big tournaments."
However, one person added their support, writing: "You are 100% correct for highlighting this important issue."
The Liverpool ECHO has previously reported on this issue, highlighting the work of The Lighthouse Centre, which provides a safe space for women and children who have experienced domestic abuse.
In 2024, and ahead of the European Football Championship, The Lighthouse Centre's CEO, Jill Barr told us some of the "horrifying" stories she has listened to throughout her 34 years of working with domestic abuse victims. These stories, she said, become more frequent when huge sporting events are happening, and voiced her concerns for victims.
Jill explained there are many reasons why there is a spike in domestic abuse during football tournaments, claiming football "is mainly a sport, played by men and watched by men and most of the domestic abuse reported is male on female."
She added: "There's such a big build-up around match day. There's so much excitement and tension. But in the family home, that tension is felt mostly by women and children - they know that dad or partner, or whatever male, is going to be watching the football. You've got heightened tensions already just by this. There's so much emotion attached to the game. We have the hot weather that doesn't help either as alcohol is usually involved."
Jill made it clear domestic abuse is not caused by football or alcohol, but rather the two tend to trigger behaviours related to it, and that the responsibility in domestic violence lies with the abuser.
A Lancaster University study also showed that reports of domestic abuse increased significantly around football matches, regardless of the outcome of the game, with some differences depending on the result. Domestic violence incidents were said to increase by 38% when England lost a match and increased 26% when they won or drew.
Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell previously told the ECHO that said tackling violence against women and girls is one of her "top priorities". Ms Spurrell has worked alongside Women's Aid, a national charity that launched the No More Years of Hurt campaign in 2024. The initiative aimed to shine a light on the darker side of major football championships.
Mrs Spurrell said: "Football has a huge power for good in our communities, but sadly we know high profile tournaments can lead to behaviours which in turn increase the risk of domestic abuse."
