South Yorkshire Police reveal reasons behind Barnsley FC v Horsham FC FA Cup date switch

The Hornets’ Cup clash has been rescheduled to kick-off at 7.45pm on Friday, November 3 following talks with local emergency services.

The decision to move the fixture has been widely criticised by both Horsham and Barnsley supporters, Hornets committee vice-chairman Mark Barrett, and Horsham manager Dominic Di Paola.

But in a new statement released by the South Yorkshire Police, the force revealed why the Hornets’ highly-anticipated FA Cup match at Oakwell had to be moved away from the weekend.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson told the West Sussex County Times: “Policing in South Yorkshire, is currently experiencing high levels of demand. This is due locally to different factors, including anti-social behaviour linked to darker nights and fireworks, a busy football season across a number of clubs within the county, and an increase in political protests.

“Last week (w/c 16 October), the FA notified SYP that additional fixtures were to be added over the weekend of Friday 3 November to Sunday 5 November (subject to TV selection) and on reviewing the existing demand in other areas across the force, we contacted Barnsley FC and Doncaster Rovers and asked if they would consider moving their fixtures to either the evening of Friday 3 November, or Sunday 5 November. The Football Association (FA) contacted SYP directly to confirm a decision had been made to move Barnsley's fixture to Friday 3 November. SYP can only ask for a change to be considered, decisions are made by other authorities.

“Policing football does not incur a charge for clubs, unless a specialist policing request is made by the club themselves. Regardless of the day the match will be taking place, the costs of policing will be met by the force, with no amount charged to the club.

“With multiple events taking place within South Yorkshire, our priority remains the safety of those attending, and this can only be ensured where appropriate resourcing is in place.”