With major football matches which involve gatherings of many people, there is little doubt that measures like police and private stewarding are only sensible to ensure crowd safety are required. But this response is proportionate to the matches in question. There is seen to be no requirement for police and private stewarding to attend all of the many matches which take place every weekend, on parks and recreation grounds all over the country.

But if it was thought to be necessary - would anyone try to maintain that such an approach would not harm the public's participation in football but would encourage it?

But this is the approach that is now thought necessary by local licensing authorities and the LGA Group lobby, for all the small-scale live music which takes place in the nation's remaining pubs and other venues.