Pitch invasion at Nottingham Forest's City Ground
The EFL will meet with various authorities this summer to discuss potential measures to deter fans from invading the pitch

With capacity reductions and fines being considered to deter fans from going onto the field of play, pitch invasions cannot continue.

The warning came from the English Football League's chief executive in a letter to supporters.

There were scenes of disorder when fans ran onto the pitch at the end of the game.

Birch said that entering the field of play is a criminal offense.

While some suggest that pitch invasions are harmless in the main, the reality is that they are facilitating unacceptable behavior by providing cover for the reckless few seeking to cause harm.

There can be no confusion with this matter. The pitch is for participants and spectators.

The fan who ran on to the pitch and head-butted Billy Sharp at the City Ground was jailed.

After their League Two play-off semi-final defeat at Port Vale, the players were physically and mentally abused.

During the close season, the EFL will meet various authorities to discuss a range of measures that could potentially be introduced to prevent such incidents from happening again.

As part of this work the introduction of tougher but proportionate sanctions will have to be considered by your club in the early part of next month, Birch said.

For our part, we will need to discuss what further measures could be introduced for the new season, including the potential use of capacity reductions, financial penalties, or other similar mitigations.