A NEW study is being launched to look at the impact of football on domestic abuse incidents.

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) has received funding for a feasibility study in Scotland and England.

The study will build on previous research which has highlighted a link between Old Firm matches and reports of abuse.

Researchers will speak to football clubs, police, victims of domestic abuse and support groups.

Dr Nancy Lombard, Reader in Sociology and Social Policy at GCU, is collaborating with researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Bristol, Dr Oona Brooks and Dr Emma Williamson.

Dr Lombard said: "The proposed feasibility study is innovative, original and seeks to further knowledge of a real-life problem, that of the global phenomenon of men's violence against women. "This research will be the first in-depth investigation into the apparent links between football and rising incidents and reports of domestic violence and abuse.

The four-month project has received funding of £23,000 from the Sir Halley Stewart Trust, a charity which supports projects which have a focus on the prevention of human suffering, including those concerned with the family.

While recent studies demonstrate that reports of domestic abuse do increase when high-profile football matches take place, experts say it is too simplistic to then suggest that football causes domestic abuse.

The results of this latest study will inform the development of the Scottish Government's strategic approach to tackling violence against women for the period 2015 - 2020.