Tom Gibbons

‘Surf’s up!’: A call to take English soccer fan interactions on the Internet more seriously

Soccer fandom practices in England have been significantly impacted by globalization. The creation of the Premier League in 1992, and the way in which satellite television company BSkyB dominated coverage of this, together with other developments, have led to changes in how fans consume top‐level English soccer. Whilst such global transformations are well documented in the sociology of soccer literature, the implications of the rise of the most advanced global form of communication – the Internet – on the practices of fans of English soccer clubs, have not been fully taken into account by academics. As such, the significance of the Internet as a site for fans to interact remains under‐investigated. This article argues that online interactions between fans of English clubs need to be taken more seriously by academics if they are to more fully understand how soccer contributes to the maintenance of social identities in contemporary England.

‘A mockery of equality’: an exploratory investigation into disabled activists’ views of the Paralympic Games

This article offers an exploratory analysis of the opinions of disabled activists towards the Paralympic Games. With the use of a qualitative online survey, the work focuses on the perceptions of disabled individuals (n = 32) who are not Paralympic athletes but are affiliated to the disability rights group, the United Kingdom Disabled People’s Council. Working on the premise that the views of disabled activists have been excluded from Paralympic sports discourse to date, the results illustrate a nuanced yet negative view of the Games to contrast with an existing, yet overly positive, academic narrative. Participants were particularly cynical of the portrayal and production of the Games and its Paralympic athletes as they perceived that the wider population of disabled people is misrepresented. The overwhelming perception in this preliminary analysis suggests that the Paralympic Games can be counterproductive to disability rights beyond sport.

'The way it was': an account of soccer violence in the 1980s

Causes of football hooliganism are still widely disputed by academics, and narrative accounts from reflective ex‐hooligans in the public domain are often sensationalized. The aims of this essay are to critically assess some of the main academic theories behind the causes of football hooliganism; and, to consider the value of gathering less sensationalistic in‐depth narrative accounts from reflective ex‐hooligans in order to further understanding. This has been achieved through presenting findings from a case study comprising interviews and a life testimony from an ex‐ football hooligan who has become an active member of a Christian church. The methodological value of narrative accounts from reflective ex‐hooligans is also discussed in relation to its validity, representation and its general appropriateness towards the study of football hooliganism. A case is made for sociologists to consider using in‐depth oral accounts from reflective ex‐hooligans in order to ensure theory reflects empirical evidence.

English national identity and the national football team: the view of contemporary English fans

The English St George Cross has recently become more prominent than the British Union Jack among English football fans. Some authors assume this to be evidence that a specifically English national consciousness is arising. However, the ways in which English fans describe their own national identity and their feelings towards the national football team have not been the primary focus of previous research. In order to explore this area further, online questionnaires were disseminated among various fan groups during the 2006 World Cup, the 2008 European Championships and the summer of 2009, gleaning a total of 1355 valid responses. Frequencies were calculated for answers to multiple-choice items and answers to open response items were categorized using a qualitative coding approach. Findings indicate that the relationship between English national identity and support for the national team is more complex than the increased display of the St George Cross suggests. Specifically, English articulations of identity were not homogenous among English football fans: British, local and even European layers of identity were considered to be more important to some fans. Also, the relationship between English national identity and feeling represented by the national team was often dependent on their success. Finally, results signified a complex relationship between fans’ support for their English club and their support for the England team, which was often related to club location.

Is St George Enough? Considering the importance of displaying local identity while supporting the England national soccer team

Abstract Anthony King (2006) suggests that soccer provides an increasingly important arena to express an emergent English (over British) national identity. This paper uses data from pub‐based participant observation and an online survey conducted during the 2006 World Cup Finals to explore the complexities of contemporary English identities among ‘everyday’ soccer fans. We discuss the relevance of local identities by focusing on contemporary displays of support for the England team, particularly by supporters of clubs situated below the English Premier League that have been neglected in previous studies. We make reference to the ways in which local identities have often become interchangeable with the English nation, before suggesting that the nation can empower local identities when on an international stage. As such we regard support for the English national team as a site for expressing both national and local layers of identity that are informed in different ways by processes of globalisation.

Contrasting representations of Englishness during FIFA World Cup Finals

Football and English national identity have been interlinked for over a century. The increased display of the St George Cross rather than the Union flag when the England team compete in international football competitions has been linked to a rise in a specifically English national consciousness. Academics have assumed this to be a response to advancing European integration and political devolution within contemporary Britain without providing much empirical evidence for such claims. However, evidence from qualitative discourse analysis of British daily newspaper coverage of FIFA World Cup Finals suggests that Englishness has always been banally depicted as a multifaceted concept in relation to football. First, Englishness has long been and still is used to refer to Britishness and vice versa in World Cup coverage. Second, World Cup football correspondents have often referred to strongly felt regional and local divisions within English society that coexist with the idea of an overarching English national consciousness. This paper forms part of a wider investigation into the complexities of defining Englishness through football fandom practices.

'Harry walks, Fabio runs': A case study on the current relationship between English national identity, soccer and the English press

On 8 February 2012 Fabio Capello resigned from his position as manager of the England men’s national association football (soccer) team. The date this decision became public coincided with the acquittal in court of Harry Redknapp following the Tottenham Hotspur FC manager being accused of tax evasion. As Redknapp was considered the media favourite to succeed Capello as England manager, press coverage of these two events proved an interesting case through which to explore the current relationship between English national identity, soccer and the English national press. As such, this paper is concerned with how the events of that day were reported by nine different English national newspapers across 82 pages of coverage. Thematic analysis revealed that journalists often adopted a ‘Little Englander’ mentality with regards to their attitudes towards Capello, due to his Italian nationality. Contrary to this, the press frequently depicted Redknapp as a typically ‘English’ working-class hero linking him with nostalgic references to a bygone ‘golden era’ of English soccer. These findings illustrate the main ways in which the English press continue to present English national identity via their soccer-related coverage as insular and rooted in the past.

‘True fan = watch match’? In search of the ‘Authentic’ soccer fan

Academics have created typologies to divide association football (soccer) fans into categories based upon the ‘authenticity’ of their fandom practices. One of the main requirements of ‘authentic’ fandom has been assumed to be match attendance. The goal of this paper was to critically assess this assumption by considering how fans themselves talk about the significance of match attendance as evidence of ‘authentic’ fandom. In the light of the fact that the voices of English non-league fans on the ‘authenticity’ debate have so far been overshadowed by the overbearing focus of much previous research on the upper echelons of English soccer, an e-survey was conducted with 151 members of an online community of fans of English Northern League (NL) clubs (a semi-professional / amateur league based in North East England). Findings revealed that opinion was divided on the constituents of ‘authentic’ fandom and match attendance was not deemed to be the core evidence of support for a club by 42% of the sample. Elias (1978) suggested that dichotomous thinking hinders sociological understanding and it is concluded that fan typologies are not sufficient for assessing the ‘authenticity’ of fan activities.

The 2012 Paralympics and perceptions of disability in the UK

Throughout the Paralympic Games of 2012, the host nation, Great Britain, was praised for its liberal attitudes and for embracing disability more specifically. This chapter aims to move beyond this one-sided representation to examine the Paralympic Games from multiple positions highlighting the heterogeneity of perceptions that exist. It draws on the jubilant portrayal of the 2012 Games in the media; the positive rhetoric of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC); and, the contrasting views of disability activists. Consequently, this chapter presents a balanced view of the impact of the Paralympic Games that is set in contrast with an existing, yet overly positive academic narrative.

Show Racism The Red Card: potential barriers to the effective implementation of the anti-racist message

This discussion paper focuses on anti-racist groups associated with British Association football (soccer) and the barriers that they face in relation to effective implementation of the anti-racism message and aspirational cultural change. In order to address those issues (above) this essay draws on the educational charity Show Racism the Red Card (SRTRC) and their work to educate individuals in Great Britain though football. It takes an overview of the work of the charity, specifically focusing on three key areas relating to the group’s mission statement. Concluding comments are made on the current position of SRTRC in light of recent high-profile racist incidents.