How fan power is challenging football culture

Football fans are mobilising to campaign against discrimination and to have a say in the way their clubs are run.

Dr Mark Doidge, Senior Research Fellow in the College of Social Sciences, spoke yesterday on “fan activism” at the British Science Festival.

Dr Doidge said: “Earlier this year, thousands of Liverpool fans walked out of their football match against Sunderland in protest to the decision to increase ticket prices. This is one of many examples of fan activism as they struggle to shape the direction of their clubs.

“Football fans represent one of the most active political groups in contemporary Europe. By ‘political’, it’s not necessarily around ideological politics of left and right, even if this does come into it. By ‘political’, it is about mobilising as a group to champion fan culture, to lobby politicians and to challenge legal and police repression.

“Often fans will be seen in a negative light – such as the violence between fans of Russia and England in France in the summer, or racism in the stadiums. But thousands of fans are actively campaigning against discrimination and fighting for the rights of fans.”

The talk also involved Alan Lewis from Swansea City Supporters Trust who discussed the trust and fans being on the board of clubs. Dr Doidge put this into a European context and spoke of the growing difference between the commercial interests of owners with fans.