I don’t know about you but I’m finding it harder and harder to be a football fan.
It’s not that I’m not enjoying the standard of football – the quality of the elite game has probably never been better across the top European divisions.
It’s just that I feel increasingly disconnected from the whole charade.
Every year, elite football feels more oriented around the spectacular: it is a show that I am invited to view from a distance but one in which I am less and less able to take part.
I want to feel like a fan again. I want to be part of a community. I want to feel like I belong.
In this episode, I tried to get to the heart of the question: does English football need a more active fan culture?
Guests:
Stevie Green (@StevieGreenXI) is a writer, editor and podcaster, and a member of Clapton Community Football Club.
Mark Doidge (@markdoidge) is a Principal Research Fellow at the University of Brighton focuses on the sociology of European football fan cultures. He is also a fan of Whitehawk FC.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Slate Tracker – Glacier Quartet – Araby
Willow Belle – Little Rock
Easement – The Bulwark
JoDon – Orange Cat
Rapids – Grey River
Setting Pace – Duck Lake
Peacetime – TinyTiny Trio