This systematic historical and sociological study of the phenomenon of football hooliganism examines the history of crowd disorderliness at association football matches in Britain and assesses both popular and academic explanations of the problem. The authors' study starts in the 1880s, when professional football first emerged in its modern form, charting the pre and inter-war periods and revealing that England's World Cup triumph formed a watershed. The changing social composition of football crowds and the changing class structure of British society is discussed and the genesis of modern football hooliganism is explained by tracing it to the cultural conditions and circumstances which reproduce in young working-class males an interest in a publicly expressed aggressive masculine style.

Now unknown or forgotten, influential schoolmasters took the game of association football to many parts of England. They had several roles: they brought the game to individual schools, they established regional and national leagues and associations, and they founded professional football clubs. They also exported the game around the world, working as moral missionaries, passionate players and energetic entrepreneurs. The role of teachers in association football is a much neglected aspect of English cultural history. It is a story that deserves to be told because it allows a fundamental reappraisal of the status and position of these teachers in late nineteenth century and early twentieth century society. This volume was previously published as a special issue of the journal Soccer and Society.

Medievalism, the later reception of the Middle Ages, has been used by many writers, not just during the Victorian period but from the Renaissance to the present, as a means of commenting on their own societies and systems of values. Until recently, this self-interest was used to distinguish between Medievalism, a selective, often romanticised, view of the past, and medieval studies, with its quest for an authentic Middle Ages. The essays in this collection suggest that the search for knowledge of a "real" Middle Ages has always been a problematic one, and that the vitality of the vision of Medievalism is demonstrated by its constant adaption to current concerns.

2021 saw the centenary of the formation of the League of Ireland, the Republic of Ireland's primary professional association football league. This new collection draws on the work of a number of leading historians of Irish soccer and seeks to examine a number of previously under-researched aspects relating to the league. The book examines the initial growth of clubs in Dublin and the Free State League's early turbulent history, while the impact of Irish players and administrators on the development of soccer clubs at home and abroad is also assessed. Following the partition of Ireland in 1921, players continued to move from Dublin clubs to those in Northern Ireland and this is also discussed, particularly in light of the Troubles of 1968-1998. Despite the migration of many Irish-born players to Britain, the League of Ireland has also attracted internationally based players and the impact of this is also examined. The role of the league in the provision of players for the Irish Olympic team is also explored, as is the work of SARI in its attempts to eradicate racism from Irish sport. This publication aims to commemorate some of those who have strived to maintain the League of Ireland's presence against the backdrop of what has become the world's most attractive football league, located in Ireland's neighbour, England. It will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of Sports, History, Sociology and Politics. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal, Soccer & Society.

This book explores the story of one of the UK's most successful teams and its world-famous stadium. It lets you discover what part Winston Churchill, Buffalo Bill and Frank Sinatra played in the stadium's history. It is a paperback reprint of the bestselling 2008 edition. For more than 100 years, Ibrox has been the home of Rangers Football Club. It has been the scene of some of this sporting institution's greatest triumphs but also two of the worst disasters in British football. Ibrox is an imposing ground that is rich with history and tradition, while boasting state-of-the-art modern facilities that rank alongside the best in the world. Its wood-panelled entrance lobby and famous marble staircase evoke memories of a distant era, while the glittering trophy room inside the magnificent Main Stand tells the story of the club better than any words can. Though Rangers have managed to preserve the traditions of the famous old stadium, much of the Ibrox of today bears little resemblance to the ground which opened in December 1899. This book charts, in words and pictures, the history of Ibrox from the early days, through the creation of Archibald Leitch's stunning Main Stand in 1929, with its Masonic imagery, to the present-day five-star facilities. Using official records and eyewitness accounts, it tells the story of the two Ibrox disasters that claimed a total of 91 lives and tells how the second tragedy in 1971 resulted in a complete overhaul of the stadium and the creation of the most modern football ground in Britain, years ahead of its time. As well as the many football triumphs, the stadium has witnessed dozens of other events over the years, including the famous annual Ibrox Sports meeting created by the legendary manager Bill Struth. On one spectacular afternoon, seven world records were broken in one race on the Ibrox cinder track. The book also reveals the part played by famous figures like Buffalo Bill Cody, King George V, Winston Churchill, Eric Liddell, Billy Graham, Frank Sinatra and Elton John in the history of the stadium. Ibrox holds the record attendance for a League match in Britain, and it would be nothing more than a pile of bricks and mortar without the fans who breathe life into it every other Saturday. In this book, supporters recall their memories of the stadium, from starting bonfires on the vast terraces to keep warm in the depths of winter and donning customised hard-hats as protection from flying beer bottles in the 1960s, to the spectacular Champions League nights of the 21st century. The common theme is the passion of the fans and the red-hot atmosphere in the ground.

Football is the most popular sport in the world. Globalisation and commercialisation of the game, however, have created new conflicts and challenges. This book explores the role of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) within the rising significance of football in Asia, drawing on three key theoretical perspectives: globalisation, neo-institutionalism and governance, as well as comprehensive data from interviews and archive material. It explores the organisational structure of AFC, its decision-making processes, relations with other actors, and policies put forward. To understand the specificities AFC has faced in its 60-year history, the broader historical, political, economic, socio-cultural and geographic contexts of football in Asia are taken into account.

Sports are ubiquitous in American society, and given their prominence in the culture, it is easy to understand how most youth in the United States face pressure to participate in organized sports. But what does this mean for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who live with one or more physical disabilities and, in particular, those in powered wheelchairs? Located at the intersection of sports and disability, this book tells the story of power soccer - the first competitive team sport specifically designed for electric wheelchair users. Beginning in France in the 1970s, today, over sixty teams compete within the United States Power Soccer Association (USPSA) and the sport is actively played in over thirty countries. Using ethnographic research conducted while attending practices, games, and social functions of teams from across the nation, Jeffress builds a strong case that electric wheelchair users deserve more opportunity to play sports. They deserve it because they need the same physical and psychosocial benefits from participation as their peers, who have full use of their arms and legs. It challenges the social constructions and barriers that currently stand in the way. Most importantly, this book tells the story of some amazing power soccer athletes. It is a moving, first-hand account of what power soccer means to them and the implications this has for society.

Football clubs across the world continue to embody many of the collective symbols, identifications and processes of connectivity which have long been associated with the notion of 'community'. In recent years, however, the very term 'community' has become the focus of renewed interest within popular discourse and amongst academics, politicians and policy makers. It has become something of a 'buzz' word, wheeled out as both a lament to more certain times and as an appeal to a better future: a term imbued with all the richness associated with human interaction. 'Community' has also been employed increasingly within football, for instrumental reasons concerned with policy and stadium redevelopment, and in broader rhetoric about clubs, their localities and fans. This book brings together a range of key debates around contemporary understandings of 'community' in world football. Split into four sections, it considers political and theoretical debates around football and its connection with community; different national and ethnic football communities; instrumental uses of football to bridge gaps within and between groups; future directions in the football and community debate. This book was published as a special issue of Soccer & Society.

This book presents a synthesis of the work on early football undertaken by the authors over the past two decades. It explores aspects of a figurational approach to sociology to examine the early development of football rules in the middle part of the nineteenth century. The book tests Dunning's status rivalry hypothesis to contest Harvey's view of football's development which stresses an influential sub-culture outside the public schools. Status Rivalry re-states the primacy of these latter institutions in the growth of football and without it the sport's story would remain skewed and unbalanced for future generations.

The Sunshine Kids is no ordinary autobiography. Twins Fabio and Rafael Da Silva have seen it all in football - from the favelas of Brazil to the height of the European game with Manchester United. Their performances and contribution to one of the most glittering periods in the club's history cemented their place in the heart of every United fan. Theirs is an incredible journey and story - and, with Wayne Barton ('The pre-eminent writer on Manchester United' - Martin Edwards) the pair tell all. The sheer personality pours from the pages as Rafael's energy shines through in tales of fierce rivalries with Liverpool and Manchester City, and Fabio reveals his battle with anxiety as he sought to establish himself at Old Trafford. From the experience of joining the best team in Europe, to the human aspect and difficulty that comes with it, their familial relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson and their careers since leaving United - you'll discover just why the twins have been adored wherever their football careers have taken them.

All Crazee Now is the story of English football and its footballers in the 1970s, a decade that saw the start of the move from the 'old-fashioned' game towards the modern Premier League era; a transition that accelerated throughout the decade. Much of what we recognise in today's game is rooted in the seventies - including diverse ethnicity and multi-nationalism in club teams; the rise of commercialism; the cult of the manager; the end of the player-next-door; and the demand for victory ahead of individualism. The beginning of the decade remains the period in English football that supporters felt more connected than anytime previous or since. By the time the Thatcherite 1980s were dawning, the way had been paved for a rapid evolution towards 21st-century football. More than just a chronicle of trophy winners, star players and personalities, it offers a study of the tactical, philosophical, social, cultural, economic and political landscape that shaped football throughout a turbulent period for a nation and its favourite sport.