Understanding Football Hooliganism

Football hooliganism periodically generates widespread political and public anxiety. In spite of the efforts made and resources invested over the past decades, football hooliganism is still perceived by politicians, policymakers and media as a disturbing social problem.

This highly readable book provides the first systematic and empirically grounded comparison of football hooliganism in different national and local contexts. Focused around the six Western European football clubs on which the author did his research, the book shows how different clubs experience and understand football hooliganism in different ways. The development and effects of anti-hooligan policies are also assessed. The emphasis throughout is on the importance of context, social interaction and collective identity for understanding football hooliganism. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in football culture, hooliganism and collective violence.

Ramón Spaaij is lecturer in sociology at the University of Amsterdam and Research Fellow at the Amsterdam School for Social Science.

Contents - 8[-]Acknowledgements - 12[-]Introduction - 16[-]Ch.1: Football Hooliganism: Concepts, Theories and Contexts - 24[-]Ch.2: Research Outline and Methodology - 69[-]Ch.3: Setting the Stage: On the Emergence and Development of Football Hooliganism in England, the Netherlands and Spain - 91[-]Ch.4: 'Them Were the Days': The Past and Present of Football Hooliganism at West Ham United - 137[-]Ch.5: Football Culture in SW6: Fulham FC, het 'Friendly' Club - 175[-]Ch.6: 'Rotterdam Hooligans!': The Origins and Evolution of Football Hooliganism at Feyenoord - 201[-]Ch.7: 'Decency and Tradition': Continuity and Change in Spectator Behaviour at Sparta Rotterdam - 233[-]Ch.8:'Orgulloso de ser perico': Politics, Violence and the Ultras of RCD Espanyol - 263[-]Ch.9: Cultural Heritage at Stake? The Emergence and Development of Football Hooliganism at FC Barcelona - 293[-]Ch.10: Club Cultures and Subcultures: Why Context Matters - 328[-]Ch.11: Transformations in Football Hooliganism: Formal and Informal Policies and Their Effects - 362[-]Ch.12: Constructing Hooligan Identities - 382[-]Notes - 424[-]Bibliography - 437[-]Dutch Summary - 485[-]Index - 494