Between security and festivity: The case of fan zones

Abstract

This article investigates the multiple operational and socio-cultural roles of ‘fan zones’ at contemporary sport mega-events (SMEs) from stakeholder perspectives. Fan zones, with their giant screens, are locations for public viewing events for fans without stadium tickets. They are also popular pre- and post-match destinations for football (soccer) fans with stadium tickets. Since the mid-2000s they have become central to the hosting of mega-events. Based on qualitative pre-event documentary data and stakeholder interviews in the context of Euro 2020, this paper argues that fan zones generate both solutions and new distinct challenges related to crowd control and security, while providing spectators with social experiences and an ‘event within the event’. With its empirical findings, the article bridges an important gap in literature as limited research investigates how mega-event stakeholders perceive or experience fan zones. However, the findings also have broader implications and are particularly significant in a time wherein fan zones’ organizational and security requirements have increased in accordance with their popularity and the emergence of wider security threats.

When ‘the show’ cannot go on: An investigation into sports mega-events and responses during the pandemic crisis

“…Essentially, the 'pandemic had an extraordinary impact on world sport' (Giulianotti and Collison, 2020: 1)and this underscores the importance of critically exploring the sport/pandemic intersection. Third, this article extends our knowledge of two important SMEs with prolonged timelines: the 2020 Olympics and Euro 2020 (Boykoff, 2020;Constandt and Willem, 2020;Hutchins and Andrejevcic, 2021;Lee Ludvigsen, 2021). In themselves, these postponed mega-events are likely to attract more academic attention as their new dates approach in time.…”

Exploring the accessibility of sport stadia for people with disability: towards the development of a Stadium Accessibility Scale (SAS)

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Diversifying the fan experience and securitising crowd management: a longitudinal analysis of fan park facilities at 15 football mega events between 2002 and 2019

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