Football fandom and post‐national identity in the New Europe

Abstract

Through European club football, we can begin to detect the outlines of a new Europe of competing cities and regions which are being disembedded from their national contexts into new transnational matrices. Focusing on a specific network of Manchester United fans, broadly located in the city of Manchester, this article examines the development of European consciousness among this group of individuals. This consciousness does not consist of a European supranationalism but rather of a new emphasis on the locale of Manchester and an increasing recognition that Manchester United and the city of Manchester must compete autonomously with other major clubs and cities in Europe.

English national identity and the national football team: the view of contemporary English fans

“…[14] A rise in European consciousness amongst fans of top-flight Premier League clubs has sometimes resulted in a rejection of the England team and this was perhaps first noticed by King in his work on a core of Manchester United fans. [15] Although the importance of studying English football fandom in relation to English national identity is highlighted by Robinson, she does not provide any empirical evidence (other than observations) to suggest that the heightened use of specifically English national symbols are demonstrated by fans to represent a unified English national consciousness. [16] Contrasting evidence from Abell, Condor, Lowe, Gibson and Stevenson suggests that English football fans' articulations of support for the national team do not even necessarily represent their wider feelings of national sentiment.…”

Is St George Enough? Considering the importance of displaying local identity while supporting the England national soccer team

“…This is a fandom practice that requires further research as it may help gain further insight into understanding the role of the local in the construction of contemporary English identity. Research on local identities in soccer support appear to have followed one of two paths: they have either been analysed as somehow distinct from, and resistant to, national and global identities (see Andrews & Ritzer, 2007), or seen within the paradigm of globalisation/Europeanisation (see King, 2000King, , 2003, where the display of the local is part of a wider emerging European, transnational consciousness. Each approach appears to suggest that local identities offer a challenge to the authority and legitimacy of the nation.…”

“…Anthony King (2000King ( , 2002King ( , 2003King ( , 2006 has focused on fans of Manchester United to identify an increasing European consciousness, formed through interactions with clubs and fans from other European cities, encouraged by the expansion of elite European club cup competitions. However, longer-standing local affiliations appear to remain an integral component of soccer fandom around the world (Armstrong & Giulianotti, 2001;Tomlinson, 1991).…”

Being a Young Citizen in Estonia: An Exploration of Young People’s Civic and Media Experiences

“…Football serves as a possibility for her to connect with the "imagined" Estonian community (Anderson, 1983). In general, the potential of sports to engender a collective -here nationalidentity is of course nothing new (King, 2000). Besides other actors, the European Union, for example, includes sport as an important factor for constructing a common European identity.…”