Contradictions in Fan Culture and Club Ownership in Contemporary English Football: The Game’s Gone

In an era of buyouts by consortia and sovereign wealth funds, the relationship between football clubs and their fan communities has never been under such strain.

Examining models of football club ownership and how they clash with fan ideals, Contradictions in Fan Culture and Club Ownership in Contemporary English Football considers the fan - or at least, some idealised, all-encompassing image of the fan - as the underlying foundation for the ideological structures of football. Grounded in discussions of class, chapters tackle the dynamic by which football organisations, as global businesses, often operate in ways contrary to the perceived ’essence’ or values of the sports club at the heart of their operation. Providing insight into different notions of football club ownership, specifically the Public Limited Company (PLC), the billionaire’s ’plaything, ’ the sportswashing project, the ’remodel’ and asset stripping, the authors raise significant issues and dilemmas faced by football club fandoms. Does the unifying entity that holds a significant place in the hearts and minds of individuals and communities even exist anymore?

Showcasing a robust conceptual model primed for use in future studies, this work offers a close analysis of the culture of the fast-moving football club ownership world, football fandom and consumption, and what it might mean for the future of the sport.

Christopher McMahon is Lecturer in Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool, UK, and the author of The Corruption of Play: Mapping the Ideological Play-Space of AAA Videogames.

Peter Templeton is Associate Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at The Open University, UK.