A Socio-Historical Account of Female Experiences of Football’s Golden Age in England

Pope, S.; Williams, J.

Abstract

Pope and Williams argue that women’s experiences as fans have been largely marginalized in socio-historical research to date. But oral history accounts reveal a largely hidden history of active female sports fans. This chapter draws on interviews with 16 older female fans of the Leicester City football club based in the East Midlands in England. Pope and Williams explore women’s experiences in the so-called golden age of the game with regard to the football stadium, styles of female support, and relationships with and perceptions of football players. The chapter analyses the meaning of sport in the lives of female fans during a period when football players were paradoxically glamorous and unobtainable local figures, but also, in some contexts, still accessible, ordinary members of local communities.

Citation

Pope, S., & Williams, J. (2018). A Socio-Historical Account of Female Experiences of Football’s Golden Age in England. In G. Pfister, & S. Pope (Eds.), Female Football Players and Fans: Intruding into a Man’s World (157-184). (1). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59025-1_8

• Online Publication Date: Feb 20, 2018
• Publication Date: 2018
• Deposit Date: Aug 4, 2017
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Pages: 157-184
• Series Title: Football Research in an Enlarged Europe
• Edition: 1
• Book Title: Female Football Players and Fans: Intruding into a Man’s World
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59025-1_8
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1638744