ОСОБЛИВОСТІ CУБКУЛЬТУРИ УЛЬТРАС В УКРАЇНІ

Abstract

Football is the most popular sport on the European continent, giving rise to a mass culture encompassing various elements such as live broadcasts of football matches, the production of football-themed films, the publication of books, and the sale and popularization of club symbols. Additionally, local fan traditions and supporter fan groups contribute to the rich cultural tapestry surrounding football. Few cultural activities attract as many people as football and within the realm of fan movements, ultras stand out as the most widespread and influential fan group globally. This makes them an essential group for analysis and research into their impact. On the European continent, football fan movements have long been marked by the distinction between two models: the «English-style» hooliganism and the ultras movement originating in Italy. These two trends have served as a precursor to the local development of fan movements in other European countries and the rest of the world. Today, ultras represent the dominant football fan movement in Germany, Poland, Greece, southern France, and the Balkans. In Spain, Turkey, and Eastern and Central Europe, fans have adopted some aspects of the ultras style (Doidge et al., 2020, p. 4). Based on this, one might think of European football fan movements as predominantly following the «Italian» variant, except the United Kingdom. However, in reality, such movements in each country have regional peculiarities shaped by cultural, economic, political, and historical conditions. The football fan movement in Ukraine is relatively young and needs more research in the academic world, characterized by a lack of scholarly works. This article aims to provide an overview of the critical aspects of forming the football fan movement and ultras in Ukraine, shedding light on the features of this group’s subculture.