Football fans’ contestations over security: between offline and online fan spaces and channels

Abstract

Much like in a myriad of other domains of the modern society, ‘security’ remains a highly contentious and debated area of ‘online’ and ‘offline’ football fan cultures. Against this starting point, this article critically examines how football fans respond to and contest key developments under the aegis of ‘securitization’ by employing relevant examples from elite English football. By subscribing to the contention that football fandom and its activism may be traced from fanzines to online digital media, this article draws from extant literature, fanzine archival material and digital sources to provide snapshots of two important examples that represent alternative forms of public communication and discourse – namely, (i) fanzines and (ii) digital media. The article’s main arguments are that (1) fans’ contestations of securitization have followed similar pathways as fans’ opposition to other elements of the game; (2) fans’ security contestations demonstrate both elements of continuity and responsiveness to emerging issues, and lastly, (3) English football’s field of security contestations, to be fully captured by scholars, should be approached in relation to both its offline and online manifestations.