‘We’re shit and we know we are’: identity, place and ontological security in lower league football in England

Abstract

Supporting a football team in the lower leagues of the English league system is rarely a glamorous endeavour that is full of success and glory. So why do fans keep turning up game after game, season after season, in spite of the frequent false dawns, regular disappointment, and apparent lack of success of their adopted team? This essay aims to offer a sociological analysis of this question by firstly examining the historical, social, economic and place-related ontology of English football clubs and the English football league. Secondly, the paper explores how recent developments in the organization and management of football, and wider society more generally, have threatened the very identities that football clubs are built upon and have traditionally relied on. Finally, the paper explores how these developments can actually be seen to both sustain and inhibit lower league football support.

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