the soccer crowd—and moreover soccer fandom in general—is
undergoing a significant change which reflects wider shifts in class, gender,
affordability and popular culture. On the one hand there is a greater degree of
active participation, and even democratization3
amongst fans. This process is
evident in the rapid growth of fan magazines (fanzines), the rise of independent
supporters’ associations, the increasing role for soccer in other art forms such as
video, film, television. music and theatre, and the mixing of soccer’s workingclass
culture with the higher-class arts such as opera and classical music. A
contradictory process is also detectable; the redefinition of soccer for an allegedly
passive respectable audience sitting in either executive boxes,
4
all-seater
stadia or in armchairs at home watching the game on television.