Why Football Fans Put So Much Effort Into Supporting A Team & The Future Of Fans

Football is a global game that is only getting bigger, more corporate and expensive for fans at the highest level. Nowadays football fans are spending more and more money on travel, ticket costs and other expenses to go and support their teams.

An Arsenal fan can expect to fork out between £48 – £94 for a category A game and £33 – £66 for a category B game depending on where the fan wants to sit for a single game ticket. Arsenal’s furthest away game of the season is 284 miles north to Newcastle. A train ticket will cost a fan between £106 – £352 depending on the class of the ticket, then the added cost for an away ticket and other daily expenses. Premier League games season ticket holders are given priority for away games as there is only a limited allocation of tickets. Overall this could cost a fan up to at least £200 per person.

Arsenal fan Gareth Evans explained his thoughts on football expenses he said, “yeah its expensive to go every week and for some people it’s too much myself included, but when it comes down to it you have to go and support your team.”

He added, “it’s worth every penny when you see your team win. Being at the game is better than just watching it on TV. It’s like you’re paying to be part of history.”

Liverpool fan and season ticket holder John Patrick Cummings had a similar view as he explained he had been all over Europe watching Liverpool and had taken part in the carnival atmospheres during Liverpool’s 2001 UEFA Cup final win against Deportivo Alaves. He said, “my favourite experiences of been a Liverpool fan where definitely the away European games. I can always say I went Liverpool won the UEFA Cup in 2001. It’s like you’re buying memories.”

When asked why fans pay so much money week in week out, Dr Jamie Cleland senior lecturer of Sports Sociology at Staffordshire University said, “because they love it, it’s in their blood, whether you win lose or draw it’s become second nature. Fans become socialized into following a club so it becomes hard to stop. It’s like a drug you just can’t get rid of it whether you think you’re going to throw your season ticket away after a defeat you’ll still be there watching or finding the result out the next week, it doesn’t matter where you are in the worked you’ll still follow football.”

Ellis Cashmore Professor of Culture, Media and Sport at Staffordshire University added his thoughts on why football fans are prepared to spend so much money watching their sport he said, “Football fans unlike any other kind of fan in any sport around the world believe that they are part of the game rather than just mere spectators.”

He continued, “they’re not observers watching players play like spectators at Wimbledon or at the MEN Arena watching two boxers fight. Football fans believe the club is their property.”

Professor Cashmore continued to explain how the atmosphere at football grounds themselves makes football fans believe they are different to other sports supporters he said, “When you’re watching a football match the fans are really part of it. There not just sitting there getting excited they really do feel they can influence the course of a game, when in reality they can’t. It’s a myth. When the players are on the field they have tunnel vision their so much in the zone they don’t even hear what the crowd are saying. The fans like to feel they are doing their part.”

Cashmore added, “Don’t get me wrong if you go to a boxing match the people are on their feet, they are excited and it’s still a highly emotional environment but they don’t realistically believe they can affect the outcome of the contest. Football fans however do.”

Football fan Gareth Evans also agreed that the atmosphere in football grounds is special he said, “I go to other sports event like motor cross but the atmosphere doesn’t compare to football. When the whole crowd is singing together and the game itself is exciting it really gets the adrenaline pumping.”

Professor Cashmore went on to explain that fans on a weekly basis would travel great distances to watch their teams play then travel back the same night not returning home until the early hours of the morning then get up for work the next day.

The Future of Football Fans

As the money in football at the highest level continues to skyrocket the future of the football fan is uncertain.

Dr Cleland said, “some clubs are witnessing a drop in attendances and some fans are making the decision that it’s too expensive for them to go and watch but the bigger clubs will sell out every week there is still and appetite there.”

Dr Cleland continued to explain that as football develops fans develop too. He then said, “The fans will still go no matter how much it costs. It’s in their blood they can’t help it. Fans will make cut backs elsewhere to save money to go and watch football.”

Dr Cleland then explained how the internet is a new tool for fans to express their thoughts and feelings via message boards, and the future for fans will be an active one. Dr Cleland view that fans will become more active is already coming into practice and fans themselves have taken off the field matters into their own hands by taking ownership of football clubs. For example FC United of Manchester came into being as the fans of Manchester United were not happy with the current running of the club so they broke away and made a new club.

As for any immediate changes in fans sociological behaviour Dr Cleland said, “I don’t see anything in the immediate future changing. Obviously a lot more money will be involved with clubs chasing the holy grail of the Premier League, but the fans will still go.”

Arsenal fan Gareth Evans gave his thoughts on the future for fans he said, “I don’t know how much longer people will take paying so much for games, but when you support a big club the demand for tickets will always be there so I can’t see the clubs lowering the prices anytime soon.”

He added, “The game is so corporate and dominated by money now it’s hard to imagine it any other way. I just hope some of the money finds its way to the smaller clubs around the country because they need it to survive.”

Professor Cashmore agreed with the fans view as he said, “football is an interesting economical phenomenon in basic laws of economics as u out up the price the demand slows down. They work in a reverse relationship with each other. In football the ticket prices go up every season and the demand stays around the same. So I don’t see any change in the near future.”