Hooligansim

Question 1

What are the PROs of spectator attendance?

Answer 1

HOME ADVANTAGE:

• Atmosphere, where home players can thrive off the home supporters to help boost their performance, is called home field advantage.
• Most teams have a better record at home than they do away.

ATMOSPHERE
- Spectators will cheer their team on and encourage them vocally.
Atmosphere around the stadium is something that players can thrive off.

Question 2

What are the CONs of spectator attendance?

Answer 2

CROWD TROUBLE

• When spectators become too involved in the event, crowd trouble can happen.
• Crowd trouble in sport could lead to younger people not wanting to participate in sport.

INTIMIDATING ENVIRONMENT

• Performers may find the occasion intimidating.
• Performers might make mistakes and lose concentration.

Question 3

Why does hooliganism happen?

Answer 3

Rivalries

• Derby matches are hyped up in the press to increase sales.
• Fans of local teams can be very passionate, which can turn to violence.

Alcohol and drugs
- When spectators are intoxicated, they can become aggressive very quickly over things that would not usually bother them.

Gang culture

• Groups of supporters participate in organised violence as part of a weekend ritual.
• Fans feel as though they have to defend their area or team.

Frustration

• Sometimes hooliganism is spontaneous (spur of the moment) because people are frustrated at the performances of players or officials.
• If the game has not gone their way, fans become aggressive and take it out on opposition supporter or security.

Masculinity

• Hooliganism can be a show of masculinity
• Hooliganism does not always involve males though.

Question 4

What are some strategies that can be used to combat hooliganism?

Answer 4

Early kick-offs

• Matches are arranged for earlier in the day so that there is less time spent in the pubs around the ground before the game.
• Early kick-offs reduce the violence that alcohol can encourage.

All-seater stadiums

• Teams in the higher football leagues must have all-seater stadiums. This prevents fans within the stand moving around.
• It also offers more control over ticketing and the attendance.
• This can be expensive for clubs to arrange, particularly for lower league sides with less money.

Improved security

• Stewards and police officers are better trained and better equipped to handle crowd trouble and lower any tension.
• This is very expensive. The cost of policing (having police at) home fixtures last season was £1 million in the Premier League.

Alcohol restrictions

• Alcohol is banned pitch side in most football stadiums in the UK.
• Police also make pubs close early to prevent excessive (too much) alcohol consumption.
• Local pubs have lost income (money) because of this.

Travel restrictions

• Hooligans known to the police get banning orders. This means that they have to report police stations during their team’s matches.
• It takes up a lot of the authorities’ time to identify these hooligans and manage their banning orders. This is expensive for the police force.

Education

• High profile role models help to make spectators behave at matches.
• Role models are also involved in campaigns such as ‘kick racism out of football’ to prevent racism in football.