For the Love of the Game?: Football and Hate Crime (AHRC Networking)

For the first time, For the Love of the Game? brings together a wide network of stakeholders, creative practitioners, and interdisciplinary academics to explore the manifestation of hate crime in football, including racism, sectarianism, religioushate,
gender-based violence, and homophobia.

It is timely because Black Lives Matter has initiated reflection on the impact of racism in society. Also, hate crime has increased during previous pandemics (eg HIV) and is likely to continue and change following covid-19.

Innovatively, the project seeks to understand the role of masculinity in the reproduction of hate crime in football. Whilst there has been a significant reduction in the verbal expression of hate crime in stadiums, this does not mean that the phenomenon has disappeared, particularly on social media or in grassroots matches. As a globally popular cultural leisure pursuit, football gives us a critical space to engage with a range of participants.


To understand these manifestations, this timely project will pursue four core objectives:
(1) to develop interdisciplinary and impactful networks beyond football associations, leagues and clubs;
(2) use this network to build knowledge of the
manifestation of hate crime in football, and how it can be challenged;
(3) centralise the role of masculinity in the reproduction of hate crime in football and how it can be confronted
(4) use creative approaches to facilitate production and dissemination of this knowledge.