Disabled people’s experiences of English football fandom: Inclusion, exclusion and discrimination

Connor Penfold, Paul Darby and Paul Kitchin

Abstract

This article employs a novel theoretical framework, rooted in the social relational model of disability alongside the concept of ableism, to critically analyse disabled football supporters lived experiences of inclusion and exclusion in English Football. In seeking to shed light on this hitherto neglected field, this study utilised a dual-phased qualitative approach comprised of two complementary netnographic methods, specifically online observations of fan message boards and online semi-structured interviews with 33 disabled football supporters of clubs in the English Football League and National League.

We demonstrate that while some clubs provide inclusive spectator environments where disabled people experience moments of inclusion and belonging, they nonetheless face structural, social and psychological barriers before, during and after the matchday which create conditions that exclude, oppress and constrain full participation in football fandom. In doing so, this paper offers new insights into how the disabling nature of contemporary capitalist society continues to systematically exclude disabled people from areas of mainstream society – such as football fandom – to which they have a right.