For the Love of the Game? Football and Hate Crime
Exploring hate crime in football by focusing on how racism, religious-hate, nationalism, sectarianism, gender-based violence and homophobia continue to be a major problem in society.
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 at a series of events in the UK and Europe.
Undertaken in the context of ongoing incidents of racism on social media and in grass roots sport and a reflection on the impact of racism in society as a result of Black Lives Matter, the issue remains highly relevant despite a significant reduction in the verbal expression of hate crime in stadiums.
Project aims
Develop impactful networks
- Develop impactful networks, including: football associations, leagues and clubs; fan groups; and academics.
Challenge the manifestation of hate crime
- Use this network to understand and challenge the manifestation of hate crime in football.
Centralise the role of masculinity
- Centralise the role of masculinity in the reproduction of hate crime in football and how it can be confronted.
Disseminate our findings
- Use creative approaches to facilitate the production and dissemination of this knowledge.
The way forward: how fans and authorities can tackle hate crime in football
The final event in the For the Love of the Game? series will take place at the National Football Museum in Manchester on Friday 15 March 2024.
Whether you are an academic, policymaker, football authority representative or fan group member, we would like to invite you to discuss our findings and future challenges on hate crime in football.
Key learnings
Find out more about learnings about the manifestation of hate crime in football, as well as how the issue is being addressed in Germany.
Meet the experts
This project is lead by Dr Mark Doidge, Reader in Sociology of Sport at Loughborough University, alongside Dr Aarti Ratna from Solent University and Dr Fiona Skillen from Glasgow Caledonian University.
Project partners include: Kick It Out; Football Supporters Association; Football Supporters Europe; and Counterpoint Arts.
Dr Doidge welcome enquiries about (collaboration, funding, consultancy) with (academics, sport clubs, fan groups and governing bodies) with the aim of influencing policy and public opinion.