Spectator Behaviour
Physical Education: AQA GCSE, topic 7.3.9
PROs and CONs of Spectators
The PROs and CONs of spectators at sporting events are listed below:
PRO - atmosphere
- Spectators will cheer their team on and encourage them vocally.
- Atmosphere around the stadium is something that players can thrive off.
PRO - 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.
CON - intimidating environment
- Performers may find the occasion intimidating.
- Performers might make mistakes and lose concentration.
CON - 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.
Why Does Hooliganism Happen?
There are a number of reasons why hooliganism (violent behaviour) happens:
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 can become aggressive and take it out on opposition supporters or security.
Masculinity
- Hooliganism can be a show of masculinity (manliness).
- Hooliganism does not always involve males though.
Combatting Hooliganism
There are a few strategies that can be used to combat hooliganism:
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.
Segregation (keeping apart) of fans
- Home and away fans are kept separate in football to prevent any clashes between fans. This is a very effective method of policing the inside of the ground.
- However, paying for stewards and police officers can be expensive.
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 to 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.
Test yourself on Spectator Behaviour
Select the negative influence of spectators
What are the potential negative influences of spectators?
Which of the following is not a reason why hooliganism happens?
Which of the following is not a method for combatting hooliganism?