The Female Fan’s Relationships within Her Family and Fan Community from Childhood to Adulthood

Abstract

It has traditionally been assumed that football supporting is passed down through the male side of the family, but Carrie Dunn shows that women’s choice of football team says something about their identity as well, taking into account their family and supporting traditions, their location and their place of birth. It is clear that dedicated and committed football support is a significant component of an individual’s identity, and this chapter looks at some of the reasons respondents have for selecting a team in childhood and how they have sustained that fandom into adult life as well as what those choices say about them.