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Thursday, 17th October, 12:00 BST/07:00 EDT:
This Thursday, JulieAnn Thomas will be giving a presentation entitled ‘“Simmel and Durkheim as ‘football tourism pundits’: Commentaries about the online behavior of tourists at the Anfield Stadium.’ As such, there will be no reading this week! Please do just come along to listen. JulieAnn’s presentation will look at the impact of technology in a football stadium, examining how it affects the atmosphere. More info can be found below.
Academic Background:
I’m JulieAnn Thomas, an independent scholar. I have an MSc in Medical Anthropology from UCL. My research focuses on football fandom and how it intersects with gender and/or with football tourism. This paper was originally a collaboration with Felipe Tobar, who studies football tourism, but I’ll be presenting it.
Abstract:
Historically, academic research on football tourism has focused primarily on the Men’s FIFA World Cup. However, recent studies have begun to explore the phenomenon of football tourism involving globally famous clubs. Whether avid football fans or not, tourists have long been drawn to football stadiums to watch their favorite clubs and players or to experience the unique atmosphere of iconic stands. Influenced by globalization—which fosters both homogeneity and heterogeneity—and commodification practices often tied to clubs’ identities and traditions, match days have become a highly anticipated spectacle for many tourists, often promoted as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience”. As football stadiums become symbols of business and tourism, tourists’ use of technology increasingly clashes with the traditional match-day experiences of local supporters. Through fieldwork at Anfield Stadium and online ethnography of the ‘Red and White Kop’ fan forum encompassing the years 2014 to 2024, this study examines how technology and tourism impact the match-day experiences of long-time Liverpool fans. The findings reveal that the introduction of technology—whether by the club (WiFi) or by individuals (selfie sticks, iPads)—into the stands affects fans’ match-day experiences, resulting in a perceived disruption of the atmosphere and highlighting a divide between loyal fans and ‘Others.’ The implications and consequences of tourists’ overuse of mobile technology in the stands on social interactions, rituals, and sense of community among local Liverpool supporters are analyzed through the theoretical lenses of Georg Simmel and Émile Durkheim. This study contributes to illuminating the shifts in the football match-day experience, deepening the understanding of the relationship between tourists and locals, and underscores the urgency for match-day policies to preserve the atmosphere and long-standing traditions of the stands.
Publication Plans:
I will present mid-November at the Football Collective, an academic conference on football. Eventually, I’d love to develop it into a paper for a journal such as Soccer and Society, Sport and Society, or Journal of Sport & Tourism. The presentation is meant to be 15 minutes.
Guidance for Feedback:
This is my first academic presentation at this level and I would love any feedback. Is there anything that should be developed more, or taken out? Any tips about presenting in general, especially as I’m balancing my tour guide background with an academic background? I’m grateful for suggestions and feedback.
This Week’s File:
NO FILE THIS WEEK! The file will always be deleted immediately after the meeting. Please do not circulate it outside the group. If you would like to send JulieAnn feedback directly, her email is: julieann.f.thomas@gmail.com
Access the meeting on zoom:
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