Women as supporters of men's football: a case study of Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho's supporter group Klopit

Supporting football has been perceived as a manly activity yet the studies in 2010’s have highlighted the role of women in the phenomenon. However, the topic has not yet been studied in Finland. The purpose of this phenomenological-hermeneutical case study is to examine what kind of experiences do the women in supporter group Klopit of Veikkausliiga team Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (SJK) have on supporting football. The research data consists of theme interviews (n=7) carried out in spring and summer 2021 and of participation observation from SJK’s home match in spring 2022. The data was analysed with theory-guided content analysis utilising inter alia the spectator identity taxonomy of Richard Giulianotti.

The experiences of the participants of the study were positive. Firstly, the women had socialized into Klopit either through socialization agents or via their own initiative. Contrary to previous research, this study found that family members did not have a significant role in socialization. Secondly, they identified as Klopit and/or supporters without the prefix of female, which can create a view of women as inauthentic when compared to men. In addition, the social Kloppi-identity was constructed by differentiating from other spectators of SJK.

Thirdly, Klopit was an open and equal community in which the loud supporter behavior was guided by self-regulatory unwritten rules. The result indicates that supporting football can be equal and well-mannered in groups that are guided by monitored norms. Fourthly, the women had encountered gendered assumptions related to spectating football mostly outside of Klopit. According to the result and contrary to previous research, these kind of assumptions can be encountered less in some supporter groups in relation to elsewhere when spectating football.

Keywords: football, supporters, women, experiences

Full text available in Finnish

Authors

Susanna Liljander (susanna.m.liljander@student.jyu.fi), Anna-Katriina Salmikangas, Mihaly Szerovay