Why Soccer (Football) Fans are so Crazy

There are sports fans and then there are soccer fans. Many fans do the same thing, they paint their faces, go to every game and defend their team with more enthusiasm than they do their own families. But no sports fans are as devoted and wild as soccer fans.

In fact there have been many movies about crazy soccer fans, including Green Street Hooligans, and The Football Factor. Both of which highlight hooliganism. You may be asking what hooliganism is. Hooliganism is essentially any act of violence caused by a sports fan and due to the outcome of a match.

• Football” and violence go way back - at least seven centuries back, in fact. In 1314, for instance, Edward II banned football - at that stage a nasty free-for-all involving rival villages fly-hacking a pig's bladder across the local heath - because he believed the disorder surrounding matches might lead to social unrest or possibly even treason.

If you're talking about the modern game, then look no further than the 1880s and, in particular, Preston North End. In 1885, Preston's 5-0 friendly win over Aston Villa sent the supporters - who were described by press reports of the time as "howling roughs" - into a frenzy. The two teams were pelted with stones, attacked with sticks, punched, kicked and covered in spittle. One of the Preston players was beaten so severely that he lost consciousness.

In recent acts of violence, a few week-ends ago during the FA Cup clash between Hull City&Millwall at the KC Stadium, trouble emerged in the stands amongst the visiting supporters. Seats were ripped up, toilets and refreshment stalls were destroyed, and twelve arrests were made, with many more anticipated. It was a nasty reminder that whilst policing at English football grounds is undoubtedly more efficient these days, the under-current of “trouble” still lurks close by.

Although soccer fans can be violent, many are just extremely passionate. Why?

While New York is known as a sports hub in the United States because it has multiple teams in multiple sports, the notion that three hockey teams in one metropolitan area qualifies as a lot would be laughable in London. Soccer teams abound in this city of roughly 600 square miles and 8.2 million residents, nearly all of who hold a passionate, dedicated and occasionally maniacal fidelity to one team or another.

Soccer is so entrenched in their entire life and culture that when they yell “United!” they are doing so not only because it is their favorite club, but it is because they are representing their part of the city, their way of life and the way of their families. To these people soccer isn’t just some sport they watch on Sundays, to them it is a part of what makes them who they are, why they talk the way they do. This is why us North American will never fully understand their “passion” for the sport.

Jamie Grantson has been coaching kids and helping teach indoor soccer for over two decades. She is a big proponent of safety and says that using Safety Equipment, Especially Padding is a must for every level of soccer.