We'll Support You Evermore

This article was generously provided to ClubFootball by the British Council, which operates in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy.

Or just until next season? Dr Alan Tapp shares the surprising findings of his recent study that has questioned the undying loyalty of some football fans.
 
First impressions can be telling. An early sign of one supporter, Simon, was the number plate displaying the name of his choice of football club. The fact that he had rung up to ask to be interviewed (in our dreams, researchers imagine such scenarios) was another indicator. However, when he proudly displayed his collection of tapes - recordings of the manager's radio interviews - this was the clincher. Simon wasn't just loyal, he was obsessed.
 
Gary and Jemma provided quite a contrast. They shrugged their shoulders when asked how they felt if their team lost. They smiled when asked what they thought of loyal supporters. They fidgeted a bit when asked about the club, and explained they had to go soon. None of the fanatics like Simon had to leave quickly; with them it was hard to end the interview.
 
These stories illustrate the extremes of attitude and behaviour that we uncovered as a result of a series of research projects with football fans. One of the key themes investigated was loyalty: the conventional wisdom is that we all exhibit undying loyalty to our clubs.
 
But we asked the question 'Lifelong fans: reality or myth'? Over a 5-year period between 1996 and 2001 we talked in depth to a number of fans, and surveyed well over one thousand more.
 
Is loyalty a given for football fans? Unlike the loyalty that commercial marketers always go on about, being loyal to one's football club has always seemed genuinely important to supporters. After all, no one walks down the street chanting 'loyal to McDonalds' do they?
 
But a closer look soon persuades us that underneath the surface things are complicated. In fact football fans aren't all the same - we divide into different types, and some are a great deal less loyal than others. Lots will drift away from attending, and some will even switch sides. Anyone who doubts this need only look at what happens to crowd figures when a team is relegated. Even hotbeds of football like Sunderland have suffered.
 
So, what are the groups? At the loyal end of the spectrum are the Fanatics. Fanatics know everything about the club: 'Oh yes, we beat Leicester City 2-1 in March 1984. Smith got both goals'. Hypothetical question - 'if there was a fire in your house, what would save first?' 'My collection of programmes. Oh and the wife and kids of course'. Some may argue Fanatics haven't quite got life's priorities in order.
 
Then there's the Repertoire Fans. These are genuine football (rather than just club) lovers. They will regularly attend matches not involving the team they support. So, a Derby Fan may go and see Nottingham Forest when Derby play away. The writer Hunter Davies, a Spurs fan, talks of how he sometimes goes to Highbury to watch his supposed hated rivals. Our study found 27% of fans regularly attend matches not involving that club.
 
But further down the scale we find fans who don't attend every game. To understand why we need to probe their various psychological dispositions towards football. So, we have the BIRGers, the CORFers, and the Underdoggers.
 
Those who Bask In Reflected Glory (BIRGers) will be attracted by successful teams. Their self image is one of being a successful person, but perhaps they lack inner confidence about this, so look for attachments to Man Utd or Arsenal.
 
If the team does badly they may Cut Off Reflected Failure (CORFers), drifting away from active support, or (the worst crime of all to football fans), they may become Champ Followers - switching to support another successful club. Children do this a lot, of course, but in adults this is considered shameful behaviour.
 
Underdoggers are some of the most interesting fans. In many ways the opposite of BIRGers, Underdoggers gain active satisfaction from their loyalty. For them, showing loyalty in difficult times is the whole point: the worse things get, the more they dig in. Surely Man City fans deserve a special mention here: now in the Premiership they still once boasted crowds of 30,000 when they were in Division Two of the Nationwide League.
 
Our last groups are the Committed and Carefree Casuals. Alike in the sense that they attend about five games per season, yet very different in mentality. Committed Casuals are basically loyal fans who perhaps lead complex lives, juggling kids parties and work, maybe playing sport themselves. But they know where their team is in the league.
 
Carefree Casuals aren't committed, or loyal. They see football as an entertainment option: 'shall we go to the cinema, oh I know lets see if there's a football game on'. They'd rather see a 3-3 draw than their team win: support is a loose word here.
 
All in all, a funny thing, loyalty. 
 
Dr Alan Tapp is a Senior Lecturer at the Bristol Business School, University of West of England

Alan Tapp, October 2003