Research Catalog

Sport, space, and the city

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Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Use in library	AA6860 B194	Off-site

Description

xiv, 211 pages : illustrations; 23 cm

Summary

John Bale highlights the changing nature of 'football space', the growing rationalization and modernization of the British football landscape and the impact of football on the urban environment.
Initially played in open spaces, football now takes place in highly enclosed, confined spaces. Employing the ideas of cultural theorists and geographers, the author explores the gradual territorialization of football. Traditional football landscapes have helped to create a sense of place-pride for many fans; for many local citizens, however, the stadium and the game remain a source of annoyance or fear.
New economic demands are increasing the pressure on many clubs to relocate and to situate the stadium within the more lucrative structure of suburban leisure complexes. Fans are markedly less keen than developers on such a move. With the prospect of the loss of a sense of place the simple enjoyment of the game has been transformed into political activism
. The cultural distinctiveness of the British football environment is emphasized, though the British situation is contrasted with that in North America and other parts of Europe.

Subjects

Bibliography (note)

Contents

1. Introduction: Sport, Football and the City -- 2. The Changing Shape of the Stadium. Folk-game football. The codification of football. Football as a commodity: football enclosed. The technologizing of the stadium. Futurescape? -- 3. The Paradox of Modern Stadium Landscapes. The landscape ensemble. Floodlighting. The plastic pitch. The all-seater stadium. Containment and danger -- 4. Football, the Stadium and a Sense of Place. Football and collective identification. Football and topophilia. Economic benefits. From topophilia to activism -- 5. When Saturday Comes: Football as Nuisance. Football and landscapes of fear. Panic in the streets? The nature of football nuisances. Non-football nuisances of football grounds. From topophobia to activism. Examples of activism -- 6. Questions of Location and Relocation. Locational change. Present-day pressures for change. The American experience. Resistance to change. Ground sharing and club mergers. Economic impacts of new stadium developments.
7. Interpretations and Prospects. Interpreting the territorialization of football. The last football landscapes? Concluding comments.

ISBN

0415080983

LCCN

92023919

OCLC

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries