PLACE AFFILIATION, IDENTITY, RIVALRY AND FOOTBALL

Abstract

The aim of this study was to ‘investigate’ the relationship between the rivalry that
exists between areas due to people’s identity and affiliation with football teams in those
areas, with the areas in question being Manchester and Liverpool with Manchester United
FC and Liverpool FC. The research was carried out by myself for an undergraduate
dissertation over a period of eight months using interpretive techniques devised by Dey
(1993). This was done through looking at how people see identify themselves and how
they affiliate themselves with the areas due to supporting a specific football team. It was
found that the relationship between people’s identity and affiliation with a specific area
through football does have an effect on rivalry between the areas and that a rivalry does
exist through this affiliation and identity with that area through the football teams there.
This study also found that this particular rivalry is now not just confined to the
boundaries of the two cities but is much wider spread and that rivalry through football
may now be part of a cultural discourse.