Football fan culture as neoliberal resistance: the counter-hegemony of the Fans Supporting Foodbanks network

Sugden, J ORCID: 0000-0002-0882-4042, Gransden, C ORCID: 0000-0001-5284-6372, Hindmarsh, M ORCID: 0000-0002-9290-0414 and Faulkner, C ORCID: 0000-0002-7394-3865 (2026) Football fan culture as neoliberal resistance: the counter-hegemony of the Fans Supporting Foodbanks network. The Sociological Review. ISSN 0038-0261 (Accepted)

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Abstract

Fans Supporting Foodbanks has emerged as a response to the impact of the UK’s economic and social welfare crisis. Started by rival Everton F.C. and Liverpool F.C. football fans in 2015, the movement has spread to other fan groups who collect food and donations to support emergency food provision. This article analyses the forces behind the growth and spread of the movement and, in doing so, addresses the lack of research into sports fan activism in anti-poverty, along with the ephemeral and fragmented nature of resistance to neoliberal systems of oppression more broadly. To do so, we utilised an involved participatory action research methodology to better understand the movement and grow the potential of social activism among fans. Cognisant of the need to protect and enhance their agency key stakeholders were involved in every stage of the process, in line with this approach. Evident is that in uniting passions from the terraces around the need for change via networks of solidarity, FSF has become a significant force in the fight against the ravages of poverty. To edify this analysis, we meld Gramsci’s concept of hegemony and the cultural analysis of Stuart Hall. In doing so, we show that rather than tributaries to neoliberal dogma, fan culture can act as an important site of resistance with potential to spread across other codes and contexts in the fight against inequality.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1608 Sociology; Sociology; 44 Human society
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Divisions:	Liverpool Business School
Publisher:	SAGE
Date of acceptance:	27 May 2026
Date Deposited:	27 May 2026 11:41
Last Modified:	27 May 2026 11:41
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28664

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