Archive - The Football Fan

We built this City…

As legal battles between the Premier League and Manchester City continue, what does it say about what the game has become?

Oct 11 •

August 2024

Why VAR is the worst thing that has been inflicted on football

I'm going studs up on VAR – bear with me. Plus, what do we mean by "best-run club"?

Aug 30 •

We need a conflab over FABs

Why clarity over the purpose of Fan Advisory Boards is needed, and why the way we talk about football fans is important.

Aug 9 •

July 2024

The more you look at the way football is run, the more the case for change becomes clear. It's important fans understand the opportunity.

Jul 17 •

June 2024

Notes from a football summer

A summer roundup with thoughts on England, the way fans show support, the unacknowledged success of the Champions League final, and between the lines…

Jun 27 •

May 2024

The Football Governance Bill has fallen, long live the Football Governance Bill

The snap General Election is another delay in efforts to reform the game, but it could and should inject new life into the legislation

May 29 •

The real face of Premier League ticket price inflation

I've worked with Nick Harris of Sporting Intelligence on an investigation into the astonishing rise in prices for fans in English football's top flight.

May 20 •

and

April 2024

The Great FA Cup Replays Controversy of 2024

The furore over the abolition of FA Cup replays has led to an awful lot of nonsense being talked.

Apr 23 •

March 2024

The idea of what it means to be a fan is up for grabs again - but it's a debate that distracts from the real issues in football.

Mar 21 •

Sorry we’re not dead yet

Tottenham Hotspur have a problem. Not enough of their longstanding fans are dying.

Mar 7 •

February 2024

A song for Europe

Does a flurry of headlines about the treatment of football fans at European matches herald a change in the mood music, or is it just the same old tune?

Feb 27 •

The great facial recognition experiment

Live facial recognition is a controversial technology that has been challenged in the UK courts and in Parliament. But the police are, once again, using…

Feb 15 •

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