Dissertation

Abstract

This paper will critically challenge the widespread preconceptions regarding working class identity and football. In its present state, football is widely regarded as no longer a working class game. However, the dispute arises over when this disengagement first occurred. By focusing specifically on Northern England, my chronological approach will help pinpoint a specific time period where football abandoned its working class roots in favour of commercialization and financial reward. Contrasting with most literary scholarship, I will argue that the 1980s was the key transitional decade. The majority of scholars argue the Premier League was the sole contributor to the demise. However my analysis will demonstrate that the Premier League era merely expanded the far-reaching changes that were first initiated by the Thatcher administration. Specifically, I will argue the Hillsborough Disaster and the subsequent Taylor Report were instrumental in the creation of modern football. My study will conclude with a comparative case study between Manchester City and their non-league equivalent Maine Road F.C. I spoke to fans of both clubs and recorded their opinions with the help of a questionnaire. The results offer a compelling insight into my study.