Lesson video

Hi there.

Welcome to your lesson.

Today's lesson is on hooliganism.

My name's Ms. Hacking, and I'm going to be your teacher today.

I'm really looking forward to our lesson.

By the end of today's lesson, I'm hoping that we can all identify the causes of hooliganism and evaluate strategies used to combat it, including their effectiveness.

Our keywords for today's lesson are spectator, which is a person who watches a sport event and can influence the atmosphere.

Hooliganism, really important for today's lesson, is disorderly, aggressive, and often violent behaviour by spectators at sporting events.

Segregation is, in sport, the act of separating groups of rival fans, so splitting rival fans up.

And alcohol restrictions is limiting when and where alcohol can be purchased and consumed.

Today's lesson's going to be split into two sections.

The first part is to identify the causes of hooliganism, so why hooliganism takes place, what starts hooliganism happening, and why does it exist, and the second part of today's lesson is looking at evaluating strategies used to combat hooliganism, so ways we can stop or prevent hooliganism happening or continuing to happen in society.

Let's get started.

So hooliganism is aggressive, violent, and destructive behaviour by a group of spectators at a sporting event.

Traditionally, it's been a problem in British football.

However, it does happen in other sports as well.

Hooliganism can happen at the sport event, but also it can happen in the streets surrounding sport event, in local pubs, on transport links, and in city centres nearby.

So the problem isn't just at the sports events, but it's with the sport fans or the sport spectators that are usually coming or going from the sports event.

So how would you feel about going to watch live sport if there was a risk of hooliganism? So Lucas said he wouldn't feel safe, and he wouldn't enjoy watching the game.

I wonder if that's because he'd feel unsafe, and maybe that he'd get hurt if there was hooliganism happening, or the potential risk of hooliganism going to happen.

And also Jacob said, "I don't think I'd really want to watch "or play a sport that had hooliganism." So Jacob has mentioned that not only would he not want to go and watch and be a spectator at a sport where there might be hooliganism, but he doesn't wanna be part of a sport where hooliganism might happen, and I guess that that's fair if he wants to remain safe and not be involved in sort of this dangerous and destructive behaviour.

How would you feel about going to watch a live sport event that had the potential risk of hooliganism? So let's look at why actually does hooliganism take place? Now, there are many traditional reasons why hooliganism has taken place, and also reasons why hooliganism can get aggravated.

So these include that there can be rivalries.

There is big hype both from people, fans, spectators, performers, but also from the media as well, That often people that go to watch sport events that are involved in hooliganism can have taken drugs or maybe have drunk too much alcohol.

There can be frustration, both at the referee, or at the other side, or at performers on their team.

There's this gang culture that they're part of something, and that they feel like they've got to uphold the respect of their team and their community, sort of in this gang-like feeling, and also it's a display of masculinity.

So traditionally, it has been felt that the tougher you are, the stronger you are, and you're regarded as higher in the sort of social system, and that sort of has transferred into this sporting arena of spectators where, particularly men, are showing how strong they are with this hooliganism sort of notion.

We're going to look at each one of these in a little bit more detail now.

So rivalries between local teams, especially during derby matches, can bring out strong emotions in fans.

So derby matches are matches where maybe they're local communities that are playing each other, so communities that are close to each other.

So because the teams are so close to each other, fans see these games as a chance to prove which side is better.

I mean, there's going to be a big pride.

If you've got two towns or two cities that are really close to each other, you are going to want the pride of that your city is better than the one nearby.

So you might know some rivalries in your area.

It might be your school and another school that's nearby.

When you go and play your fixtures, your after-school fixtures against them, you really want to beat them because you two are the schools that are local to each other.

So again, rivalries can mean that emotions are running a little bit higher because you really desperately want to beat your biggest rival, and therefore, that's why spectators also feel that emotion and that can overspill into these feelings of, you know, aggression and acts of violence that can potentially take place.

Also, the hype surrounding certain games.

Now, the media can often build excitement around certain matches well before the game day using headlines and interviews and social media to highlight key players and rivalries and past matchups.

So not only is it just about going to see the sport event on that, at that time, it's all this media attention, which then helps to raise the emotions of the spectators coming to watch that event.

The hype can draw in fans as well that might not have planned to attend because the media want to boost their ticket numbers for the sport, which helps gain attention, and, you know, helps to provide money into the sport.

However, with larger crowds and higher emotion running, this can be a reason why hooliganism does occur.

Okay, let's have a go at a check.

True or false? Rivalries between local teams can increase the chance of hooliganism.

That's true.

Can you tell me why? Yeah, rivalries between local teams can bring out strong emotions in fans as their communities are so close to each other, and each team wants to prove that their community is better and have that pride of winning and being the better community.

Well done if you got that right.

Okay, sometimes fans have been drinking alcohol or using drugs.

They might be more likely to get involved, therefore, in hooliganism.

So these substances can make people feel less in control and more aggressive, which make it easier for them to act out in ways that they maybe normally wouldn't if they weren't under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

So this lack of control can lead to fights, it can lead to arguments, and it can lead to other troubles, such as destruction of property, especially in a tense atmosphere where emotions are already running high.

So you know, if the game is very, very close, or they lose in the last minute, obviously, emotions are going to be incredibly high.

But coupled with the use of alcohol or drugs, that can enable a person to act out in a way that they wouldn't normally do if they hadn't been under those alcohol or drugs influences.

So that is another reason why hooliganism does happen, because people can take these substances.

So some spectators can become frustrated, which leads to acts of hooliganism.

Now, imagine you're at, let's say, a football match.

What might make the spectators feel frustrated? They could be frustrated at the officials' decisions.

This is often a common one, where spectators feel that the officials are making a wrong decision, or that they're being biassed in some way.

Can you imagine if a referee, for example, calls someone offside when they've just scored a goal, how disappointed the spectators are going to feel, and how it will build a level of frustration in the fans.

They also might be frustrated at their own team's performance.

You know, they paid money for these tickets to come and watch their team and come and watch their team play well.

And if the team are not playing well, then the spectators are going to feel really frustrated at the players' performance.

Also, they might feel frustrated at the result.

For example, they may need to win two-nil in order to become top of the league, and they maybe only win one-nil or they maybe lose 2-1, and therefore, the spectators are really frustrated at how close they were to getting top of the league, for example.

And so that can cause high levels of emotion and frustration within the spectators, which can also lead to acts of hooliganism when they're feeling that level of frustration.

Okay, let's have a go at a check.

Which is not a likely cause of hooliganism? Is it A, frustration at the referee, B, high ticket prices, C, being under the influence of alcohol, or D, your team losing? That's right.

High ticket prices is not a likely cause of hooliganism.

However, the other frustrations at the referee, at your team losing, or being under the influence of alcohol are all examples of likely causes of hooliganism.

Well done if you got that right.

So sometimes groups of fans form close gang-like alliances that are very loyal to their team and protective of their territory, their territory being their team or their area.

So this mentality can lead to aggressive or violent behaviour because some members see fighting with rival fans as a way to show power or defend the team's honour, and by doing that, they are thinking that they're helping the team look good and helping their team feel strong, but actually they're just causing violence and being aggressive and breaking the law.

And for some, the thrill and energy of these conflicts gives a sense of belonging and identity, much like being in a gang outside of sports.

So again, some people might come to, for example, this football, come and watch their football team every week, and it's part of who they are, and they feel like they belong as part of this spectator of this football team, and in order to show that they are truly valued part of that team, and the gang as such, they feel like they have to show and demonstrate this by doing acts of violence or aggression in order to protect their team's honour.

Hooliganism is sometimes driven by a desire to display masculinity, especially in groups where aggression and physical strength is valued as a sign of toughness.

So traditionally, potentially from times such as the war, a male who would show aggression and violence was perceived as stronger, more powerful, and more dominant, and those were sort of key characteristics that were valued in society at those times.

So this is where it's trickled into potentially hooliganism, to really show off those those masculine traits, and to enable a hooligan to feel tough.

For some men, being involved in violent or destructive behaviour around sports events becomes a way to prove themselves to others or prove to themselves that they are strong, they are powerful, and they have that sort of high dominance within a group or within a situation.

Let's have a go at this question together.

Explain one reason why hooliganism may take place.

So an example answer for this question could be that hooliganism may take place because spectators identify as a part of a gang that displays acts of aggression to protect the honour of the team.

So that's an example of how that question could be answered.

I'd now like you to have a go at filling in the missing words to provide another answer.

Hooliganism can take place as a display of blank.

Spectators believe that showing aggression and violence demonstrates their blank.

Okay, have a go at filling in those missing blanks.

So hopefully, you filled in those missing words as follows.

Hooliganism can take place as a display of masculinity.

Spectators believe that showing aggression and violence demonstrates their toughness.

So the missing words there were masculinity and toughness.

Well done if you got those correct.

Now, we've had a go together.

I wonder if you can have a go by yourself.

Using your own example, can you explain one reason why hooliganism may take place? Okay, so you might have written or explained one of the following reasons.

So you might have talked about rivalries and how communities that are close together, for example, may have a bigger rivalry, and a greater need to win and to have that pride, that community pride, and therefore, that is sort of an aggravator towards why hooliganism might happen.

Also, the hype surrounding certain matches, both from spectators but also from the media and the buildup before an event, can increase the chance of hooliganism.

You may have talked about the fact that spectators that are under the influence of alcohol or drugs are more likely to display acts of hooliganism, and also things like frustration at the referee, frustration at their own team's performance, or frustration at results may result in a higher chance of hooliganism occurring at certain sports events.

Well done if you talked about any of those.

Okay, so now it's your turn to have a go at a practise task.

Frustration is one of the causes of hooliganism.

Can you list three other causes of hooliganism? That's the first part of the task.

For the second part of the task, I'd like you to explain how frustration at a football match could lead to hooliganism.

You may wish to pause the video now to give you time to write your answer.

Okay, so frustration is one cause of hooliganism.

Can you list three other causes of hooliganism? I'm hoping that you put three of the following: rivalries, hype, alcohol and drugs, gang-like culture, or displays of masculinity.

If you put any of those three, you got that question right.

Well done.

For the second part of today's task, you are asked to explain how frustration at a football match could lead to hooliganism.

You may have said the following.

Frustration at a football match can sometimes lead to hooliganism, especially when fans feel let down by officials or their own team's performance.

When fans disagree with referees' decisions, seeing them as unfair or biassed.

Biassed means when the referee is favouring one team more than the other, and is not being consistent with their decisions, so it feels unfair.

It can create intense anger.

The frustration can build up throughout the game, leading some fans to act out in aggressive ways, like shouting abuse, throwing objects, or even starting fights.

Similarly, when a team is performing poorly or losing badly, loyal fans can feel disappointed or embarrassed, especially if they've invested a lot of emotion and pride in their team.

This frustration with the team's performance can boil over, causing some supporters to release that anger through destructive or violent behaviour both inside and outside the stadium.

Now, I like that this answer gives examples of acts of hooliganism, but it also mentions that hooliganism can occur both inside the stadium but in other areas as well.

Like we talked about earlier, it can happen in the streets, in pubs, or on transport links.

So well done if you put something along those lines.

Okay, for the second part of today's lesson, we're going to evaluate strategies used to combat hooliganism.

So when we're looking at evaluating strategies, we're looking at seeing what works with the strategy, what is good about it, and how is it preventing, how is it supporting the prevention of hooliganism, but also we're gonna look at why is it not working, what things cause problems with that strategy, and is it really effective in combating hooliganism.

Let's get started.

So to help eliminate hooliganism from sport, there are a number of different strategies to reduce the risk, and these include all seated stadiums, the segregation of fans, improved security, alcohol restrictions, earlier kick-offs, travel restrictions, banning orders, and promotional activity, education, and high-profile endorsements to all support and help combat hooliganism.

So all seated stadiums, so now spectators have to buy a specific ticket, which correlates to a seat that they are sat on, and this is very different to how stadiums used to be because stadiums used to be all standing, and there would just be a fence at the front.

So the fans and spectators couldn't get onto the football pitch, for example.

So they were separate from the performers, but it meant that fans could just stand and watch the game.

So there was no seats, and it meant that maybe stadiums could earn more money 'cause they could sell more, expect more tickets, and let more people in.

However, there was a really big safety concern with this, and you may have heard of some of the awful and terrible disasters that have happened in stadiums where people have got crushed because the people stood up at the front had been watching the match take place, and more and more people are being let in from behind, which meant that it becomes more and more squished.

So one of the real benefits of an all seated stadium is that by having seats, they're able to know exactly how many people and spectators they can let in, and how many people are there, and they are sat down and kept safe, so there's no risk of them being squished in a stadium, which is great.

There's also, by having seating and controlled tickets, it means that fans are segregated, and therefore seating areas are split between home and away teams. Therefore, there is less chance of hooliganism because the fans are not coming as closely into contact with each other, so less chance of fights and things like that happening.

The problem with this is that it can cost a lot of money to make all stands in all stadiums have seats, and also the upkeep of maintaining those seats in case they get broken is expensive as well.

So it does cost stadiums quite a lot of money in order to maintain seating areas for the spectators.

So another strategy used to combat hooliganism, like we've touched upon earlier, is the segregation of fans.

So now, when entering a football stadium, for example, fans are separate.

So they will use separate stairways, they will use separate seating areas, they will use separate gates in order to come into the stadium to prevent a clash of fans and potential for fighting to happen.

This is monitored by police and stewards to ensure that the right fans are going to the right areas as well.

And as a result, this can cost a lot of money in order to get enough stewards and employ enough staff to ensure that the segregation and separation does happen, so that everyone is safe.

It also provides a bit of an issue for the home stadium because if, for example, not as many away fans come to watch the fixture, to watch the match, then that means there are a lot of empty seats in the away stand, and therefore, the home supporters who wouldn't sit there because it's the away stand are unable to pay for the tickets.

So that means that the club actually loses money because there's empty seats where that could have been filled if it wasn't segregated.

Okay, let's have a go at a check.

True or false? An all seated stadium increases the risk of hooliganism.

Yeah, that's false.

Can you tell me why? Yeah, that's right.

An all seated stadium reduces the risk of hooliganism by limiting movement, making it harder for large groups of fans to gather, to rush, or to clash with each other.

Because everyone has their own specific seat, it means that people are unable to move around or to stand in big groups.

Everyone is sat down.

It ultimately leads to a safer spectator experience.

So another strategy to combat hooliganism has been to improve security.

So both improving the technology through things like CCTV and facial recognition and having more cameras on the crowd and in all areas of the stadium, for example, so in the corridors, on the stairways, looking at the spectators in order to use things like facial recognition to identify known hooligans or known people that might cause trouble, so that they could receive a banning order later on or prevent them coming from the fixtures or matches if they're going to cause trouble.

But there's also been an increased amount of training for stewards and police officers in dealing with acts of hooliganism, and to prevent it from getting to a point where it becomes a really big issue and people are getting hurt.

However, both advanced technology and training for police and stewards can be really expensive and time-consuming to ensure that they're trained and that it works to an appropriate level.

It's also difficult with technology to actually capture hooliganism and prevent it from happening in real time.

So if there are acts of hooliganism taking place, the CCTV can catch it, for example.

However, it can only be dealt with usually after the incident's happened.

So it needs to be acknowledged that maybe the CCTV doesn't necessarily deal with the hooliganism at the time.

Even though it captures it, it would be afterwards that the names and the hooligans would be passed on to police.

So there's also been alcohol restrictions and early kick-offs as a strategy used to combat hooliganism, particularly at football.

So matches that were previously starting late at night or later on at night would allow spectators to potentially have the day drinking alcohol, ready for that big event in the evening.

Whereas now, earlier kick-off time, sort of more near lunchtime mean that fans and spectators don't have as long a time during the day to potentially drink alcohol or take drugs, which could stop some of the hooligan behaviour taking place.

There's also new rules on alcohol and alcohol restrictions.

So some stadiums now do not serve alcohol in certain events or they have a restricted amount of alcohol that they will sell per person.

Also, police have been known to ask local pubs in the area of stadiums on match days to not sell alcohol in order to help combat hooliganism, and trouble taking place before or during the game.

So however, even with matches starting earlier in the day, hooliganism still does occur, and as a result, hooliganism just starts earlier in the day.

So it can happen now in the morning or at lunchtime, and that's actually potentially more dangerous because there are more people around in the city or in the area at that time, and some of them being children that can see the acts of violence and aggression.

That's not nice for them to see at all.

People that want to drink alcohol before a football match, for example, will drink alcohol before a football match, and instead of choosing to go to the pub or drinking at the stadium, they may just still choose to drink at home, and that, again, is hard to police, and it can enable that people come really drunk, and can be at risk of even worse hooligan behaviour because of how much they've drunk potentially at home.

It's also worth noting that the local pubs in the area that are asked not to sell alcohol would lose a lot of money on game days if the police have asked them to stop serving alcohol at that point.

Okay, let's have a go at a question.

How can improved security prevent hooliganism? Is it A, more lifts at stadiums to help people to move away quicker? Is it B, more cameras with facial recognition to highlight repeat offenders? Is it C, higher training of stewards reduces serious incidents? Or is it D, more big screens to show the game, so more fans can see the game? Yeah, the correct answers were B and C.

More cameras, like CCTV, with facial recognition to highlight repeat offenders.

Therefore, repeat offenders can be given to the police to monitor.

They may then get a banning order, which prevents them from entering these events again.

And there's also a higher training of stewards, which reduces serious incidents.

So with stewards and police trained at a higher level, they're able to deal with hooligans quicker in order to prevent bigger issues and escalation of hooliganism occurring at that event.

Another strategy to combat hooliganism is that travel restrictions and banning orders are placed upon known hooligans.

So this prevents hooligans from attending matches, and can involve them checking in at police stations during the time of a match, and this enables police to know that they're definitely not attending the match and causing trouble.

Police are also known to confiscate passports to prevent them travelling to maybe away fixtures abroad, and also issuing banning orders that stop them from entering the stadium.

So again, with the help of technology like CCTV and facial recognition.

So fans that are repeatedly causing trouble at sports events are actually banned from entering the stadium.

So banning orders are used as a deterrent for other fans as well.

If the message gets out there that hooligans are provided with a banning order, they're not allowed to, therefore, go to the stadium.

They're not allowed to watch their football team play in their home fixtures.

That will deter others from also demonstrating this hooligan behaviour as well.

However, this approach does rely on having extensive information about known hooligans, which is fine if there is just a few, but when there's a lot of hooligans to keep track of, and it can be quite time-consuming for police to find and research and know all this information that they need to know about the hooligans.

Also, it can be challenging to enforce if someone else has bought their ticket as well.

So if someone else buys a ticket of a known hooligan, and they they get in through the stadium, then it is really hard to police because some stadiums don't have the facial recognition technology, and therefore, it may be easier for them to get in to some stadiums, and hooliganism to still occur as a result.

So promotional activity, education, and high-profile endorsements.

So what the sport, what the club working with the police in order to keep everyone safe, they want to promote strategies that educate spectators on how to show appropriate behaviour at events, and they can often feature key role models from the sport.

So to try and encourage spectators to demonstrate positive behaviour, rather than to show negative behaviour like hooliganism.

So one example would be the Kick It Out campaign.

That is an example of a promotional campaign to tackle racism in football.

This was a promotional activity aimed at educating spectators about racism, and how it does manifest in football, and using high-profile role models from the sport of football to endorse this.

However, this strategy is difficult to judge the impact of, as it can't be really measured as to how effective it can be.

And it can also, again, cost a lot of money in rolling this promotion and campaign out to all aspects of the sport.

Okay, let's have a go at a check.

What is a negative impact of travel restrictions and banning orders? Is it A, people will still drink alcohol? Is it B, it can be hard to measure impact? Is it C, it can cost a lot of money? Or is it D, it can waste police time? That's right.

It's D.

It can waste police time to enforce travel restrictions and banning orders, as the police need to know a lot of information about that hooligan and need to know where they live, and to be expecting them to come into the police station, for example, to check in.

So it can waste police time when they could be dealing with other police matters and criminal activity that is going on.

Okay, now it's your turn to have a go at a practise task.

For the first part, can you list three strategies to combat hooliganism? For the second part of the task, can you evaluate the effectiveness of alcohol restrictions and early kick-off times in preventing hooliganism? You may wish to pause the video now to give you time to answer the question.

Good luck.

Okay, list three strategies to combat hooliganism.

I'm hoping you've put three of the following: all seated stadiums, segregation of fans, improved security, alcohol restrictions, early kick-offs, travel restrictions, banning orders, or promotional activity, education, or high-profile endorsements.

Well done if you put three of those down.

For the second part of the task, you are asked to evaluate the effectiveness of alcohol restrictions and early kick-off times in preventing hooliganism.

You may have said by starting matches earlier, fans have less time to drink before the game, and some stadiums even impose complete alcohol bans to discourage excessive consumption.

Police may ask local pubs to close on match days, which can limit opportunities for fans to drink nearby, and help reduce the chances of trouble.

However, these measures aren't always effective.

Hooliganism can still happen, especially when more people, including children, are around.

Even with earlier kick-off times, those determined to drink will often find ways to consume alcohol before the match, leading to potential disturbances before the game even starts.

So this answer in the first paragraph has evaluated how it positively, how this strategy has positively affected, and how it could potentially have positive effects, but in the second paragraph has also talked about how it might not always work and how hooliganism may still exist despite this strategy being in place.

Well done if you put something along those lines.

Okay, we've got just enough time left to summarise today's lesson.

So hooliganism can happen as a result of rivalries, media hype, alcohol or drug consumption, frustration, gang culture, or a display of masculinity.

There have been strategies put in place to reduce hooliganism, including all seated stadiums, the segregation of fans, improved security, alcohol restrictions, earlier kick-offs, travel restrictions, banning orders, and promotional activity.

However, these strategies have varying degrees of success, as hooliganism still occurs at times despite their implementation.

Well done today.

You've worked really hard.

I look forward to seeing you again soon.