An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis exploring domestic abuse and football support: The role of supporter mood, sense of self, and family life

The study aimed to investigate Scottish football (soccer) fans’ experiences of domestic abuse in relation to key matches. Key football matches, particularly ‘Old Firm’ matches in the Scottish context, attract considerable media attention, with major media broadcasters reporting steep rises in recorded incidents of domestic abuse following these events. Domestic abuse statistics published in the wake of Old Firm football matches between The Rangers Football Club and Celtic Football Club have attracted considerable public attention and concern, with steep rises in recorded incidents of domestic abuse being reported when the historically rival teams meet. To better understand the lived experience of football supporters in relation to the media’s accusations that football, and in particular Old Firm rivalry, is accountable for the rise in domestic abuse statistics, a qualitative exploration of football fans’ experiences was conducted. In-depth one-to-one interviews were carried out with five male football fans and their experiences were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings indicated the relationship between Old Firm matches and increased domestic abuse is more complex than causative, with rises in family conflict surrounding football games being associated with experiences of identity, and heightened emotions being present. Conflict was found to weigh heavily on participants’ lived experiences of how football affects them. This paper offers an account of the fans’ experiences with consideration to the factors associated with the rise in family conflict surrounding football games, concluding that identity, social experience, emotions, and conflict weigh heavily on the participants’ accounts of how football affects them.