‘Get off your phone for 90 minutes’: commentaries about tourists’ technology consumption at Anfield Stadium

This study explores the intersection of digital leisure behaviour, tourism, and tradition at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium. In the 21st century, EPL stadiums have become both global tourist attractions and platforms for digital consumption, where smartphones play a central role in the visitor experience. Using in-person fieldwork, digital ethnography, and machine learning-driven sentiment analysis of 3899 posts on the ‘Red and White Kop’ Liverpool Football Club fan forum between 2014 and 2024, the study addresses two questions: Do the presence of tourists and their use of handheld technology affect the match-day experience? And how is handheld technology discussed among LFC fans? Findings show that tech use is widely criticised for disrupting Anfield’s atmosphere, social rituals, and sense of community. Our discussions problematise how the ‘digital turn’ and touristification processes have been reconfiguring physical and digital leisure practices within stadiums. By drawing on Simmel and Durkheim’s theoretical frameworks, we specifically highlight the tensions tourism creates in Anfield’s atmosphere and the social and emotional bonds of its supporters, while critically arguing that LFC should find a sustainable balance between tourism’s economic success and the preservation of fans’ cultural traditions.