Deakin home > Deakin University Library > Deakin Research Online > The future of football is female : a case of fan-tastic imaginings?

The future of football is female : a case of fan-tastic imaginings?

Mewett, P. and Toffoletti, K. 2008, The future of football is female : a case of fan-tastic imaginings?, in CSAA 2008 : Futures : Proceedings of the 2008 Cultural Studies Association of Australasia Conference, CSAA, [Kalgoorlie, W. A.].


Title The future of football is female : a case of fan-tastic imaginings?
Author(s) Mewett, P.
Toffoletti, K.
Conference name Cultural Studies Association of Australasia. Conference (2008 : Kalgoorlie, W.A.)
Conference location Kalgoorlie, W.A.
Conference dates 6-9 Dec.r 2008
Title of proceedings CSAA 2008 : Futures : Proceedings of the 2008 Cultural Studies Association of Australasia Conference
Editor(s) [Unknown]
Publication date 2008
Publisher CSAA
Place of publication [Kalgoorlie, W. A.]
Summary Consistent with FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s proclamation that the future of football is female, the Australian Football League (AFL) has instituted a range of initiatives in an attempt to present a ‘female friendly’ face and garner women’s support for the national game. Given the large number of women who follow the AFL, especially in comparison to other football codes nationally, it’s worth considering the motivations behind the AFL’s tactics. To what extent does what the AFL think women want correlate with women supporters’ experiences and realities of being a football fan? This paper presents findings from semi-structured and focus group interviews with female AFL fans to gauge their perceptions of being an Australian rules football supporter and its impact on their lived experiences and sense of self. The responses of women supporters are critically assessed in order to contemplate how women negotiate gender identity through their support of a male dominated sport. As well as offering insights into the role gender plays in leisure pursuits such as sport spectatorship, this paper considers how femininity and masculinity might be contested and/or remade through the practice of following football in the Australian context. By demonstrating the range and diversity of women’s experiences, this research has the capacity to generate alternative imaginings of fanship and sporting community beyond gender stereotypes.
Language eng
Field of Research 200205 Culture, Gender, Sexuality
169901 Gender Specific Studies
HERDC Research category E1.1 Full written paper - refereed
ERA Research output type X Not reportable
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30025850

Document type: Conference Paper
Collection: School of History, Heritage and Society
Connect to link resolver
 
Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in Deakin Research Online is owned by the author, with all rights reserved.

Versions
Version Filter Type
Access Statistics: 401 Abstract Views  -  Detailed Statistics
Created: Fri, 26 Mar 2010, 09:14:37 EST