A photographer‘s ode to the ‘90s football fan

Kicking about — In 1991, just one year after the excitement of the World Cup in Italy, Richard Davis attended matches across the North West of England to capture the ordinary people who make the game what it really is.

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, as acid house and ecstasy swept Britain, there were profound changes in the cultural make-up of the country’s youth culture. The drug, and the music scene surrounding it, has been described as a huge leveller, bringing together people from all walks of life. As photographer Richard Davis describes it, “There was a big crossover all of a sudden between dance music, fashion and football.” 

It was these overlaps between various cultural strands that ultimately led Davis to get involved in a project documenting football fans. In 1991, Davis was approached by the author Steve Redhead to supply the photos for Football with Attitude: a book examining the connections between football, music and fashion. (Prior to this, Redhead had written a book titled The End-of-the-century party: Youth, pop and the rise of Madchester, documenting the rise of acid house). These photos taken by Davis have now been republished in a new book, titled Football Fans (Cafe Royal Books).

The project involved Davis going around most of the North West clubs near to where he was living at the time, among them Liverpool, Everton, to Mancity, Manchester United and Aldham. “There was a hell of a lot going on in Manchester at the time,” says Davis, “I was trying to capture the spirit of the times. It was an energetic period.” This was in large part owed to the success of the World Cup in Italy in 1990, which gave football “a new lease of life,” explains Davis. 

Davis’ brief for Redhead’s book was to capture the youth culture aspect of football – or to capture what Redhead called the ‘new football fan’. But in the new edition published by Cafe Royal, Davis’ includes images showcasing the diversity of people at the games, from the teens who’d frequent the Hacienda on weekends to the older, more traditional fans.

It was this variety in the crowd that Davis sees as having been lost from the game over successive decades. “I think football was more working-class back in ‘91. Now, it’s a bit more middle class. And I think a lot of working-class young people, especially, have been priced out.” The time Davis was photographing was just before the premier league started, meaning “less money was invested in the game and the stadiums were still pretty ramshackle,” he says. 

With Covid-19, stadiums have been left empty, which makes the project feel all the more poignant when viewed in the current moment. “In the last year, you realise just rubbish football is without fans. Whether that means clubs will start respecting fans more will be interesting to see.”

“Fans raise the temperature of things, especially if you get away fans and home fans in the same Stadium, shouting things at one another,” reflects Davis. “I just think: ‘Wow, we’ve missed fans.’”

Football Fans is now available on Café Royal Books.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Crowd of silhouetted people at a nighttime event with colourful lighting and a bright spotlight on stage.
Music

Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists

We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Indoor skate park with ramps, riders, and abstract architectural elements in blue, white, and black tones.
Sport

In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme

Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Black-and-white image of two men in suits, with the text "EVERYTHING IS COMPUTER" in large bright yellow letters overlaying the image.
Culture

Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?

Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.

Written by: Emma Garland

A group of people, likely children, sitting around a table surrounded by various comic books, magazines, and plates of food.
© Michael Jang
Culture

How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography

The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Silhouette of person on horseback against orange sunset sky, with electricity pylon in foreground.
Culture

The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth

Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Couple sitting on ground in book-filled environment
Culture

The British intimacy of ‘the afters’

Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to stay informed from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, with personal takes on the state of media and pop culture in your inbox every month from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.