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From the spiralling reel of tweets on twitter to the so-called YouTube football afficionados the nature of the “proper” football fan is regularly debated. At the epicentre of this quest to gain this prestigious title to ascend into football royalty - besides an encyclopaedic knowledge of every player in your team’s starting eleven of the past three decades - is loyalty to one club.
While mercenary players venture between clubs for the biggest pay check kissing the badge one week and sporting rival colours the next, having more than one eyed devotion to a single cause is deemed the ultimate sin for fans.
The traditional football supporter would rather give up on football, and possibly life altogether, than follow another team. The tribalist nature of the sport means you can only have one allegiance to a team, and many don’t have a choice on which colours they wear.
This supressing stigma has confined fans with multiple fandom into the shadows of despair branded “fraud” or “glory supporter”. They have become expectant of a complementary tut or eye roll when the names of two clubs leaves their lips and the cold shoulder at the bar as the ‘true fans’ erupt into laughter like a pack of hyenas.
But the second team movement is on the rise more than half of British football fans admit to supporting more than one club with a third believing it doesn’t matter how many teams you follow.
Is the tide finally turning for this prejudiced group?
Club allegiance has always been a decision lacking choice determined by a select number of factors geography, identity, or family.
A recent poll with fans discovered the avenues of possibilities are widening and this is driving an increase in fans pursuing more than one source of attachment.
Only one quarter of football fans support their local team with 18% supporting the same team as their father.
But 13% chose their team because of a player they liked, 11% was because of a team’s chant and one in ten picked a side based on the kit.
A study by Copa90 revealed that 46% of 16–24-year-olds support more than one football team and 27% support three.
Supporting a second team gives people a form of variety and can act as a form of compensation for the failings of the club which you are bound to.
Those who deem themselves football purists believe you can only share an eternal bond with one club through thick and thin. They view dual support as sporting adultery, where switching between clubs represents dilettantism and dishonour.
But if anything, supporting two clubs epitomises superior football fandom. The level of devotion and commitment does not waver, and you develop two emotional connections with opposing cultures, communities, and brands.
Pictures courtesy of Bob Horne
Bob, a season-ticket holder at Peterborough United, has supported two clubs since he was born following in the footsteps of his father who was a Manchester United and Posh fan.
“My grandad grew up in Manchester when he was a teenager, inspired by the early days of the Busby Babes, and in turn my father followed his passion and drilled it into me”
Bob grew up in Peterborough and lived next to the stadium which captivated him from an early age to go to games.
He believes the perception you can’t be a real fan if you support two clubs is unfair.
“I still consider myself a true football fan, last season I went to every Manchester United home game as well as attending as many Peterborough games as possible. If anything, I get the best of both worlds and have the bonus of watching more football”
He explained how supporting a second team is a financially viable option for many people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
“Living in Manchester for University I wanted to make the most of that and try to go to as many Manchester United games as possible.”
“However, there is monetary implications which restrict how often I go to Old Trafford.”
“For many people having a local team and Big Team provides the opportunity to get around this and still be a football fanatic”
Bob represents the generation Z wave re-writing fan identity and his split love for a Premier League giant and lower league EFL team is identifiable with many across the country.
He gets the raw grit of an EFL matchday experience, the camaraderie and patriotism within the stadium and the collective sense of community. As well as the luxury of the commercialised Premier League with the intricates and fine margins on the field.
What’s not to love. Two cultures. Two experiences. One love… football
Interestingly, Manchester United are the nations second most loved second team (8.5%) only behind Liverpool (8.7%).
The traditional big six unsurprisingly were the top most loved second teams, showing how the rise of commercialism and media exposure in the top echelons of football is influencing our younger generations.
Walk into a Sports Direct or JD Sports anywhere in the country, the first kits staring future football fans in the face is a top six side. It’s the same with video games, social media they are everywhere saturating football supporters.
The by-words on the school playground has become United, City, Liverpool, Chelsea but like the oblivious housewife at home they always return to the local team on a matchday sporting the coloured merchandise.
For many a secondary team brings solace from the daily grind of supporting your primary team and is a less complex form of enjoyment. For the majority, its supporting a local lower league team and wanting a taste of the Premier League for some its due to conflicting family allegiances, a strong identification with a club’s ethos abroad or a childhood hero on FIFA 10.
The fact is emotional attachments are unstoppable, sometimes unexplainable and if it means you have more than one then who should care. As long as there’s purpose and a connection there’s no problem with it at all and the secondary team rise is only going to grow.
Is it right to support two football clubs
Yes
No
#SecondaryTeam #ManchesterUnited #PeterboroughUnited #PremierLeague #FIFA #FootballFandom #HullCity #Liverpool #Fans #Football
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