[ecrea] MMU Football and Community Conference, registration now live

The apparent globalisation and commercialisation of football has led to much criticism from both academic and media commentators that it is no longer the People’s Game. The changing structures of ownership within top level football are characterised by the increase of international financial investors keen to associate themselves and their businesses with globally recognised club brands, personified by teams such as Manchester United and Real Madrid. That said, most football clubs continue to be firmly embedded within local contexts and often within close geographical proximity to traditional fan bases. Despite commercialisation, even the biggest football clubs remain committed to local community development, contributing huge social value in otherwise deprived neighbourhoods and cities. This conference gathers together interdisciplinary research in the UK to explore the following themes:

• From the local to the global – who are football’s communities?
• What is the changing nature of supporter demographics and fan culture?
• Football branding and marketing – is it all about global expansion?
• How are football clubs and their supporters engaging with equality and diversity?
• What strategies have football clubs deployed for engaging with their communities?
• To what extent do football clubs contribute to urban and economic development within local communities?

Its to be held at Manchester Metropolitan University on 1/6/12 (9.30-5.30). People can register for the conference at:

http://mmufootballconference.eventbrite.com/

and follow us on twitter:

https://twitter.com/MMU_Football

Additionally there is a conference page:
http://footballcommunities2012.wordpress.com/


Jennifer Kelly
Community Engagement Intern
Institute for Humanities and Social Science Research (IHSSR)
Geoffrey Manton Building
Manchester Metropolitan University
Rosamund Street West
Manchester
M15 6LL




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