Football and Civic Engagement

This edited volume explores football as a social, cultural, and political arena, with particular attention to civic engagement and the diverse expressions of fan culture across Europe. The chapters examine the interplay between team identification, the human need for belonging, and forms of civic participation, alongside a service-learning project that links football with social connectivity. Further contributions investigate the political activities of fan groups, ethical perspectives on hooliganism and moral citizenship, and the significance of stadium and football landscapes as spaces shaped by local attachment and global economic forces. The volume also addresses questions of inequality and redistributive policies, the multifaceted notion of Heimat and its resonance within football culture, and identity transformations triggered by club privatization. Finally, it considers the civic activism of specific Ultras communities as well as the relevance of civic engagement in the university context, with football serving as a distinctive field of practice.