TY - JOUR
T1 - The Female Vikings, a women's fan group in Denmark
T2 - Formation and development in the context of football and fan histories
AU - Mintert, Svenja-Maria
AU - Pfister, Gertrud Ursula
N1 - CURIS 2014 NEXS 252
PY - 2014/9/2
Y1 - 2014/9/2
N2 - Traditionally, football and fandom have been male domains and celebrations of masculinity. So far there has been some sociological and historical research on women's football; however, little is known about women's fandom, in particular about its formation and development. This article focuses on the historical development of a Danish women-only fan group called 'The Female Vikings', which support a professional football club, Lyngby Boldklub (BK), in a city north of Copenhagen. The article explores the backgrounds and motivations of female fans, as well as their ways of staging femininity in a man's world. Drawing on available information about football and fans in Denmark, we have reconstructed the developments of both Lyngby BK and its supporters. Special focus was placed on the histories and cultures as well as the experiences of female fans in this club. Insights into the foundation of the women's fan group were provided by problem-centred interviews which also contained open questions. The foundation and activities of the Female Vikings show how women can perform gender in the fan's stands and how they play a significant role in the fan movement. The interviews also reveal the loyalty of the female fans during the club's 'crisis' and their 'collective memories'.
AB - Traditionally, football and fandom have been male domains and celebrations of masculinity. So far there has been some sociological and historical research on women's football; however, little is known about women's fandom, in particular about its formation and development. This article focuses on the historical development of a Danish women-only fan group called 'The Female Vikings', which support a professional football club, Lyngby Boldklub (BK), in a city north of Copenhagen. The article explores the backgrounds and motivations of female fans, as well as their ways of staging femininity in a man's world. Drawing on available information about football and fans in Denmark, we have reconstructed the developments of both Lyngby BK and its supporters. Special focus was placed on the histories and cultures as well as the experiences of female fans in this club. Insights into the foundation of the women's fan group were provided by problem-centred interviews which also contained open questions. The foundation and activities of the Female Vikings show how women can perform gender in the fan's stands and how they play a significant role in the fan movement. The interviews also reveal the loyalty of the female fans during the club's 'crisis' and their 'collective memories'.
KW - Denmark
KW - fan narratives
KW - female fans
KW - football
KW - football history
U2 - 10.1080/09523367.2014.930787
DO - 10.1080/09523367.2014.930787
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:84903873252
SN - 0952-3367
VL - 31
SP - 1639
EP - 1655
JO - International Journal of the History of Sport
JF - International Journal of the History of Sport
IS - 13
ER -