Soccer, football to the British, plays a significant role in British culture. Football has been around in England since before anyone can remember; it controls a piece of everyone's life that lives there. It has been part of the culture so long that supporting the home team is a way of life. Some times this support goes too far. Hooligans exist worldwide, however the history of hooliganism starts in English culture and social system. This has to do with the competitive nature of the people and their craving for sport. The label "hooligan" describes a usually young person, a member of and informal group, who commits acts of vandalism or criminal damage, starts fights and causes disturbances but is not a thief. .
Professional football is the most popular sport in Britain. Though most spectators are male, about 12% who attend football games are females. Crowds at popular games are so huge they can be as big as 30,000 people; some crowds are even as large as 50,00. In the 1995/96 season there were approximately 21 million fans that attended football games in Britain (Sports Council). An estimated four to five million people attend football games in Britain each year.
In the 1960's hooliganism was considered a serious problem. Historically hooligans were called "roughs." The caused trouble at matches throughout the 19th century. Some extreme cases the roughs attacked referees and visiting players. In the 60s football as a sport began to get more media attention, so did the fights and disorder. In the 60s hooliganism was more organized than it is today. Fans defended their local "territories" and a sort of gang rivalry started between opposing fans. Sometimes these rivalries were more important than the actual football games. Often incidents of hooliganism would happen outside the stadiums before or after games. There were fights and brawls in parking lots. By the year 2000 the serious problem had lost the spotlight, and wasn't considered a threat.
