Understanding the processes of becoming a football team fan in an African context: the case of Dynamos Football Club fans in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This article seeks to analyse the process of becoming a football fan within a Zimbabwean context. It is based on the study of fandom, on fans of a team called Dynamos Football Club based in Zimbabwe. It seeks to analyse the process of becoming a fan, noting the different reasons why people become attached to football teams. It provides a sociological analysis of the different processes involved in turning one from a mere spectator of sport to becoming a fan. The article argues that becoming a fan is complex process which often includes various processes. Whilst fans often highlight significant events that made them decide to become a fan, the process is rarely an overnight event, but rather a lengthy one. Studies on fandom have tended to concentrate on Western nations. There is thus a huge gap in understanding fan processes in Africa with only limited studies in big footballing nations such as Nigeria and South Africa. This article tries to redress this imbalance as well.

Notes

1. Darby, ‘Football Colonial Doctrine and Indigenous Resistance’.

2. The following works offer an understanding into fandom in western contexts: Rushworth, ‘Through the Wind and Rain’; Wann, Tucker and Schrader, ‘An Exploratory Examination of the Factors Influencing the Origination, Continuation and Cessation of Identification with Sports Teams; Wann, Royalty and Roberts, ‘The Self‐Presentation of Sport Fans’.

3. Mutungamiri, ‘Dynamos Turns 35 Today’.

4. The Rhodesian Herald, March 2, 1972.

5. Example of researches carried out in Europe on football fandom include: Mackay, ‘Heartbeat of the City’; Giulianotti and Robertson, ‘Glocalization, Globalization and Migration; Burdsey and Chappel, ‘Soldiers, Sashes, Shamrocks’.

6. Example of researches carried out in North and South America on football fandom include: Giulianotti, ‘The South American Fan’; Gibson, Willming and Holdnak, ‘“We're Gators… Not Just Gator Fans”’.

7. Giulianotti, ‘The South American Fan’.

8. Sir Norman Chester Centre For Football Research, Fact Sheet 3, Why Support Football?

9. Burdsey and Chappel, ‘Soldiers, Sashes, Shamrocks’.

10. MacClancy, ‘Sport, Identity and Ethnicity’, 2.

11. Jones, ‘Mixing Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Sport Fan Research’.

12. Duke, ‘The Sociology of Football’.

13. This was the political wing of one of the armed groups fighting for the liberation of Zimbabwe. At independence in 1980 under Robert Mugabe it became the first black led government of Zimbabwe.

14. This is the home ground for Dynamos Football Club located in Mbare suburb in the capital city Harare.

15. Low‐density suburb in Harare

16. Berger, ‘Socialization’.

17. Cooley, ‘Socialization’.

18. Uhler and Murrell, ‘Examining Fan Reactions to Game Outcomes’.

19. Giddens, The Constitution of Society.

20. Duke, ‘The Sociology of Football’.