‘We are all Foxes Now’: sport, multiculturalism and business in the era of Disneyization

Abstract

On Monday 2 May 2016, a little heralded, medium-sized, provincial soccer club, Leicester City, one with no record of league titles in 132 years of trying, no European heritage of any note, and no major expenditure on players, won the English Premier League (EPL) title. This astonishing outcome is at odds with the development of monetised late-modern European club soccer. A select group of clubs with a global ‘reach’, owned and funded by foreign capital, have increasingly dominated the EPL since its formation in 1992. Leicester City’s triumph was also notable because Leicester is regarded as a settled multi-cultural city. The title win was widely interpreted as a vehicle for promoting racial integration, as well as celebrating positive owner/fan identities, civic pride, and traditional sporting values over the ethos of business. This paper explores these issues and what the Leicester victory meant to local supporters, and to the city.

Notes

1. Leicester City’s nickname is ‘The Foxes’ because of the county of Leicestershire’s historic role as a centre for fox hunting in the UK.

2. The exhumation and eventual reburial in Leicester Cathedral of the largely vilified King Richard III began with the discovery of his remains in September 2012 within the site of a former Friary Church in the middle of Leicester. These events soon became a global story.

3. The name comes from the fact that the Bentley’s factory was sited outside the old Filbert Street stadium in Leicester and City fans could watch matches without paying for tickets by climbing onto the factory roof.

4. Union FS is a self-organised Leicester City supporters’ group formed in September 2013 which is committed to improving the stadium atmosphere through fan-driven initiatives. Like other UK ultras groups, Union FS believes that atmospheres are best served by fans acting creatively and independently, rather than being directed by their club.