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

Y1 - 2014

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

VL - 31

SP - 1639

EP - 1655

JO - International Journal of the History of Sport

JF - International Journal of the History of Sport

SN - 0952-3367

IS - 13

ER -