Spectator Behaviour (AQA GCSE Physical Education (PE))

Spectator Behaviour

• Spectator involvement in sports has increased dramatically in recent years

• This has led to both positive and negative influences effects on sporting events

Positive effects of spectator behaviour

• Spectators help create an atmosphere at sporting events; cheering, chanting and applauding can all encourage a team and performers may respond by raising their performance level

• When playing home events, the home team or player receives much more support than the opposition; this is called a home-field advantage

Negative effects of spectator behaviour

• There is increased pressure on players to perform; this can negatively affect the performance of players even when crowd noise is positive

• Negative chants, booing and sneering can be distracting to players

• Younger performers may not enjoy, or be used to, crowd behaviour and this can affect participation numbers

• Large crowds can create a negative atmosphere through crowd trouble, or hooliganism; this has been a problem at some football matches

• When crowds become too large or volatile for the sporting arena it can become unsafe

  • Ensuring the safety of spectators can have large costs, e.g. employing security and building secure infrastructure

Hooliganism

• Hooliganism can be defined as:

Violent or damaging behaviour by individuals or groups of people

• Hooliganism can be a problem inside sports grounds and also on nearby roads, inside pubs and on public transport to and from events

• Reasons for hooliganism include:

  • Rivalry between spectators of opposing teams

  • A sense of hype and excitement around a sport and match outcomes

  • Spectators being fuelled by alcohol or drugs which can affect behaviour

  • Gang culture can arise when spectators want to protect and defend their team or local area from opposition spectators

  • Frustration about decisions made by match officials

  • Most hooliganism occurs among male spectators and it is thought that this could be a display of masculinity from these spectators

Hooliganism diagram

Hooliganism at sporting events can result in destructive and violent behaviour

Combatting Hooliganism/Spectator Behaviour

• Sports governing bodies, town and city councils and the police work hard to combat hooliganism and negative spectator behaviour

• The strategies employed can be costly, although the cost of damage to local areas and sports facilities from hooliganism has to be considered

• Strategies to combat hooliganism include:

  • Starting events and matches with an early kick-off

    • This prevents spectators from visiting establishments that serve alcohol before attending an event

    • Local pubs may lose income as a result of this strategy

  • Alcohol restrictions are put in place within sports grounds

    • There may be a ban on alcohol sales

    • Security checks ensure that spectators do not bring alcohol on site

  • Stadia are designed to be all-seater venues

    • This means that spectators stay in their seats and are not able to move around as much

    • There is also better control over the number of tickets that can be sold

    • This is costly to the sport and this cost may be offset by higher ticket prices or reduced funds elsewhere in the sport, e.g. player wages or employment of coaches

  • Stadia are designed to segregate fans around and within the grounds

    • This can be costly to police

    • Improved security, such as CCTV, is required

    • Seating that is purposefully left empty will impact ticket sales and profit

  • Spectators can be given banning orders

    • This means that they are prevented from attending events where known hooliganism behaviour has occurred in the past

  • There may also be travel restrictions for known hooligans

    • This is to prevent them from travelling to or from matches

    • This can be costly for the police as it often involves ensuring that these spectators attend police stations during sporting events

  • Many sports utilise education programmes and campaigns to encourage positive spectator behaviour

    • High-profile sports players may be used to appeal to spectators and fans for better behaviour