Beginnings of a football-singing case study
Tuesday evening, Gull took me and HMV to a football match between Norwich and Colchester. The weather was pretty bad - very heavy rain just before the match started, and cold and wet throughout.
Colchester supporters started singing before the match; I couldn't really see them from my seat. Most of it was chanting but a few times there was a discernible melody and twice the tune was "When The Saints Go Marching In" (no idea what the words were). The tunes didn't last long, so there the comparison with folk-singing certainly breaks down: no 17-verses-and-keep-going-whatever! There was much rhythmic clapping with the chants.
The Norwich supporters around me made some noise - applauding good pieces of play (reminded me of the Rugby), some shouting, a small amount of chanting, some yelling at the referee, and twice a snatch of song which I think was "On The Ball City". They weren't really singing much at all, which was disappointing for me. Gull said that away supporters sing more (which surprised me, given what Vin had said) and also that it was too wet and that the atmosphere of a weekday evening wasn't as conducive to singing.
Wednesday I went to a social sciences seminar on case studies. I'm not on the course, so expected to sit at the back and listen, but my football-singing study was used to discuss applying the theories. It was very useful.
Case studies include several methods of data collection, such as focus groups, interviews, and archive searches. I'm going to use all three of those, but as there isn't much literature on the context and practice of football singing, the first two will predominate.
In focus groups, the setting is key to good results.
Ethical issues - mostly about supporter rivalries!
It may be necessary to do more than one case study (perhaps a less detailed study of another club).
Interesting comment. Someone who had spent time in Australia said he hated going to games there because they only had one 'song' and it wasn't much of a song - just a chant of "Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie oy oy oy!" Clearly the singing is a very important part of the experience for him. Recruit for focus group!
[Side note: was advised to look up IBM song. Results are most amusing - IBM Rally Song, and even an IBM Songbook]
Next steps:
1. Contact the club secretary about setting up a focus group (asking if we can use a room at the grounds after a Saturday match)
2. Listen to Radio 5 Live at 5pm on Saturdays; football phone-in when one can hear singing in the background as fans travel home
3. Set up a focus group of football-fan students
4. Refine the questions to ask of focus groups and on surveys
5. Go to an away match, if possible on a coach with supporters
Colchester supporters started singing before the match; I couldn't really see them from my seat. Most of it was chanting but a few times there was a discernible melody and twice the tune was "When The Saints Go Marching In" (no idea what the words were). The tunes didn't last long, so there the comparison with folk-singing certainly breaks down: no 17-verses-and-keep-going-whatever! There was much rhythmic clapping with the chants.
The Norwich supporters around me made some noise - applauding good pieces of play (reminded me of the Rugby), some shouting, a small amount of chanting, some yelling at the referee, and twice a snatch of song which I think was "On The Ball City". They weren't really singing much at all, which was disappointing for me. Gull said that away supporters sing more (which surprised me, given what Vin had said) and also that it was too wet and that the atmosphere of a weekday evening wasn't as conducive to singing.
Wednesday I went to a social sciences seminar on case studies. I'm not on the course, so expected to sit at the back and listen, but my football-singing study was used to discuss applying the theories. It was very useful.
Case studies include several methods of data collection, such as focus groups, interviews, and archive searches. I'm going to use all three of those, but as there isn't much literature on the context and practice of football singing, the first two will predominate.
In focus groups, the setting is key to good results.
Ethical issues - mostly about supporter rivalries!
It may be necessary to do more than one case study (perhaps a less detailed study of another club).
Interesting comment. Someone who had spent time in Australia said he hated going to games there because they only had one 'song' and it wasn't much of a song - just a chant of "Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie oy oy oy!" Clearly the singing is a very important part of the experience for him. Recruit for focus group!
[Side note: was advised to look up IBM song. Results are most amusing - IBM Rally Song, and even an IBM Songbook]
Next steps:
1. Contact the club secretary about setting up a focus group (asking if we can use a room at the grounds after a Saturday match)
2. Listen to Radio 5 Live at 5pm on Saturdays; football phone-in when one can hear singing in the background as fans travel home
3. Set up a focus group of football-fan students
4. Refine the questions to ask of focus groups and on surveys
5. Go to an away match, if possible on a coach with supporters
posted by Elisabeth at 9:51 am
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