Subculture

Subcultures are generally groups that are perceived to deviate from the normative standards of the dominant culture, as this is variously defined according to age, sexuality, and taste in economic, racial, and gendered terms

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The Football Casuals and Hooligans

Every weekend across England groups of young 'lads' flock to their local football ground or travel the breadth of the country on an away day in hopes of seeing their team gain three points, cause some trouble and get pissed. 'Win or loose they're on the booze'. The football casuals and hooligans have formed a subculture in England since the 70's. A game rooted in England's DNA was likely to attract a comitted fanbase though the rise of the casual subculture has been an interesting one. Distinctifying themselves from the usual club supporters these fans have carved out their own uniform tightly defined by the clothing they wear. Often seen in high end European fashion brands such as Fila, Lacoste, Stone Island and Adidas the history of this can be traced back to Liverpool fans travelling to Europe for the European Cup and coming back to Anfield decked out in sergio tacchini tracksuits. The Adidas Samba became the footwear of choice, now even Adidas has cashed in on the casuals and how closely related the shoe and their image is, selling a range of the shoe with large club logos on the tongue such as Arsenal and Bayern Munich.  Of course you can't talk about causals and hooligans without getting the Stone Island badge in. A brand that was once high end has now become synonymous with insighting violence in train stations and crowd terraces, can of Stella in hand. But it's not just the uniform of these groups that defines them, a sweeping statement could generalise the casuals as working class white men, leaning towards the right, violent men fuelled by alcoholism. Using football as an excuse for a fight and leaning in to the tribalism that comes from supporting a club. Though for casuals I would argue it's less about the club and more about the actual casual identity that they hold more closely.