History of Firms

The history of hooliganism remains unclear in terms of when the first football firms began. Although the beginning of established firms is unknown, they can be traced all the way back to the Middle Ages in England. Edward II banned football because he felt that the violence and disorder surrounding matches led to social unrest and tension. The first recorded instances of gangs in England occurred in the 1880s. In order to establish themselves, gangs would intimidate neighborhoods and referees.

A specific example of early gang activity in 1885 includes Preston North End and Aston Villa. After a friendly match in which Preston defeated Aston Villa 5-0, the two teams were pelted with stones and spat at. One player was actually beaten so severely that he almost lost consciousness. In 1905, Preston fans were tried for hooliganism. There was no recorded firm activity between the two world wars, but it received widespread media attention in the late 1950s. By the 1960s there was an average of 25 hooligan incidents reported in England each year.



Football firm violence replaced unorganized violence in relation to sports, however both groups are considered to be hooligans. Today, football firms are also referred to as casuals. Beginning in the 1970s, members of firms began to dress differently. Instead of wearing clothing associated with the club that they represented, they would dress in designer clothes and expensive sportswear. Popular designers associated with UK football firms include Pringle, Fred Perry, Burberry, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, and Stone Island. By dressing in a more casual manner, firms no longer stood out to police, and it became a mechanism to avoid arrest.

NationMaster.com
2005 Football Hooliganism, The Free Encyclopedia.

"Green Street Hooligans"

Ever since I was a child, I have been crazy about the game of soccer. It has been more than a sport to me, creating an escape from the pressures of every day life. Regardless of my unconditional passion for this game, I have a hard time getting a handle on the movie “Green Street Hooligans.” Soccer is not just a sport that these people play or watch, but it is a way of life to them. The hooligans in this movie are representative of the firms across Europe, which are organized groups similar to gangs in the United States. In the movie, there is one firm for every team in the European premier league in the United Kingdom. Firms not only provoke fights with each other, but they also plan fights after particular games. The movie portrays the Green Street Elite, a West Ham firm in the United Kingdom, as a group of men that is absolutely crazy. In some scenes, they are completely outnumbered by other firms, but they never back down because it is all about reputation to hooligans. Although there has been some controversy over the amount of violence portrayed in the film opposed to the actual amount that exists in firms, I expect real members of such firms to be just as passionate about what they do.

The study of anthropology is the investigation of differences between cultures, which can be viewed as making sense of the unfamiliar. I feel that many people in the United States would have a difficult time understanding these firms because soccer is not very big in our country. For starters, the name of this sport is different in our country than in any other. We refer to the game as soccer, whereas every other country calls it football. Baseball is considered an American sport, which the main characters even reference in the movie. There is a scene where an American argues with the leader of the Green Street Elite, claiming that baseball is the best sport. He states that a pitcher from the Red Sox can throw at over 90 MPH, but the firm’s leader is far from impressed, laughing in his face.



Throughout this blog, I plan to establish the history of firms around the world and establish what they are like outside the film. I will research news stories about firms, and conduct an interview of a person who has witnessed the fighting. Ultimately, I hope to understand why one would want to become a hooligan.

Alexander, Lexi, dir.
2004 Green Street Hooligans. 108 min. Warner Bros. Entertainment. Hollywood.