Football in France

What has been lacking is the understanding of the culture of the game in France ... Geoff Hare's well-informed study fills that knowledge gap to perfection. Four Four Two The aim of Football in France is to show how what was for many years an essentially community and voluntary activity is now threatened by a tough looking combination of big business, satellite tv and the European Parliament ... the big issues are thought provokingly compared with the situation in Britain. Soccer History Provides an account of how national identity and community values are being transformed and reshaped in the global marketplace, and there are undoubted lessons to be learned by other nations, and cultures, if France's on-field success is a genuine aspiration. Programme Monthly & Football Collectable Hare's book has a leavening of humour, with some splendid vignettes of the great personalities...The great ideological conflicts that have marked French history are inscribed into the history of its football culture, as Hare's book shows so well. Saturday's Guardian Not only does Hare's wide-ranging study cover considerable ground without ver losing sight of its main focus on values and identities, it also lays the foundations for, and points the way to, future scholarly study of the social and cultural impact of soccer in modern France. H-France As convincing in its analysis of French football as a constantly evolving sporting practice as it is in its interrogation of the game as a periodically reconfigured metaphor for national self-belief, Hare's authoritative history deserves to be widely read. Philip Dine, National University of Ireland in French Studies, LIX.1, 2005 This is a work of impressive erudtion, informed by scholarly rigor, wide reading, an intimate understanding of 'the beautiful game,' and an obvious love for it. Rosalie A Vermette, The French Review (Vol 78) Geoff Hare's book is, to my knowledge, the first and only book in English on the subject. In over two hundred pages, the author gives Anglo-Saxon readers an excellent and concise introduction to the most popular spectator in France. Geoff Hare has had the good idea to compare football in France and in England, thus enabling his English readership (probably more familiar with football in their own country) to get a clearer picture of the major differences in attitude toward sport in general and football in particular in the two countries. Jean-Marc Lecaude, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Journal of French Studies (Vol 26, No 2, 2005) Football in France is very readable and gives an excellent introduction to an interesting sociological subject. New Zealand Journal of French Studies, Vol 26, Issue 2, 2005 As convincing in its analysis of French football as a constantly evolving sporting practice as it is in its interrogation of the game as a periodically reconfigured metaphor for national self-belief, Hare's authoritative history deserves to be widely read. French Studies, Jan 04 Hare's analyses are precise and informative. Football in France, A Cultural History is, in sum, a splendid achievement. The French Review, Volume 78, Oct 04 - May 05

Geoff Hare Retired Senior Lecturer in French,University of Newcastle upon Tyne

Contents List of Tables vii Acknowledgements ix Glossary xi 1 Introduction: Studying French Football 1 2 Establishing Football in the French National Consciousness 19 3 Towns and Cities: a Socio-economic Geography of French Football Clubs 47 4 Fans: a Sociology of French Club Football 77 5 Coaches: Building the Successes of French Teams 115 6 Players: 'les Bleus' and French National Identity 150 7 Television: Football as Spectacle and Commodity 179 8 Chairmen: Business, Politics, and Corruption 196 9 Conclusions: French Exceptionalism vs. Commodification 224 Appendix 244 Bibliography 247 Index