The love of a place: a photovoice study exploring the attachment Rangers Football Club supporters hold towards Ibrox Stadium

Football stadiums in the United Kingdom have evolved significantly over the past 40 years. Many clubs have either moved/rebuilt stadiums or developed existing stadiums. Previous literature has identified the significant sense of attachment that football fans have towards football stadiums (see for example Barnes & Harland, 2025; Medway et al., 2019). Underpinned by concepts of topophilia (love of a place) and topophobia (fear of a place) (Bale, 1993; Tuan, 1974), this study explores the attachment and love that Rangers Football Club fans hold towards Ibrox Stadium. Applying Ibrox Stadium as a case study, this research utilises photovoice methodology to capture personal narratives of Rangers FC fans. Photovoice is qualitative method that empowers individuals to identify, portray, and enrich their insights through photographs (Budig et al., 2018; Wang, 1999) A sample of n=5 participants were recruited for this study, aged between 18-65, all considering themselves fans of Rangers Football Club and regularly attending games. The photovoice involved research participants taking and submitting photographs of areas of attachment and interest in and around Ibrox. Following this, individual semi-structured interviews took place to exploring the reasoning and meaning behind the photographs. Data analysis of photographs and interview transcripts highlighted three main themes- belonging and relationships, emotional attachment, and loyalty. Key findings reveal that Ibrox is not merely a stadium but a representation of collective identity, where fans experience belonging, create social connections, and honour shared traditions. This study captured fan experiences through photographs and personal narratives, offering new insights into the emotional factors that contribute to fan love and attachment to football stadiums.