Working-class youth supporters of a decimated football league: the West Perth Unofficial Cheer Squad, 1984–86

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Abstract

This article is based on my personal memories of the West Perth Football Club (WPFC) unofficial cheer squad, which operated in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL) competition from 1984–86. The article details ‘traditional’, ‘hot’ support for WPFC among teenaged supporters from working-and middle-class backgrounds. This is consistent with the concept of fluid post-modern ‘neo-tribes’ where affiliations are very loose and people can easily adjust their degree of commitment to a and/or leave the group when their personal priorities change. Once people joined this group they generally did not adjust their degree of commitment downwards, until the group itself broke up.
Original languageEnglish
Article number17
Pages (from-to)51-67
Number of pages17
JournalSporting Traditions
Volume31
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2014

Keywords

  • Australian Rules football
  • Western Australian football
  • West Perth Football Club
  • soccer hooliganism
  • Marxism

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