Like the world around it, football is subject to shifting and developing power imbalances. As these grow, critical thinking about the game has never been more necessary. The Football Collective can lead the way not only in holding people and organisations to account, be they clubs, governing bodies, the media, or others, but also by pursuing new thinking which can help shape the future. Therefore, this year the Football Collective conference will seek to answer the question “How can football take on tomorrow?”.
With this in mind, we propose prioritizing three thematic lines for this conference: Football Society, Football Business and The Sport of Football. We welcome papers, presentations and panels that will challenge myths and misconceptions, commonly held attitudes and positions, and propose ways to protect the game we love.
We are keen for the conference to be as diverse and inclusive as possible. To that end, we welcome abstracts from scholars at all stages of their career, and particularly those currently underrepresented in the field, including (but not limited to) women, Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups, as well as LGBTQ+, disabled, and neurodiverse academics.
Submissions
We welcome 15-minute papers, multimedia, or documentary presentations. We also welcome abstracts for posters and panels. As at previous Football Collective conferences, submissions may approach the conference from a variety of perspectives, including the following sub themes:
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- Football society: Women’s football; fandom & football culture; equality, diversity & inclusion; stakeholders; international football affairs, football tourism, the politics of football; sustainability & corporate social responsibility; gambling; football violence.
- Football Business: Governance & regulators, strategy, finance & accounting, branding & marketing, stadiums & spaces, technology, agents & recruitment, football & law, media & broadcasting, digital & social media.
- The sport of football: On pitch activity; officiating; tactics; managers & coaches; academies; grass roots; lessons from history.
The Collective defines ‘football’ as broader than association football, thus scholars are welcome to address these themes through the lens of rugby, Gaelic football, American Football and other codes of the game.
Submissions should be sent to: FootballCollective2024@
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- Be written in English;
- Be sent in the form of a Microsoft Word document (.doc, .docx)
- Not exceed 300 words
- Include the title of the paper/poster/panel
- Include the author’s full name, title, position and institution
- Include a brief professional biography (not exceeding 50 words)
- If proposing a panel, please outline the proposed members, level of financial support if required, and how the panel will support equality, diversity and inclusion.
It is intended that the event will lead to an edited collection as part of the Critical Research in Football series, published in association with Routledge.
Registration
Full delegate: £160 for both days, £100 per day (academics/practitioners).
Student delegate: £80 for both days, £50 per day, (postgraduates, undergraduates and unwaged).
Fees include attendance on both days of the conference, as well as lunch and the conference social event.
You can register here. For more information about the Football Collective, please visit our website.
Please note: refunds will not be issued in the event of non-attendance.
Key dates
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- May 2024: Call for papers open
- 28 July 2024: Deadline for the submission of abstracts
- 9 August 2024: Notification of acceptance
- 7 November 2024: Registration Deadline
- 21 & 22 November: The Football Collective 2024
Venue
Newcastle Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH. The Civic Centre is a three-minute walk from the Haymarket Metro Station. Click here for information about travelling to the venue.
Accommodation
The event accommodation website can be accessed here. Special room rates have been secured at several hotels in the city including at the event HQ Hotel – Motel One. These are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
