This book tells the important story of the 30-year social movement against all-seated stadia in football in England and Wales that developed in the wake of the Hillsborough stadium disaster and the wider European and international significance of that movement.

Mark Turner is Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.

PART I

Theoretical and historical frameworks

1 The ritual of watching football: an introduction

2 Relational sociology and temporality: theorising social movements as networks

PART II

The origins of contemporary supporter movements in football

3 The neoliberal timescape of English and European football

PART III

A social movement analysis of Safe Standing

4 The moral shock and networking a coalition of football supporters: 1985-99

5 The emergence of Rail Seating: 1999-2009

6 Building diplomacy and breaking down the state: 2009-23

A critical juncture for the future of football

7 Safe Standing and the new regulatory regime of English and European football: the victory paradox