Football Collective 2024: How can football take on tomorrow?

Like the world around it, football is subject to shifting and growing power imbalances. As these grow, critical thinking about the game has never been more necessary. The 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 pursue new thinking and 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.

Call for Papers:

We welcome submissions for 15-minute papers, poster, multi-media, or documentary presentations, we also welcome panels. As at previous Football Collective conferences, submissions may approach the conference from a variety of perspectives, including the following sub themes:

• 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@gmail.com with the subject header: “Abstract: Football Collective 2024" by 28 July 2024 and should:

1. Be written in English;
2. Be sent in the form of a Microsoft Word document (.doc, .docx)
3. Not exceed 300 words
4. Include the title of the paper/poster/panel
5. Include the author’s full name, title, position and institution
6. Include a brief professional biography (not exceeding 50 words)
7. 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.

Conference Programme and Keynotes:

These are not confirmed yet, so I suggest some holding text: The programme is being compiled and will be posted shortly.

Registration and Fees:

• Date of event: 21/22 November 2024
• Last booking for event: 7 November 2024
• Fees: 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.

Please note: Registration is not valid until payment is completed.

Refunds will not be issued in the event of non attendance.

In the event that the conference is sold out, you will be placed on a waiting list and contacted via email if a space becomes available.

Location: 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 the venue.

Contact:  FootballCollective2024@gmail.com

Accommodation:

For information about accommodation and delegate rates, please click here.

Conference social event:

We will be hosting an event at The City Tavern on the evening of Thursday 21 November. This cost of this (excluding drinks) is included in your registration fee.