ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses upon the sense of local place pride that supporters expressed towards the sports club and the city. It provides an insight into the cross-sport perceptions of supporters and the rivalry and class distinction between female fans of men's football and rugby union. The chapter overviews some of the recent sociological research which claims that social class now plays a limited role in people's identity in Britain today and that people will usually deny class identities. It considers the work of Bourdieu as a theoretical framework, before over viewing the historical class differences between football and rugby union in the UK. The chapter introduces my main empirical findings and examines female fans' perceptions of the role of social class in sporting preferences. It discusses that sport can operate as a unique space in which people openly discuss class distinctions, thus challenging claims that social class is no longer a major source of people's identity.
