ABSTRACT
The chapter situates the study on which the book is based against previous works on female football fandom. It is divided into three parts. The first part elaborates different forms of female fandom in Europe and other parts of the world. The second part, discusses, on the basis on the research conducted by other authors, how women reproduce (by adapting male rules) or challenge (due to their own female groups and ways of supporting) gender order in the stands. The last part of the chapter explores the issue of female fans’ identity, revealing that football plays an essential role in many women’s lives.
