M. O’Neill 
Policing Football 
Social Interaction and Negotiated Disorder

This book presents a critical portrait of the British police through a detailed ethnography of their work at football matches. Megan O’Neill not only sheds light on a topic of intense media interest, football hooliganism, but also presents the police in a totally fresh perspective. By using the work of Erving Goffman, she demonstrates how the police are a far from unified force. Their informal interaction ‘teams’ divide them operationally and socially.

Table of Content

Acknowledgements PART I Introduction: Football, Policing and the Excitement of Mundane Sociology Previous Research Government Reports and Legislation PART II Uniformed Police Constables Mobile Constables, Detectives and Spotters Senior Officers Women Police Constables CCTV Operators and Stewards PART III Conclusion: The Big Implications of Small Teams Notes Bibliography Index

About the author

MEGAN O’NEILL is Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Salford, UK.