Has interest in Football in the UK declined?

[Void99]

I have always hated football. Throughout my whole life it's been unavoidable....could not avoid getting an earful of it in some form or other.
But the last few years ....has something changed?

I can't remember the last time I saw someone wearing a football shirt, scarf or beanie. I never hear it discussed at work anymore or in local takeaways shops. It's like it's all dissolved or something. And I should be glad but for some reason I kind of feel like something is missing. Weird.

Maybe it's just my imagination...but has anyone else noticed a reduction in Football interest compared to previous decades?

[Stormtrooper1990]

Hi Void

Speaking as both a steward who goes to football matches with crowds of 30,000 plus and a passionate supporter of Nottingham Forest (Come on you Reds!!), I have to say are you living under a rock?

I mean no offense but interest in our national pastime has never been more intense. Just because no one wears their teams colours when they are out and about, or doesn't discuss the beautiful game in takeaways ( who even goes to those anymore?), doesn't mean the game is going out of style.

Honestly, I have stood in the City Ground in Nottingham and heard the roar of 30,000 human beings and never felt so moved.

Football is part of our people's DNA, it's in our blood. Just as British as Cricket, tea and crumpets or a useless parliamentary democracy. Even if you love or hate the game, you can't deny football is what truly unites the people of our iittle island. Not politics or Farage and his kind.

So to answer your question; No, interest in the beautiful game hasn't waned. It has merely evolved.

Sorry, if I come across a little strong, my friend. Outside of gaming, writing and USB, football is my other passion and something I feel strongly about.

[Mr. Peaky Blinder]

I used to love attending football matches. Now though you're paying a mortgage just to watch your mates scroll up and down on their phones.

I also think that as nearly all players are from overseas as are the owners and sponsors that there is a disconnect from the actual local fan base. Those same fans are also being squeezed financially and most matches being screened or streamed doesn't help.

The local pub has also died in my opinion. I used go out 5-6 nights a week. These days I just stop in and ... scroll up and down on my phone

[Void99]

Well if you actually go to a football match event, naturally there is going to be tons of enthusiasm for the sport there!

I'm more talking about personal experience as someone who has tried to avoid it...which had been impossible.
There are tons of people who frequent takeaway stores, there's like 12 takeaway places in my town, 3 of them are fish and chip stores ....and you don't get more British than fish and chips! Even though I hate fish.
But they often have long queues ... and for the first 3 years I lived in this area....being stuck in those queues was guaranteed to being subjected to extremely loud football talk. Even the owners had football merch decorated over the walls.

But it was not just those types of places. Every job I have ever had. Canteen ...football talk. Smoking hut....football talk. Staff meetings ....at least one football reference every time. At a bus stop with people sitting down ....football talk.

One place I worked at I made a mistake of mentioning I was born in Watford, for some reason everyone thought that I was a huge Watford supporter! Would get either congratulated or ridiculed depending on how that team was performing. Also been mistaken for a Luton supporter.

The point is that football would just about be everywhere I went. Been a lifelong unavoidable irritation. But the last few years...it's like it's been switched off. Not like it's actually gone in the literal term....more like I now don't involuntarily hear about it.

Example... there is a tournament happening soon. As of right now, I don't know the name of the manager, the leader (captain?) or any of the players or even what country is hosting it. This is a FIRST. Normally this information would find it's way to me multiple times and would be hard wired into my head! Whether it be through hearing banter/talk, from hourly radio bulletins or online news media outlets I visit that would have it as frontline news.

As I said, I should be glad but it's kind of eerie.

Also, wasn't "come on you reds" a Manchester United anthem/slogan? I had a brother who was heavily into that team as a kid, had to hear that on loop for hours on end.

[Stormtrooper1990]

Well, Nottingham Forest is older than Manchester United so we were the first football team to wear the colour red, or the Garibaldi has we Tricky Trees call it. In fact we gave Arsenal FC our spare shirts so they could play, making them the second team to wear red. United were like fourth or fifth ( Don't tell United fans that, it will upset their delicate sensibilities )


There is a reason why no-one is talking about World Cup '26 Iis because of one person; Donald "The Toss Pot" Trump. The World Cup is being hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada, at huge cost. Couple that with the insane ticket prices of $5000 dollars plus, the shortage of aviation fuel and Trump's (and Big Ears) illegal war in Iran, no-one is really talking about it. After all who's going to stay up to 1am over here to watch a football match? I'm a fan but I need my beauty sleep.

Thanks to Trump (who insists a game he knows nothing about should be called "soccer" in his presence), the game has been turned into a spectacle for elitists which is anathema to the games core ideals.


Personally, I'm a proud club supporter andI feel more connected to my city and it's people that what I would do to my country. And I'm sure if you ask any footie fan, they will tell you the same.