YouTube football hooligans: Best videos to learn more about fan culture

Football hooligans. Are they a misinterpreted group of people, or are they a menace to society and the footballing world? From the terraces of the 1970s to modern football ultras, this post delves into the tribal loyalty, raw energy, and the dark side of fandom that fuels violence in the beautiful game.

We have all seen the films, Football Factory and Green Street, which elevated football hooligans to a new type of stardom in the eyes of some football fans, while just highlighting their unnecessary aggression and need for violence at football matches to others. However, they were just films, pieces of fiction based on some real-life accounts. Secondary sources are what they are called in the journalism world. 

Best videos to watch to learn about football hooligans

From raw, unfiltered footage to polished documentaries delving into its history, psychology, and cultural impact, YouTube offers a wealth of videos exploring football hooliganism.

While books are plentiful from football hooligans-turned-authors like Case Pennant, a former Inner-City Crew, a West Ham United firm, the best videos on this phenomenon capture the intensity of the terraces, the rivalries between firms, and the social and political contexts that fuel these groups.

The Real Football Factories

The Real Football Factories was a series that saw EastEnders' Danny Dyer travel around the UK, speaking to real football hooligans, mainly the top boys of each club’s football firm.

Named The Real Football Factory due to Dyer's starring role in the hit film The Football Factories, he takes a deep dive into the world of football hooligans, talking with some of the hardest men and finding out why they did what they did at football matches.

There were interviews with West Ham’s Inner City Crew member Case Pennant, Chelsea headhunter top boy Jason Marriner and those from other club firms such as Arsenal, Spurs, Luton, Millwall, Manchester United, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Birmingham. He also ventured up north across the border to Scotland to visit Old Firm, Aberdeen, Hibernians, and Hearts fans, whilst finding out the remarkable fact that the two Dundee clubs (Dundee and Dundee United) share a firm. 

It's an eye-opener into the lives of these individuals who were at the forefront of football hooliganism during its peak in the 1970s and 1980s.

Channel 4 Short Documentary – Is cocaine fuelling a new era of football violence?

If you are looking for a more modern perspective on football hooliganism and its enduring presence, this documentary by Channel 4 is also available on YouTube. 

Not only does it explore the world of football hooligans, with more modern names involved, but it delves into the deep-rooted drug problem that lies within it, and asks the question: Are drugs to blame for this violence at football matches? 

Whilst no one has ever doubted or denied that drug use is part of the culture, it is still refuted by football hooligans that it is the reason why they fight and resort to violence. Some argue that football itself is the drug that gives them the adrenaline to perform at their best. It is an interesting watch, one particularly for those with an interest in social psychology.

Football Fight Club

Football Fight Club is an interesting documentary that aired on BBC Three nearly a decade ago. You can now watch it on YouTube, named The Football Fight Club. It shows that, although it has been nearly a decade, football hooliganism remains alive.

With interviews from young and old football hooligans, it is interesting to hear why these men got involved in such a violent culture, and they think it will never die.

In some fascinating interviews, some have worn masks to hide their identities. It is a hard-hitting documentary, but one that explores the nitty-gritty of the murky underworld of football hooligans, comparing the fan culture to that of the now multi-billion-pound business that football has become. It shows that no matter how much money is involved in football, there will still be that element of the working class in the game. 

One particular focus of this hour-long video is Manchester City, which, at the time, had only begun its dominance after being acquired by the UAE-backed consortium. Whilst that was happening, their firm of football hooligans was still fighting in alleyways and streets around the Etihad, showing the huge contrast between the world of elite football and the world of a football hooligan.

TalkSPORT – Why is football violence increasing?

TalkSPORT took to YouTube and teamed up with The Times reporter Matt Lawton to attend an FA Cup match between Nottingham Forest and Leicester City to reveal the truth behind the increased disorder at football matches.

Recently, the Daily Mail released an article stating that arrests at football matches are at their highest level in nine years. During the 2022-2023 football season, there were over 2,000 arrests, the highest figure recorded since the 2013-2014 season.

Another point made by each football firm is that they are not out to harm innocent people, but rather to fight other football firms.