Building on Della Porta's work on social movement events, critical junctures, and legacies, this article studies the discursive practices, emotions and networks of the instant 48-hour mobilizations of the anti-European Super League (ESL) movement in English football in April 2021. In doing so, we show how this case reveals a new generation of conflict between the different supporter demographic and corporate constituencies that characterize elite football in England, and their politicized temporal structures. Showing how social movement 'legacy' operates as a multifaceted concept of power and time, we argue that the 'puzzling out' of a new post-ESL regulatory regime in football reveals the tensions between what are considered legitimate, and illegitimate, practices, which characterize the moral economy of the contemporary English football crowd.

Building on Della Porta’s work on social movement events, critical junctures, and legacies, this article studies the discursive practices, emotions and networks of the instant 48-hour mobilizations of the anti-European Super League (ESL) movement in English football in April 2021. In doing so, we show how this case reveals a new generation of conflict between the different supporter demographic and corporate constituencies that characterize elite football in England, and their politicized temporal structures. Showing how social movement ‘legacy’ operates as a multifaceted concept of power and time , we argue that the ‘puzzling out’ of a new post-ESL regulatory regime in football reveals the tensions between what are considered legitimate, and illegitimate, practices, which characterize the moral economy of the contemporary English football crowd. Keywords collective action , football fandom , networks , relational sociology , social movement , sport

Since its establishment in 1977, Capital and Class has provided a critical space for scholars and activists to explore existing and new forms of socio-political struggles and movements in and against capital.A range of theoretical perspectives have also been employed by Capital and Class authors to make sense of these movements, which, among others, include Open Marxism, social movement theory, critical urban approaches, Gramscian, autonomist and post-structural perspectives.This special issue builds on, develops and extends this rich tradition in Capital and Class by interrogating the ways in which social theory can be used to understand and analyse 21st-century extra-parliamentary political, cultural and social movements across the world.In particular, the special issue contributes to the field of social and political movements by offering papers that ask (1) how can

This editorial sets the scene for this special issue by unpacking the concept of 'lockdown leisure' as closely linked with the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which spread globally in early 2020 and throughout 2021 and 2022. It provides a snapshot of the parameters of lockdown leisure, outlines the separate articles in this special issue, and considers the medium-to-long term implications of the pandemic for leisure studies. By incorporating perspectives from a plethora of academic disciplines, the special issue advances our understanding of the social, spatial and cultural impacts of the various lockdowns on leisure and our lives more broadly.

Objective:To establish the extent to which Rugby Union was a compulsory physical education activity in state-funded secondary schools in England and to understand the views of Subject Leaders for Physical Education with respect to injury risk.Method:A cross-sectional research study using data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (2000) from 288 state-funded secondary schools.Results:Rugby Union was delivered in 81% (n = 234 of 288) of state-funded secondary school physical education curricula, including 83% (n = 229 of 275) of state-funded secondary school boys' and 54% (n = 151 of 282) of girls' physical education curricular. Rugby Union was compulsory in 91% (n = 208 of 229) of state-funded secondary schools that delivered it as part of the boys' physical education curriculum and 54% (n = 82 of 151) of state-funded secondary schools that delivered contact Rugby Union as part of the girls' physical education curriculum. Subject Leaders for Physical Education also perceived Rugby Union to have the highest risk of harm of the activities they delivered in their school physical education curriculum.Conclusion:Notwithstanding discussions of appropriate measures (i.e., mandatory concussion training, Rugby Union specific qualifications and CPD) to reduce injury risk, it is recommended that Rugby Union should not be a compulsory activity given that it has a perceived high risk of injury and is an unnecessary risk for children in physical education.

On May 15, 2016, reports emerged of a “suspect package” inside Old Trafford minutes before kick-off in Manchester United’s game versus Bournemouth. The “suspect package,” causing a full-scale evacuation, and match postponement, turned out to be a “fake bomb” accidently left following a security exercise. Minimal social research investigates responses from supporters to “security” and “safety” at large sports events. Although the “suspect package,” fortunately, never “materialized,” it represents an important case in English football. Theoretically, this study adopts a frame analysis technique pioneered by Erving Goffman and it empirically examines supporters’ responses to security during the chaotic hours of the “fake bomb” incident, as articulated on an interactive message board. Overall, supporters were satisfied with police and security management’s handling of the incident, although it was questioned how the “fake bomb” was not detected. Importantly, supporters agreed that “safety comes first.”

With the men’s World Cup becoming a distant memory and the Club competitions in full swing, it’s convenient to think that these competitions are distinct and separate. As the World Cup moves across the globe under the jurisdiction of FIFA, it does not operate in a vacuum. Club competitions may operate in fairly stable local, national and regional leagues and cups, but many of their fans also support national teams. The opportunities for fans to meet, share ideas and put ideas they’ve implemented at club level into the international arena are manifest. Media images are replete with fans socialising in fan embassies, or engaging in hooliganism. In this way, localised aspects of fan culture can enter the international arena. Yet the impact on fans is not restricted to club fans influencing the support of national teams. Ideas, laws and redevelopments introduced in international competition can significantly impact how Club fans maintain their supporter culture, as this special issue will highlight.

Collective action and oppositional political activism are firmly established features of any society and pose a challenge to inequality, exclusion and injustice rooted in the oppression of people. Oppressive practices and exclusionary policies are often the catalyst for participation in collective action to generate a conscious move towards social, cultural and political change. Over 100 years ago the suffragette movement in the UK and the nationalist movement in India employed peaceful tactics (viewed as law breaking) with spectacular outcomes and impact which could not have been foreseen. To acknowledge the history of movements globally is crucial in the understanding of new social movements which is the focus of this special issue. Viewed from the perspective of political sociology, the range of interests of social movements is reflected in the articles published in Sociology since the 1960s to the second decade of the twenty first century, with terms such as ‘collective action’, ‘networks’ , ‘democracy’, ‘power’, ‘resistance’, and ‘citizenship’ in their titles. Furthermore, the concept ‘social movements’ has been applied to new areas such as education, for example in the article by Mirza and Reay (2000, included in our collection) which considers supplementary schools as a new social movement. This requires us to reconsider or rethink social movement theory commensurate with contemporary collective action (Ryan 2006, included in our collection). Indeed, a range of theories has been developed over time to understand the rise of social movements and their achievements. This special issue brings together a range of articles with particular ideas about social movements that have developed over a number of decades.