Episode
Turf Wars Part Two: The History of Football Hooliganism
- Published
- Feb 24, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3452
- Processing state
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- https://shows.acast.com/it-was-what-it-was/episodes/turf-wars-part-two-the-history-of-football-hooliganism
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Summary
Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. In this second part of our two-part special on football hooliganism, co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper trace the roots of football violence from the 1890s through to its transformation into organised ‘firms’ in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. They discuss the origins of the word ‘hooligan’, early crowd disorder and FA crackdowns, and how post-war prosperity, youth subcultures, away travel and ‘taking ends’ helped create a new kind of fan conflict. The episode also covers the European and England-team flashpoints of the 1970s and 80s, the political and policing response to the Popplewell Report, with later links to post-Hillsborough reforms and why large-scale hooliganism declined. You can listen to this episode ad-free over on our Patreon - Follow the link here - or go to Patreon.com and search for It Was What It Was. You will also get access to our World Cup countdown, magazine retrospectives and bonus episodes as well as a monthly Q&A with Rob and Jonathan. 01:39 Where the Word ‘Hooligan’ Comes From (1890s London) 04:03 Football Fever: Mass Crowds and Class Anxiety 12:17 What Early ‘Hooliganism’ Looked Like: Pitch Invasions & Crowd Control 17:43 Players Under Attack 20:25 Fan-on-Fan Violence Emerges & the Rise of Away Travel 22:08 Cup Finals, ‘Football Specials’ & Patronising Press Panic 27:27 Post-War: The 60s–70s Gangs Are Coming 29:02 Teddy Boys, Rock ’n’ Roll Panics & Mods vs Rockers 31:02 Merseyside: Away Travel & the Rise of Chanting 36:53 Taking Ends: Territory, Undercover Trouble & the New ‘Game’ 41:58 Europe & England Abroad: From Paris 1975 to Euro 1980 44:00 1980s Casuals, Designer Gear & Firms Arranging Fights 48:43 1985: Luton–Millwall, Heysel, Thatcher &a…