This paper holds that study and analysis of British fan culture is helpful to people’s understanding of Western culture and enhances intercultural communication. Through analyzing the British fan culture and its development, it is possible for readers to summarize and conclude British fan culture features. The practical aim of this paper is to provide a reasonable reference to the establishment of Chinese football fan culture.

2 Brief Description of British Football Fan Culture

Not only is England the home of football, it is also the origin of football fan culture. It is in the stadiums in England where chants and hooligans emerged first. So for almost every football fan in the world, attending a match in England, is like watching the Red Sox play at Fenway Park or drinking a beer at Munich's Oktoberfest. It is as authentic as it gets. But if you want to go to London to hear a crowd sing for 90 minutes or to see some hardcore hooligan action, you will more than likely be disappointed. The atmosphere in t stadiums has become worse over the last years, just like in many other countries as well. It is an inevitable result of increasing ticket prices, different crowds, the conversion of terraces into seating areas and so on. However there are still matches where the atmosphere is just stunning.

2.1 Origin of British Football Fan 

Generally speaking, the origin of the British football fan is not static but gradually grows stronger with the development of Britain modern football. England is not only the birthplace of modern football, but also the cradle of developing modern football. There have been many investigations on the origin and development of modern football. To some extent, these investigations are like archaeology, for the origin of the British football fan has a long history for about 200 years.

Investigators include those who crave for greatness and success and those whose judgment is blinded by narrow nationalist, so the legend that “modern football originated in the 13th century” is always spreading all over the United Kingdom. This argument is just a joke, but at that time, it also had a kind of old football: two neighboring villages in the southeast of England would get together once a year, the young and the old, women and children chasing a ball in the wilderness to compete for the honor, which is not the modern football at all.

The fact of this origin is closely related to the temporal background of politics, economy and humanism. In the early 20th century, the economy of the United Kingdom entered the era of mass production due to the first industrial revolution. A large number of unemployed people in rural areas went into the cities, and the cities expanded rapidly. Meanwhile, the British trade whose influence spread all over the world gave birth to a very efficient information network transferring the global information.

Under such background, some children in the exclusive school of the suburban London started to play football games in their spare time. To a large extent, the school encouraged student to participate in sports in team work so as to keep them strong and healthy and foster their sprit of team work.

Football at this time had no rules at all. Everybody ran in the muddy land under the rain, kicking football by hands and feet, showing the power of youth. Hence, onlookers, at this time students, can be regarded as the original football fans in the history.