It’s an art of protest (identity), and presence. Banners hanging in away ends, painted walls near stadiums, stickers covering every lamp post, football and street art go hand in hand. Fan culture has always found its voice in visual expression. Today, that influence has expanded, terrace fashion is now a pillar of UK streetwear. The rise of “football casuals” in the 80s introduced designer sportswear into the stands.
At that time — this type of meticulously groomed appearance was unknown to the mob. From Manchester to Moscow (the flavour trends in modern craft culture notoriety of their wearers helped brands to spread throughout Europe), resulting in logos today that hold significant social meanings transcending borders among football enthusiasts.
Rituals that fans once cherished have been transformed by commercial decisions, including late kickoffs, premium seating, and last-minute changes to fixtures. Matchday choreography incorporates elements of worker solidarity and community initiatives. Public defenses of racist chants targeting players represent another issue that strains the relationships between clubs and teams.
I have played, trained and followed soccer all my life and am a big fan of FC Schalke 04. I come from the “soccer heart” of Germany, the Ruhrpott. Their drums will keep beating, their flags will keep flying, and the delicate dance with the clubs they love will continue to define the soul of the game in stands across the world. They remind everyone that football is not just a business or a show, it’s a repository of identity, and they are its most fervent defenders. At its best (it creates the most electrifying stadium environments in sports), fosters deep community and local identity, and holds clubs accountable to their history and traditional supporters.
Rituals and symbols associated with ultra culture.
Visual extras are not limited to flags — flares, banners, coordinated movements, and collective singing. Emotional (cultural), and sometimes political dimensions define their role. The community-driven acts of solidarity and support highlight the social nature of Ultra culture — where loyalty to the club is complemented by a sense of responsibility towards the community. By engaging in these actions — Ultras express a message and foster an atmosphere that intensifies the emotional and psychological experience of the match, ensuring their impact is felt by both players and fans. Included among these symbols are flags (scarves), banners, and flares, which frequently feature club colors and logos, turning stadiums into visual art canvases.
Historical Fan Culture
The most popular football clubs with devoted fans are FC Pyunik (FC Urartu), FC Shirak, and FC Ararat Yerevan. The United Kingdom did not develop an ultras subculture at the same time as continental Europe. On 1 June 2018, the DFB introduced Monday games for the 3rd league, which prompted the ultra groups to pull back from the dialogue.
The original hincha was Prudencio Reyes — a member of Nacional of Montevideo’s backroom staff whose job was to inflate footballs (hence ‘the puffer’). In South America, the British community had introduced football in the last decades of the 19th century, and it remained a sport for the elites in the early 1900s when a new kind of fan emerged – el hincha , the puffer,. In the 1890s, we see the first records of politically motivated football violence as sectarian rivals clashed in Belfast, but organised ‘hooliganism’ was still decades away. It was the first time a northern or working-class team had won the trophy — and the game stayed majority working-class, at least in the terraces, if not the boardrooms. It’s easy to forget that football was not originally designed to be a spectator sport; it was a pastime for rich gentlemen to recreate the ‘foot-ball’ of whatever code that was that they played at school and university. The creation of songs — tifos (a specially orchestrated display of banners), and flags, and the orchestration of the singing and chanting during the match will be led by a few senior protagonists.
What do the people actually want and why do they do so much for their football club? Why couldn’t he use this time to approach the fans? The word “war” goes too far for some people. By the time Dynamo Dresden’s video was uploaded to YouTube by the German tabloid Bild, I had been researching and writing about ultras as a part of my doctoral research over a span of ten years. Some pressure players and boards on club decisions, while others negotiate with authorities to preserve traditions within evolving commercial pressures.
Ultras are known for creating intense atmospheres in stadiums through elaborate displays , tifos,, vocal support, choreographed chants, the use of musical instruments (like drums), and the use of pyrotechnics (flares, smoke bombs). Fanatical support (loyalty), unity, community, identity, intimidation, anti-commercialization, nonconformism, self-expression, collective belonging They attend matches religiously, often traveling long distances to support their teams, and they embrace a profound sense of identity and belonging within their fan groups. The intersection of ultras with politics (incidents of hooliganism), and concerns about fan violence have cast a shadow over their unwavering support. The interplay between ultras culture, politics, and the efforts to ensure safety and order in football stadiums is a multifaceted and evolving narrative. Incidents of hooliganism and fan violence have cast a shadow over the ultras community, tarnishing their reputation and raising concerns about the safety of matches.
Both parties agreed on a consensus, or at least a convergence, regarding promotion rules for the Regionalliga , regional league,, kick-off times, permitted fan items, and stadium bans. Eventually — the pressure on the DFB became so great that in August 2017, they announced that they would refrain from issuing collective punishments until further notice and offered a «serious dialogue this time.» Following these agreements, a similar protest against the association took place nationwide during the first round of the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) in August 2017. A large number of Ultra groups sought dialogue in order to organize a joint protest.
Far-right symbols, racism, and stadium sanctions
There has also been a change in the way violence is viewed — leading to conflicts and separations even within groups. With the turn of the millennium — many Ultra groups took responsibility in the stands to contribute to the atmosphere, superseding individual fans and unorganised groups. Ultras tend to be more conspicuous when they travel, proudly displaying their scarves and club colours while arriving en masse, which allows the police to keep a close eye on their movements. Some hooligans try to be inconspicuous when they travel; usually not wearing team colours, to avoid detection by the police. Unlike hooligan firms, whose main aim is to fight hooligans of other clubs, the main focus of ultras is generally to support their own team. Ultras groups have been responsible for many cases of football hooliganism and violence (although differently from hooligan firms), ultras do not have the explicit objective of fighting other fans.
Flares and smoke are part of the visual language in some countries. Active support looks like constant chants, drums, megaphones, and coordinated banners. Ultras organized around relentless support, not street fighting, and that focus on pageantry changed how clubs and fans interact. Over the decades — the movement spread across Europe and beyond, influencing football culture in South America, Asia, and even parts of North America.
Various aesthetic elements serve to explicitly convey and showcase political beliefs. While certain Ultra groups uphold an apolitical stance (many are closely associated with both far-right and far-left political ideologies), including occurrences of neo-Nazism and fascism. The established visual code has played a role in spreading the aesthetic internationally and influencing recent trends in mainstream streetwear. This fashion functions as a ‘declaration’ of one’s integral place in society, while also embodying a movement that navigates its peripheries, allowing individuals to subtly indicate their loyalty. Emerging brands like the English Weekend Offender and Ma.strum — direct heirs to the Ultras aesthetic, have also achieved success within the community.