Participants wanted for study to under the role of alcohol consumption in football cultures

Date: 31st October 2022

Alcohol FC is a research project looking at the way football fans view and understand their relationship with drinking alcohol.

Alcohol consumption in the UK remains high compared to other countries, and is often associated with watching or attending football matches.​

In this project, Alcohol FC aim to provide new evidence on the role alcohol plays for football fans, to help prevent excessive and binge consumption, violence and other alcohol-related harm.

The research team are looking for participants to get involved with the study.

What is this study about?

This study aims to explore the issue of alcohol consumption for those attending football matches in Scotland and England, gaining insight into: the role alcohol consumption plays for people attending football matches; how current restrictions surrounding alcohol at football matches influences the alcohol consumption of people attending football matches and what differences exist between England and Scotland.

This will be done using a research method known as photovoice where you will lead the research process and capture photos which visually represent your experiences with football and alcohol. This method allows fans to narrate their experiences using their own voices. Photovoice allows participants to reflect on and communicate their concerns and expose any issues with the current system of laws which govern alcohol consumption whilst attending football matches in the United Kingdom.

Do you have to take part in the study?

Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you are free to drop out at any point without giving a reason. If you agree to take part, you will receive £100 worth of Amazon vouchers as a thank you.

What is involved?

If you are happy to take part after you have read the study information, we will first ask you to sign a consent form. You can ask any questions you have about the study before deciding to take part.

• If you agree to participate, you will be invited to take part in a research activity called Photovoice (where people take photos). The purpose of taking photos, and asking for an explanation of the photo, is to help you tell your story with your own pictures. There are two goals for this research activity:
• To enable you as a football fan to record and reflect on experiences of attending football matches in the UK through taking photos
• To promote discussion about important issues around alcohol consumption through talking about the photos taken by all those in the photovoice group (others also doing the same activity).
• You will be asked to attend an online training workshop about the photovoice method and the responsibility of taking photographs.
• Then we will ask you to take photos showing your experience of attending football matches and any alcohol consumption which occurs whilst watching football over a period of 2 weeks. Then the researcher will gather all the pictures and the photovoice group will meet twice with the researcher and other fans to discuss and thematically group the pictures taken and identify those most representing the key issues related to alcohol and football. We will be audio recording the meetings and taking notes.

What will be the benefits for me taking part?

You will not have any direct benefit from taking part. However, the results will be used to: record and reflect football fans’ experiences; promote critical dialogue and knowledge about this issue; to reach policymakers. You will receive £100 worth of Amazon vouchers for taking part.

How confidential are the images and interviews? 

All information gathered will be treated confidentially. We won’t share information about you with anyone other than the research team, and your name won’t appear on any reports or publications which we write about the research. If you choose to take pictures of yourself or others all faces will be blurred in any publications. Anyone else who appears in the images will be de-identified. Images may be used for dissemination but these will be agreed with you beforehand. Also, in doing the research you may find that some people may feel taking pictures is an invasion of their privacy. Some people may not want to have their photo taken, and you cannot take close-up photos of people without their permission. But we will provide you with  training before we start.

What will happen to the results of the research study?

The results of the study will be analysed by the research team and written up into a number of reports/outputs and possibly presented at future conferences. However, your identity will be protected as above.

Who is organising and funding this research?

This research is organised by the Institute for Social Marketing and Health, University of Stirling and is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (Grant Ref: ES/R008485/1)

Who has reviewed this research?

The University of Stirling’s General University Ethics Panel has reviewed this research (GUEP 607).

What happens if something goes wrong or I want to leave the study? 

If something goes wrong or you feel there is a problem and you need to speak to someone within the research team, please contact Richard Purves from the University of Stirling on the details provided below. If, for any reason, you decide you no longer want to take part in the study, please let us know using the contact details below. Your details will be removed from our database and any information you have given us will be deleted.  

Who can I contact for further information? 

If you would like to take part in the research, have any questions or would like to discuss the study in more detail please contact Richard Purves from the University of Stirling r.i.purves@stir.ac.uk

If you would like to speak to someone else not involved with this research or pursue any complaint, you can contact:

Jayne Donaldson, jayne.donaldson@stir.ac.uk

Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, FK9 4LA

Thank you for your participation.

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