Super Sunday — Terrace Edition

Words: Katie Isaacs

Images: Katie Isaacs

Shot on Ricoh KR -10, with ILFORD HP5 Plus.

As a young girl growing up in the 2000s, I have always been surrounded by Premier League football in pop culture and became desensitised to the ongoing issues in contemporary British football on all levels; always considering it to be a ‘man’s thing’ and accepting my fate of being a female spectator in a male dominated sport.

Football was (and still is) an intimidating sport to involve myself in, when I would occasionally attend games with my dad or boyfriend, I felt very outnumbered and out of place as a woman.

This year, I was thinking about this concept, and felt a real fascination with football fans and terrace culture, and the phenomenon of British football and how it has incorporated and set up camp in mainstream society, and the norms that have stemmed from it.

The community that the sport has created is intriguing, so I tasked myself to create an initial portrait of the British football community in the form of black and white 35mm.

As a university project, I shot in/ outside football games of different levels; Arsenal vs Manchester City, Stevenage vs Oxford Utd, and Biggleswade FC vs North Leigh.

©Katie Isaacs/ Terrace Edition. Arsenal vs Man City.

I was so charmed to simply see humans being humans, though typically assisted by London priced pints, Bovril, or a reduced price, out of date Coke.

The theme of community is rife within football despite its flaws, and it has become a safe place for many individuals, especially men who possibly struggle to express themselves in other settings. I feel grateful to football for providing home for many men I care about in my life.

In addition to the grounds I visited, it was an indispensable contrast to explore local parks and fields and demonstrate the presence of humanity and years of memories, simply by photographing the empty land.

Their presence remains in the boot ripped grass despite their absence, and the aura of an enormous community is sprinkled around these local areas.

Super Sunday (2023) ended up as an observation of British culture, and how we have immeasurable strength to be bonded over a particular event.

©Katie Isaacs/ Terrace Edition . Biggleswade FC.

I noticed cracks in the glass, though a combination of testosterone and alcohol doesn’t go missed, and I felt a level of discomfort wherever I went.

This is something I seek to explore further with my next projects, and explore football from the perspective of minority groups, and the historical, patriotic cynicism of the British population.

I intend for the images to be viewed as a demonstration of the community and the presence it has within modern British culture, and possibly invoking some reflective ideas on how to combat or identify the negative aspects that are also present.

For its role in football photography archives, I want my perspective to be seen and acknowledged as a young English woman, as well as an individual who is not in the thick of it.

©Katie Isaacs/ Terrace Edition. Stevenage grassroots.

©Katie Isaacs/ Terrace Edition. Stevenage vs Oxford United.

You can find Katie on Instagram: @shotbykatieisaacs and on X: @shotbykatie

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