Zak Water's | Life's A Ball - Football Super Fans, 1990s
A gallery of Zak Waters photographs from his ‘Life’s A Ball’ series.
Taken during the late 1990s, the series documents football “super fans” who take their support to the next level. From Dave Burnley (Burnley FC) to Tango (Sheffield Wednesday), the series is a look at the dominance of football in people’s lives.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Dave chose to support Burnley at a young age. He was going to support Liverpool, but his mate chose them first. He considered following Stoke, but was put off after seeing their team boo’ed off by its own fans one day. Burnley were in the news at the time so Burnley it was. He was expelled from school taking so much time off to watch Burnley and once returned five days early from a trip to Tahiti because a Lancashire cup game was brought forward. He also changed his surname to Burnley in honour of the the club.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Lifelong Bradford City Fans Doris and Norman Binns at their home in Bingley, West Yorkshire. The couple both met on the terraces.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Torquay United superfan Helen Randell with her car in the in the teams colours and her life-size Ruud Gullit cardboard cut out.
Football is not just a sport in the UK; it’s a cultural phenomenon that binds communities, shapes identities, and provides a source of escapism, passion, and connection for fans in every town and city
Photo © Zak Waters.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Photo © Zak Waters.
Gallery first published 8th January, 2023. © Zak Waters / British Culture Archive. All rights reserved.
Zak Waters is a photographer, lecturer and founder of CAMERA.
ZAK WATERS INSTAGRAM / WEBSITE
Life’s A Ball by Zak Waters and Ivor Baddiel is published by Fistful of Books.
All images © Zak Waters, all rights reserved. No usage or reproduction of any kind without prior permission of the copyright holder.
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