Stacey Pope

Stacey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Durham University. She is a leading figure in the sociology of sport in the area of female sports fans. Her book, The Feminization of Sports Fandom: A Sociological Study, was published by Routledge. Women’s experiences as sports fans have been largely ignored by academics but this book tackles these shortcomings in the literature and sheds new light on the many ways in which women become sports fans. The book looks at the growing numbers of women fans entering the traditionally male domain of the sports stadium and is the first study to focus on the phenomenon of the feminization of sports fandom.

Stacey is especially interested in issues of gender, sport and inequality. Her research interests are interdisciplinary, incorporating sociology, history, sport and physical education, gender studies and leisure studies. She is currently the principal investigator for an AHRC project on women sports fans. This consists of two main programmes of work. The first strand focuses upon the experiences of women Newcastle United fans from the 1950s to the present day, revealing the ‘hidden history’ of female sports fans. The second is focused upon the largely neglected area of fans of women’s football. In addition, Stacey has developed research examining how the UK has entered a ‘new age’ of media coverage of women’s sport, with a shift towards greater gender equality.

Stacey regularly receives invitations to present on her research, evidencing her international reputation in the area of gender, sport and inequality. She has a long-term commitment to the dissemination of her research and extensive experience of working with the local, national and international media.