| The Surrounding Hills of Tabriz Yadegar-E Emam Stadium: A Distinct Form of Sport Consumption |
| Paper ID : 1751-SPORTCONGRESS |
| Authors |
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Ehsan Mohamadi Turkmani * Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran |
| Abstract |
| Introduction: This study explores a historical, hillside-based form of sport consumption among Iranian women who watched football during stadium access restrictions, revealing how gender, family support, and place shape spectator experiences. Tabriz Yadegar-e Emam Stadium sits among surrounding hills. During prohibition-era restrictions on women’s stadium access, some female Tractor FC supporters, with family members, observed matches from these hills, offering a unique vantage point and mode of engagement with football. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted with 23 women aged 15–35. In-depth interviews were used to elicit lived experiences of watching games from the hillside vantage point. Data were analyzed to identify core themes related to observation, protest, and family dynamics. Results: Findings indicate that viewing from the hills functioned as a form of protest and collective action. Family support, particularly from husbands, enabled attendance on the hills. Although distance from the pitch affected viewing quality, this mode of observation produced a distinctive form of sport consumption characterized by intimacy, playfulness, and family bonding—experiences unlikely to be replicated in other contexts. Conclusion: The hillside watching practice expands our understanding of sport consumption under access constraints, highlighting how gender norms, civic protest, and family involvement interact to shape spectator experiences. Implications exist for inclusive access strategies and family-centered approaches to viewing in restrictive environments. |
| Keywords |
| Civic protest, family support, sport consumption, playful feeling |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Oral Presentation) |
