Abstract:
Modern multifunctional areas are designed to host a wide range of various
events and provide comfortable space for both football fans and other guests. Modern
arenas are places where ‚multi-sensory’ and ‚omnivorous’ needs of fans are met:
As such, stadiums have become ‚machines for living’. This has serious social consequencesfor the segregation of fans – hardcore vs. casual consumer fans – that is built in the arena. This article analyzes the role of modern sport arenas in shaping the
commercial dimension of contemporary football. Architects of stadiums, and the
people who are in charge of marketing and management of the space of these arenas,
play essential roles in the process of commercializing the sports space. The analysis
is based on material obtained from archival research and in-depth interviews (IDI)
with these key actors.