John Bale highlights the changing nature of 'football space', the growing rationalization and modernization of the British football landscape and the impact of football on the urban environment. Initially played in open spaces, football now takes place in highly enclosed, confined spaces. Employing the ideas of cultural theorists and geographers, the author explores the gradual territorialization of football. Traditional football landscapes have helped to create a sense of place-pride for many fans; for many local citizens, however, the stadium and the game remain a source of annoyance or fear. New economic demands are increasing the pressure on many clubs to relocate and to situate the stadium within the more lucrative structure of suburban leisure complexes. Fans are markedly less keen than developers on such a move. With the prospect of the loss of a sense of place the simple enjoyment of the game has been transformed into political activism. The cultural distinctiveness of the British football environment is emphasized, though the British situation is contrasted with that in North America and other parts of Europe.

This collection uses spatial concepts and examples to examine the nature and development of sporting practices. It shows how the study of built environments such as gymnasiums and football stadiums can provide unique information about the body.

brings together research in geography, sport studies and related disciplines includes cases from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas fascinating reading for anyone with an interest in sport and politics, sport and society, or human geography

Filling a gap in the literature on the history of sport in Europe, the book brings together complementary studies on diverse aspects of the interrelation between sport and urban space. Going from geography to political science, from sports history to urban and transport history, it suggests a three-fold approach. A first thematic group of researches ranges around "Sport Development and Urban Spaces", exploring the impact of the city on the rise of sport. A second focal point is related to "Sport Policies and Local Identities" with a special attention given to the making of sport venues and competitions in the making of urban identity. A third thematic group includes studies on "Sport Facilities, Engineers and Workers". The articulation of the three parts builds a unique contribution to the process of identity making at a European level. This book was published a sa special issue of the International Journal of the History of Sport.

This well-illustrated book is the first to explore the stadium as the principal container of the modern urban crowd and a place where thousands of people gather to take part in what often appears to be modern 'religious' rituals. Is the stadium a prison, a garden or a theatre? Do new stadiums contribute economically to the places in which they are built? Drawing on examples from Europe, North America and China, this book ranges from historical studies of stadium growth to current reviews of stadium development, exposing the stadium as a major element of the modern urban scene.

Skateboarding is both a sport and a way of life. Creative, physical, graphic, urban and controversial, it is full of contradictions – a billion-dollar global industry which still retains its vibrant, counter-cultural heart. Skateboarding and the City presents the only complete history of the sport, exploring the story of skate culture from the surf-beaches of '60s California to the latest developments in street-skating today. Written by a life-long skater who also happens to be an architectural historian, and packed through with full-colour images – of skaters, boards, moves, graphics, and film-stills – this passionate, readable and rigorously-researched book explores the history of skateboarding and reveals a vivid understanding of how skateboarders, through their actions, experience the city and its architecture in a unique way.

In this fully revised and updated edition of his classic, discipline-defining text, John Bale comprehensively explores the relationships between sport, place, location and landscape.