Branding women’s football in a field of hegemonic masculinity

Abstract

The aim of this article is to identify discourses and practices which are entrenched in women’s football and define the conditions in which it operates. The empirical material is based on a discourse analysis with examples taken from web pages of clubs and the teams, with other more interactive sites like discussion forums and guest books also being analysed and discussed. The theoretical approach is based partly on discourse theory, but also on two approaches intended to be combined and used continuously in the analysis: brand management and hegemonic masculinity.