US investment interest in Bradford City AFC hints at a new future for the football industry. Despite failing to purchase the League Two team, the investors' plan to model the club’s ownership on the sale of NFTs is an early sign that digitally-based football fandom may be on the way.

The weekly pilgrimage to a stadium may have defined football fandom in the past, but people nowadays have a breadth of ways to engage in the beautiful game. From ‘dark social’ discussions to artsy magazines, passionate support goes far beyond simply spectating.

European football has been plunged into shock as 12 of the biggest clubs in Europe released their plans to form a breakaway European Super League. As reports reached the public and footballing authorities, many have been quick to defame the proposal as one that smells of corporate greed.

The Premier League, one of the world’s most-followed football institutions, has returned for the 2021/22 season after a tumultuous 18 months that has encompassed COVID-19 shutdowns, pitch activism, and fan revolt. The game and its fans are changing, but in which direction remains to be seen.