My Five Senses Theory Of A Great Football (Soccer) Atmosphere

This was something I thought about and tried to formulate while I was trying to sleep one night.

From someone who has been to many Toronto FC matches, and watched a wide variety of games with different types of atmospheres, I developed a theory for a great football match-day atmosphere. I believe that in order to produce an intimidating football atmosphere, the atmosphere should attack the five senses that a human being experiences (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste). The five senses is something you would normally learn in early elementary school, but there is an application of such a primary concept to a broad range of subjects. I will attempt to apply the use of the five senses when it comes to going to a football match. Two of the senses are obvious to explain, while the other senses require more explanation.

Sight: This is clear to explain. A visual display is crucial to a great football atmosphere. Supporters could be waving flags in the stands with the team's colours or have a painting or message on it. There can also be the display of banners/tifo by the crowd to either raise their team's spirits, lower the opposing team's morale, or make a statement of some sort. In addition, supporters may let off smoke or pyrotechnic devices (such as flares) to further create an intimidating atmosphere. All of these things make the atmosphere more intimate, and make the opposing team feel more intimidated.

Sound: Another obvious aspect of a football atmosphere. Supporters engage in songs, chants, and banter either to uplift the team they are supporting, or to insult a specific player or the team itself. When enough people in a stadium are engaging in singing or chanting, and especially if it is coming from all parts of the stadium, the sound can be deafening. Furthermore, the acoustic design of a stadium can enhance the sound even further. If you put all these elements together, you can create an atmosphere that is so loud that players in the opposing team cannot communicate properly, which was an issue Barcelona players had when they played in Celtic Park for a Champions League match against Celtic in 2012.

Touch: I think the best way to explain touch in terms of a football atmosphere is being in a tight space in a stand with your fellow supporters. In a packed stand, you are rubbing shoulder to shoulder with other like-minded supporters, and although it may feel like being sardines in a tin, the packed stand creates a feeling of camaraderie. A packed stand with tightly knit supporters can also be used to an advantage, where you can use the touch of supporters to create unique displays. One such example is a display popularized by supporters of the Polish team Lech Poznan. You cannot create a great atmosphere if the stands are sparsely populated and if the supporters are far between each other.

Smell: Certain smells can be associated with football matches and atmospheres. The obvious smell in a supporters section is the pungent, sulfuric smell of smoke bombs/canisters and flares. The smell creates a sense of danger, which not everyone particularly likes. However, for others, that kind of smell (and the visual of smoke) can instill an even greater need to support the team.

Taste: This is the hardest sense to explain in terms of a football atmosphere. There could be a certain type of alcoholic beverage at the stadium, which can help supporters get into the right frame of mind to support a team. There has always been a link between the associated taste of alcohol and the match-day experience, and alcohol lowers the social inhibitions of those who drink it, increasing the likelihood of supporting the team through the other senses.

There can definitely be improvements to this theory, as it is by no means perfect. I just thought it would be an interesting theory to try to compose. I think it makes some sort of sense, just maybe not fully, and I have not seen anything like this mentioned much in my research for this post, other than a few research papers.