Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

The transference from a modernist to a post-modern society, featuring the greater prominence of individualism and self-reliance, contributed to a decline in civic activity in the 1990s. This paper examines whether this trend persisted in London’s East End community post London 2012 and, if so, what the impact was on West Ham United’s social capital. This paper uses primary data from interviews, surveys, observations and visual ethnography conducted at the Queen Elizabeth Park, Green Street and Carpenter’s Estate in Newham and the Queen’s Yard in Hackney Wick. Results and findings: The findings demonstrate a paradoxical reaction; the loss of the Boleyn Stadium has fundamentally changed both the identity of the club and the social domain, whilst the need to embrace commercialisation was also appreciated. The move to the London Stadium, and the adoption of a new persona for the club, represents a social functional shift towards the convergence of the East End into the elitist culture of a mega-city. However, evidence of “bonding” and “bridging” social capital persist, both positive and negative in nature – will this capital but resilient enough to maintain the traditional kinship of the East London or has the 2012 Games acted as a conduit for social cleansing?