More English than the English? Cricket fan culture in New Zealand

Abstract

This thesis focuses on cricket fan culture in New Zealand. It examines academic theory in relation to sport, sport(s) fandom, cricket, and cricket fandom, and identifies their relevance to human geography. Theoretical constructions underpinned the data collected from New Zealand cricket fans over the course the 2017-18 summer. Cricket fan culture in New Zealand has not had sufficient reasoning to be defined in its own unique manner. Historically a lack of on-field success by New Zealand cricket teams, scarce amounts of domestic cricket being played in New Zealand, and culture clashes with prominent sports in New Zealand, led to stagnation in the development of a cricket fan culture throughout the twentieth century. Research of historical influences on contemporary cricket fan culture in New Zealand is combined with data collected from cricket fans via participant observation and semi-structured interviews. This research determines while that cricket fan culture in contemporary New Zealand mitigates against easy definition, the study of sporting fandom offers much potential for future geographic research Challenging historical and contemporary ideologies of cricket fan culture in New Zealand highlights the complexities, richness, and diversity of sports fandom.