Football fans use chants to show support and boost their team’s confidence

A surprising study reveals that more than one in 10 football enthusiasts actually enjoying chanting about their team’s misfortune, with over half (53%) acknowledging that self-deprecating anthems contribute significantly to the games humour.

Regardless of their team facing tough times on the pitch, 46% of fans consider these chants a display of unity, and 43% insist it helps keep morale high even against the odds.

Furthermore, the consensus is that vocal support during matches doesn’t just help raise the spirits but can also be instrumental in motivating players when the going gets tough.

This insight follows research commissioned by Specsavers for their ‘Best Worst Team’ campaign, which features football legend Harry Redknapp and Lioness Ella Toone offering advice to improve Tunley Athletics winning streak.

Combining sport and science, sports psychologist Andy Lane teamed up with Specsavers to deliver a psychological lesson to Tunley supporters, culminating in five fresh chants designed to ramp up the atmosphere in the stands on match days.

Lane states: “Clubs see their fans as the 12th man, and a loud and supportive crowd is often the difference between victory and defeat.”

He further elaborated that chants foster a sense of unity, bolstering motivation and belief, explaining they instil in the team a feeling of playing for something greater than themselves which helps keep them battling on until the final whistle.

Adding to this, he mentioned how it can unsettle opposing teams: “If the opposition hears loud, unified chanting, it will undoubtedly shake their confidence and disrupt their focus.

“If we think back to the 2019 UEFA Champions League semi-final Anfield’s electric atmosphere fuelled Liverpool’s historic 4-0 comeback after losing 3-0 in the first leg, it was the energy of the crowd that made it almost impossible for Barcelona to settle.”

Drawing a comparison with the pandemic, he said: “When matches were played behind closed doors, the difference was dramatic. Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten run at home ended and they lost six consecutive games something that was once unthinkable.

“Our hope is that these chants will make an impact and get the crowd behind Tunley.”

The study also uncovered that 77% of fans believe chants would enhance the atmosphere at grassroots games. Nine out of ten feel music is a crucial part of any football club’s identity whether it’s top-flight teams vying for a Champions League spot or a struggling Sunday league side.

And three quarters of football fans believe it’s their responsibility to cheer on their team and create a motivating atmosphere, even when the odds are against them.

Professor Lane commented: “In grassroots football, it’s not easy to replicate the high-energy environments you’d play in at a professional level, and smaller crowds and less fanfare can make it challenging for players to tap into that motivation.

“It’s about fostering a sense of unity and belief and building an atmosphere that will give them a ‘true’ home advantage.”

Duncan Fear, who has been manager at Tunley Athletic for more than a decade, said: “We’ve faced a lot of challenges as a club over the last few years and it’s easy to lose focus when things just aren’t going our way.

“Confidence is one of our biggest struggles, so to have Andy join our training session and give us a fresh mindset has been game changing. It’s given us a new sense of belief, so we’re excited to see how it translates to better performances on the pitch.

“We’ll be giving our fans something to really rally behind and put our new chants to the test.”