Whatever one’s personal opinions about football, there is no denying that it has a strong influence on the nation’s psyche. However disinterested one may be in the game, it is very difficult not to absorb some knowledge of the infrastructure of the UK’s national sport. Football is woven into the fabric of the nation’s cultural background.
The game has changed out of all recognition over the past 40 years. Then, even the wealthiest and famous clubs had facilities which were antediluvian, with crumbling stadia, unspeakable sanitary arrangements and supporters were caged in like animals to watch matches.
Now, football is an industry, sanitised and gentrified, widening its appeal to sections of society hitherto excluded from “the beautiful game.” The sport is no longer the preserve of white, male, predominantly working-class supporters. Money has poured into the sport, creating a spectacle that is respectable, inclusive and acceptable.
However, there is still an uncomfortable seam of xenophobia, racism, misogyny and bigotry that refuses to disappear from our perceptions of the game. It is this construct that forms the background of Marseille (Away), a pungent platform upon which is built a thoughtful investigation of men’s mental health and how this clashes with the pressure of conforming to an “ideal” of male bonding through the toxicity of football hooliganism.
The play, written by former professional footballer Fraser Dodds, focuses on the inter-personal relationships between four Hammersmith FC fans who are following their team on a Champions League away match in France.
This is an unvarnished, unfiltered exploration of the worst excesses of toxic football violence and loutish behaviour. Absolutely no punches are pulled in the depiction of the behaviour of the group. The language and invective used is brutal, explicit, non-stop and somewhat wearisome. It will offend some. The narrative pulses with testosterone and bellicose antagonistic rage. Yet it possesses a realism that, whilst shocking, is utterly convincing.
I have stood on the terraces watching football and can attest to the authenticity of the language and the rawness of the emotion exhibited in this play. The actors convince as a particular type of supporter; the reaction to their team conceding and scoring a goal, for example, is spot on.
The combative, pugnacious aggression of the dialogue exhibited by the group is not only turned outwards but is also a feature of their own personal interactions. There is a bullying, battling, argumentative thread running through their conversations, forever testing their own tribal loyalties in a deliberately malicious and obnoxious way.
Lighting the blue touchpaper of such unfettered machismo is the casual use of drugs and alcohol by the lads, and the play does not shy away from their destructive corrosiveness.
And yet there are intimations lurking beneath the fug of such pervasive, venomous crassness that hint at the overall, very different, destination of this play.
A typically outrageous forcing of one member of the group to check the testicles of another during the game leads to a discussion of the importance of “checking yer balls”, whilst a sudden diversion into the relative merits of Renoir or Picasso hints that this is not a one-dimensional exposition of the poisonous noxiousness of football hooliganism and violence.
As the play progresses, the discomfort of one member of the group, Sticky, with the emptiness of his lifestyle, and his increasing difficulties with his own mental health issues bubble to the surface, causing widespread ripples of dissatisfaction and discomfiture amongst the other members of his circle. Two members reject Sticky’s growing uneasiness with aggressive contempt, whilst the other, his closest friend, Marco, is sympathetic and empathetic, hesitantly giving Sticky a brusque male-to-male hug, a gesture especially powerful when juxtaposed against the viciousness and violence of what has gone before.
Marseille (Away) succeeds largely because of the strength of the ensemble playing of the actors. Their characterisations are believable, and their mastery of the dialogue helps to drive the narrative forward. All credit to the cast for delivering uniformly strong and dynamic performances.
There is a slightly uneven feel to the production. There is a little too much emphasis and time given to the establishment of the toxic brew of the characters’ behaviours and interactions. This results in a rather rushed introduction of the issues at the very heart of this play, an exploration of the issues surrounding male mental health, and a consideration of the importance of friendship and a sense of belonging.
A smoother integration of these concepts in the development of the narrative would have given even more power to the denouement and the effectiveness of the overall circularity of the plot, which is, in itself, well-conceived.
The investigation of the subculture of football hooliganism and its destructive effects is not new. Peter Terson’s 1967 play Zigger Zagger explores these themes, as does the recent production Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England. John King’s 1996 novel The Football Factory was turned into a moderately successful film. Similarly, the 2005 movie Green Street garnered critical acclaim.
Whilst some may baulk at certain aspects of this production, especially the language, Marseille (Away) ultimately offers a thoughtful, well-nuanced examination of the raw and pernicious effects of violence, bigotry, the demands of peer group pressure and the importance of belonging, all tied up in the metaphor of following your team. In all senses of the word.
Review by Johnny Oxford
“We’re part of a culture that’s unique as f*** mate”.
Marseille (Away) explores the subculture of football hooliganism. The story provides an unfiltered lens on the relationship of four Hammersmith FC fans on a Champions League away day in France.
Liam, aka ‘Sticky’, deeply immersed in the hooligan scene, tries to get out, despite the allure of drugs, alcohol and the influence of friends.
George Craig – Josh
Toby Beynon – Liam aka Sticky
Jack Hyland – Marco
Fraser Dodds – Callum
Written by Fraser Dodds
Nicky Allpress – Director
Holly Vallely – Stage Manager
MARSEILLE (AWAY)
Hen & Chickens Theatre, 11 to 16 August 2025
Presented as part of The Camden Fringe
