Example: In the 2023–24 English Premier League, Liverpool began with only Merseyside. By December, after beating Sheffield United, Burnley, and Crystal Palace (who had previously conquered large southern swaths), Liverpool’s “empire” stretched from Liverpool to London to the South Coast.
In many colonized countries, football was initially played by the ruling elite and was used as a tool for social control. The sport was seen as a way to instill European values, such as discipline, teamwork, and competition, in the local population. A football map could highlight the establishment of football clubs, leagues, and stadiums in colonized regions, often built and managed by European colonizers. This infrastructure served as a symbol of colonial power and reinforced the dominance of European culture. imperialism football map