Ultra Fans

Recent Observations for The Observer

The Roman Empire faltered at Falkirk. Either the Romans recognised their limits or admitted the barren Highlands weren’t worth conquering. The final frontier runs not along Hadrian’s famous wall (begun in 122 AD) but sixty miles north at the 40-mile-long Antonine Wall (begun in 142AD). A few forward camps and ‘Glen-blocker’ forts are found at the distant horizon.

Little did the Romans know that 1,900 years later, at the site of the Antonine Wall, the wild, primal screams of Caledonians would continue to rise – at least on match days, thanks to the local Ultras. The Ultras movement originated in modern Italy (Ultra means ‘on the other side’ or ‘beyond’ in Latin), but the Romans would have recognised the battle cries of these football fans.

Sports writers are prone to hyperbole, as I am here, but journalist Rory Smith is better than that and can reveal the wonder of the things as they are. He and I have collaborated on pieces about German footballer İlkay Gündoğan, Greenland’s week-long soccer season and even on his final piece as the New York Times’s chief soccer writer. I like Rory’s work for many reasons, but primarily because he focuses on the spirit of the game and the human story of football. In so doing, he shows up the corporate emptiness in the international soccer world.

He has recently started writing for the Observer, and we collaborated on a piece published yesterday focusing on the 12th man.

For years, I photographed football, from junior matches to international fixtures. These juniors were not kids with jumpers as goalposts but rather full-grown men knocking lumps out of each other. I saw fights, broken limbs and even a streaker who magically vanished into the tiny 100-seat stands. The venues were places of pure sporting grassroots passion and where I learned a lot of juicy phrases. But more importantly, I saw that the great secret of sports photography was to focus on life off the pitch.

My brief at Falkirk for Rory’s recent piece was to observe the Ultras. I got my hi-vis bib, a media lanyard and rations of shortbread to endure the chilly hours pitchside. We met our Ultras contacts as they raised their warring banners. They were generally young and energetic but included some oldies too.

During the game, I was behind the goal, facing away from the pitch and the other photographers. After some initial shots, I walked around the stadium and made images of more distant subjects with the camera resting on my bag to avoid image shake. I experimented with slow shutter speeds to create a sense of drama and energy.

At half-time, Falkirk were a goal down, so I focused on the temporarily elated Dundee Ultras. For the second half, Falkirk were shooting toward their own fans, so I watched and waited for the moment, and then it came.

When Falkirk scored the equaliser (actually an OG by Dundee’s goal-scorer) the stands went wild, but it got better as the light and drama matured.

A minute from the end, I knew the shot was about to arrive when the Ultras stood still, frozen except for their gaping mouths and heads slowly tracking the ball. I fired the shutter as the ball entered the net. Mania ensued.

The Falkirk team celebrated right beside me, but I kept looking at where they were looking at their Ultras! I love the mix of disbelief, joy and swagger in those faces.

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