The Real Football Factories

Licensor: ZigZag Productions
Channel: Bravo
Type: Documentary
Target Market: Adult males

In the hit Bravo series The Real Football Factories 2006, actor Danny Dyer (who starred in the feature film The Football Factory) travelled through England and Scotland to meet some of the UK’s toughest hooligan gangs. Made by Zigzag Productions in 2006, the 8-part, 1-hour series was a graphic account of the culture of soccer violence, following firms such as Man United’s Red Army, Birmingham’s Zulu Warriors and Burnley’s Suicide Squad, and examining their methods and motivation. It regularly pulled in audiences of 200,000 and the DVD, released by 2Entertain in May 2007, has so far sold over 10,000 copies.

In 2007’s follow-up series The Real Football Factories International, Danny travelled across Europe and South America in search of the world's most bitterly fought derby clashes – both on and off the pitch. Coming face to face with gangs in Holland, Italy, Russia, the Balkans, Brazil, Argentina and other countries, he met hooligans equipped with knives, guns, tear gas, even bombs, and frequently feared for his life.

The experiences of Danny and his film crew during the making of these two series and their insights into the cultural and political reasons for the violence are the subject of an exciting new book.The Real Football Factories will be published by John Blake in January 2008.

Quotes from the book:

‘Every hooligan signs up for fights automatically.
He has to realize that he can be hurt. Sometimes very seriously. And yes, there is a possibility that you will die.’

The Anty Wisla of Cracovia, Poland

‘When we have weapons we fight with weapons;
when we don’t have weapons we fight with no weapons.
What do we use? Everything. Anything. Like in the war.
No rules. In Belgrade, there are no rules.’

The Gravediggers of Partizan Belgrade

• Audience: 200,000
• Licensing: DVD

For more information:

Email: Stuart Cooper
Tel: 0207 317 0963
Mob: 07747 127310