‘Searching for the Heart of Irish Football’ by Barry Masterson
‘Searching for the Heart of Irish Football’ by Barry Masterson
‘Searching for the Heart of Irish Football’ by Barry Masterson
As television contracts and sponsorship agreements exert more and more influence over the sport, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the excess of modern football. Gargantuan, state-of-the-art stadia and perfectly manicured grass are no longer the exception, but the expectation.
But outside of the dominant leagues, football clubs experience a much different reality, similar to the one on display when Ireland-based photographer and designer Barry Masterson visited grounds around the country like Shelbourne FC’s Tolka Park.
The stadium is grimy, windswept and torn apart, with the sheen that comes with fresh terraces decades-gone. Throughout Masterson’s pictures, many of the stands are unmaintained—but also a living history, with each mark or blotch a memory of a specific event in the stadium’s history.
And the fans—the fans are a hardened sort, who understand their team’s place in the larger network of clubs around the world, but who nevertheless continue marching out to support their city week after week, year after year.
Because it’s football, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Be sure to check out Barry’s work at his site, as well his Etsy shop.
