Look at TV footage of England matches from the 1980s and you will see crowds made up almost entirely of white males. England fans back then had an appalling reputation, the result of a violent and abusive minority hooligan element, most visible at matches overseas.
Fast forward to the present day, and not only are there many more female fans, but far greater ethnic diversity in the stands. Parents are also much more likely to take their children to see England than they would have been in the 1970s or 1980s.
For many, Italia 90 began the change. England fans best remember the tournament for New Order's anthemic World in Motion, as well as Paul Gascoigne's semi-final tears following his extra-time yellow card, which meant he would miss the World Cup final. In any event, England lost 4-3 on penalties to West Germany. A huge TV audience watched the drama unfold and the English national team hadn't been so popular since 1966.
"Italia 90 started it and Euro 96 [when England hosted the European Championships] hastened the change," says Ollie Irish, editor of popular fans' website whoateallthepies. "You can't underestimate the role World In Motion and Three Lions played in broadening the game's appeal. Football was rebranded in the 1990s, with the likes of [Three Lions co-writers] Baddiel and Skinner leading the charge."
Another key factor in making English football more inclusive was the improvement in facilities for supporters. After the publication of the Taylor Report into the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster, England's outdated football grounds were transformed into more modern, all-seater stadiums. "This made going to the match more appealing to families and the middle-classes," says Irish.
It also appealed to female fans, says Amy Lawrence, deputy football correspondent for the Observer. "In just a few years, there was a succession of hugely influential changes that transformed the old-fashioned way fans behaved and were treated.
"Once facilities improved, clubs could encourage more women, children and older people to matches. If you went to certain grounds in the 80s, often there wasn't a ladies' toilet – even if there was, it was usually revolting or being used by men. Modern grounds are leisure facilities – it's like going to the cinema. Many more women also go to pubs these days to watch football, which wouldn't have happened so much pre-1990s."
Lawrence was an avid follower of her club from a very young age, but was much less enthusiastic about England. "It was largely because of the hooliganism. Like many others, I was repelled by scenes of English hooligans wrecking pleasant European cities."
She believes the dominant position football occupies within modern popular culture has helped to consolidate its popularity. "Once football was on the back page, now it's also front-page news. Footballers are high-profile celebrities. Everyone knows who David Beckham and Wayne Rooney are."
Racism blighted British football in the 1970s and early 1980s, with the few black players singled out for abuse from the terraces. "Things began to change in the late 1980s, as more high-profile sides signed black players," recalls Lord Herman Ouseley, chair of Kick It Out – the PFA, FA and Premier League-backed campaign that works to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and promotes positive change in football.
"At first it made people aware of the racial issues the game faced, rather than making the game less racist," he adds. "Then it changed the outlook of some fans. Racist chanting declined – partly also as a result of new legislation that enabled the police to arrest perpetrators. More black and Asian people started to attend football matches; it was no longer seen as the preserve of white men," he says.
Peter Saville's modern pattern on the new Umbro England home shirt is reflective of this change to the more multicultural and diverse nature of English football. Taking the St George's cross – in the past an emblem with some sinister connotations in English football – as his starting point, Saville's design has the cross in many different colours.
"It's much more representative of how we understand England today," says Saville, who made his name as a designer of iconic record sleeves for Factory Records (including New Order) during the 1980s. "The England shirt is a talking point. It is not somewhere you would normally expect to have something provocative, but it is an exciting place to see it."
