Amateur photographer and lifelong football enthusiast Colin O’Hara brings the atmosphere of the Al Lang Stadium to life in a photo series that celebrates the culture of Tampa Bay Rowdies supporters. With roots tracing back to the 1970s North American Soccer League team and a nod to club legend Rodney Marsh, O’Hara’s images offer a raw and nostalgic view of the football fan experience in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Colin O’Hara’s journey from journalism to amateur film photographer is one deeply entwined with the game he loves. Born in Pittsburgh but raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, O’Hara grew up immersed in the local football scene, eventually finding his place among the loyal fanbase of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The current iteration of the Rowdies, founded in 2008, carries forward the legacy of the original team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1993. It’s a history rich with stories and standout players, including the indomitable Rodney Marsh, who scored 48 goals in 94 appearances and still holds legendary status among fans.

O’Hara’s photos, taken during matchdays at Al Lang Stadium, showcase the raw, unfiltered passion of the supporters and the culture that has come to define football in Florida.

I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. I studied journalism throughout university and worked for a number of publications following graduation. Although I’m no longer in the journalism field, I still consider myself a hobbyist writer, photographer and ‘news junkie’.

First and foremost, I find it crucial to support your hometown club, no matter who it is or where they play. This is why I find myself at every Tampa Bay Rowdies match. Watching football in person is an otherworldly experience; something that cannot be replicated with television or any other sport on earth. It may not be what many across the globe are accustomed to – in terms of numbers of supporters and intensity in the stands – but I love seizing the opportunity to watch my club play live, in front of fans, and catch even a glimpse of how the sport is experienced around the world. 

But like most football supporters in the United States, I do follow the game in Europe quite closely. As a Celtic FC supporter, I helped organize a successful Celtic Supporters Club here in St. Petersburg, and follow the club closely. Celtic is a club I take great inspiration from, not only football-wise, but culturally as well. History of the game, and in sport in general, has always been of great interest of mine. Playing the same sports and supporting the same clubs that many just like me have played for and supported for more than a century just fascinates me and makes me feel connected to the past in a way. 

The Rowdies, shockingly, were the first professional sports team in the area of Tampa Bay, Florida. They predate our American football team, The Tampa Bay Bucs as well as long predating our professional baseball and hockey teams. They are an ingrained part of our history here in the area, and though the current club is a phoenix-club of sorts, having been reestablished in 2010, the origins of the club are still prevalent in the name, team kits, colours and fans. All throughout the stadium, you will find the old school supporters who will tell you about the days where an upwards of 40,000 fans would pack the old Tampa Stadium in the 1970s.

Rodney Marsh is still a legend amongst Rowdies supporters. He was a prolific goal scorer here and legendary off the field. I also loved the fact that he was mates and teammates with another legend, George Best. He’s still a Tampa resident to this day. In modern football terms, I will fight anybody who disagrees that my footballing idol, Luka Modrić is the greatest midfielder we’ve ever seen.

I had always played football growing up, and in fact played competitively until by 34^th birthday earlier this year, so it has always been a part of my life. World Cup 98 was my first big foray into seeing what football meant to the world and was hooked. Having Croatian ancestry, I was excited to see Croatia’s debut on the world stage as an independent nation that year. I was among the millions who were awed at their play when they shocked the world by winning the bronze medal. 

I spent several years covering the Rowdies in a journalistic context for a local publication. I wrote the usual game reports, interviewed coaches and players and got the needed soundbites for quotes, but I felt like that was just scratching the surface of football and left a lot to be desired. I was fortunate enough to work for a paper that allowed me to shift the focus from the stats and play to a more intimate and hands-on perspective, where I’d document the match from the view of the supporters. I loved this perspective where I could share the culture of the game, rather than just the nuts and bolts of a sporting event. I decided to document the season in this manner, but with a more focus on photography, which I did not focus on as much when working as a journalist. I began this project just for myself, but eventually was happy to find the perfect outlet to share these photos. 

I could not afford a proper digital SLR camera during my early years of studying journalism in college. I used my mom’s Canon TX, which she purchased in about 1976 instead. My professor at the time was an accomplished photographer with great experience in film photography and helped me navigate the photojournalism class with the 35mm film camera and I feel very fortunate to have had that experience. I chose to use film for this particular project as it is 2024 and I was of course not the only photographer roaming around the stadium during matches. As I initially did this project myself, I decided that I would like to bring out my old Canon TX (and my FED-4) and shoot the same way photographers did when the Rowdies began in 1975. It also goes back to my earlier statement on my love of sports history; it again made me feel more connected to the past using film. It’s a timeless medium that I think more people are rediscovering. 

There’s an image of a man twirling his shirt in the air and standing on a railing after Tampa Bay scored a goal. That image kind of invokes everything I hoped to capture in this project. The man is a native of Serbia or Bosnia, and having attended matches in that region of Europe, I fell in love with that kind of unfettered, manic passion there. It’s my opinion that there isn’t enough of that behaviour at sporting events in The U.S. and was thrilled to have captured the moment.  

A lot of it goes back to my love of the history of the game. Looking at old football photos from a time were not everyone had access to a camera in their pocket reminds me of how quickly things can be forgotten. It simultaneously reminds me how sometimes having that camera in your pocket can almost devalue a memory with how easy and often we can take a picture. I had to find that happy middle ground of capturing that snapshot in time without diluting it with convenience of the digital age.

Football is timeless. The styles may change and new kits are released every year, but the core of it, the people, remain constant. Its not a fad or a novelty and will outlast us all. It also completely transcends sport itself, bringing in fashions, music, lifestyles and culture into the mainstream. We have a lot to thank for football besides the game itself.  

I tried not to just recreate old football photos, but try and focus on the uniqueness of the game in the United States, particularly here in Florida, where we suffer through unbearable heat and unimaginable humidity throughout the season, as the football is a summer sport in this country. I tried to capture the fact that there are no jackets, parkas, jumpers, sweaters, jeans, hoodies, coats or even sleeves and the only way out of the heat is to drink cold beer. 

Keep up with Colin and his series on the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Instagram and X.

Don’t miss out on Lower Block’s latest news and features. Subscribe to our newsletter below and give us a follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

You may also like…