Photographer and Spurs fan Sam Cornish on moving to London from Down Under, following Tottenham Hotspur, and immersing himself in British football culture and his photography.
Sam Cornish‘s journey from Sydney, Australia to East London perfectly demonstrates the pull power of the British game.
As a kid, Cornish was transfixed with the game, staying up until the early hours to watch the Premier League. Attending matches with his Dad, he caught the football culture bug early. The passion, atmosphere and noise generated by supporters had him hooked.
After finishing his studies a new adventure called, leaving friends and family behind to following his dream of being able to watch ‘his’ team week in week out, and live the match day rituals that come with it.
A brief scroll through Cornish’s social media pages provide plenty of proof of the authentic love and he’s developed for British football culture and Tottenham Hotspur. It’s something that he, like so many other fans and photographers, feel their clubs could do so much better, rather than just churning out commercial content that has little or no relevance to their core fanbase.
Lower Block: Sam, where are you from and what do you do, apart from taking photographs?
Sam Cornish: I’m originally from Sydney, Australia. I moved here six years ago after I finished university. This was something I always wanted to do since I was a kid, as my dad is English and it’s a bit of a rite of passage for a lot of Aussies. I’ve been living in East London since then and love it here.
I work in hospitality. I love my job and the people I work with. I’ve always enjoyed interacting with people and making connections. It’s a special industry to be a part of and every day is different with new challenges. Although, occasionally it can be tricky getting weekends and evenings off for games, so I’m grateful that I can catch most of them.
LB: Tell us about supporting Spurs, how did that come about?
SC: When I moved to London I had this dream of being able to go to the football every week. That might seem really bland to some, but growing up football obsessed in Australia you feel so detracted from the English game on many levels. I’d be up at in the middle of the night to watch games and be off to school with no sleep, so the idea of being able to jump on the Overground for 20 minutes up to White Hart Lane for a 3pm kick off is just crazy.
I started to do exactly that and go to Spurs every week. Wembley was a bit of a blessing for me as I was able to get tickets without too much hassle and I didn’t miss a game. It wasn’t until I went on my first away day where I properly fell into this thing and what it means to be Tottenham. I was scrolling through Twitter trying to find a spare ticket for Palace away, and got lucky. I got myself down there as quick as I could to meet up with the seller. He asked who I was with, and I told him I’d come on my own. “You’re with us today then”, was his response. Years later, Dom has become one of my closest friends in London and we link up before and after every match. I’ve been so fortunate to find my people and my place in this club and its culture, as everyone knows memories and moments are best shared.
LB: What are your earliest memories of football, and how have those experiences connected you with the game today?
SC: Growing up, my dad used to take me to the football almost every week. We’d go to our local team Sydney FC together, until I was old enough to go with my mates and stand in the home end. This was my first real taste for football culture and atmosphere, little did I know how much of a hold it would have on me. I’ve always been drawn to the singing, the noise and electricity of a crowd that is riding the rollercoaster of a game. I still feel like that kid now when I’m at White Hart Lane and the volume hits those crackling levels.
I’ve always been fascinated by football culture. Growing up in Australia, there obviously isn’t the history and the sheer volume of support that there is here in the UK, so the culture is very different. My dad brought me to a handful of games in England when I was younger while we were on holidays; Man United, Chelsea, Fulham, Everton to name a few and the thing that always absorbed me was the atmosphere. A complete contrast to what I was used to in Australia, noise that crackled and felt like it was going to take the roof off.
Sam Cornish
“I’ve always felt that there’s been a huge disconnect with football clubs and their fans in regards to the images that they share on social media.”
LB: Tell me a bit about this project – how did it come about and what was your inspiration for it?
SC: There’s been number of inspirations behind this project. About 18 months ago I bought my first serious camera, a Fujifilm X100V. I wanted to start documenting Tottenham from the stands and streets. There’s so much magic in the match day routine. Whether it be people’s walk from the station to the ground, their regular pub, the café they eat at, or all the other rituals that make the day special outside of the 90 minutes.
A big inspiration was Martin Andersen’s book, ‘Can’t Smile Without You’. I heard about his work listening to my favourite Spurs podcast, The Fighting Cock. It’s incredible stuff, capturing the old White Hart Lane in all its glory. His work really immerses you amongst the fans and the energy in such a tangible way. I strongly recommend all Spurs fans take a look at it.
I’ve always felt that there’s been a huge disconnect with football clubs and their fans in regards to the images that they share on social media. I really wanted my content to help people feel that connection again and remind us all why we do what we do, especially when the going gets tough. Win, lose or draw, clubs fill their feeds with images of products, players and meaningless videos of the team looking disinterested doing yoga. We all know it’s the fans that make football happen and without them, it would cease to exist. I think the clubs, especially Tottenham are missing a huge trick by not trying to share people’s stories of why they support the club through thick and thin and what it means to them. I’ve always hoped my pictures and videos could tell these stories and forge that connection between fans and the club.
LB: Do you have a favourite photograph from this series?
SC: That is really tough. I think the standout has to be the Harry Kane goal against Chelsea where he’s wheeling away in celebration. I was sat right up the back of the Park Lane so was able to capture the chaotic limbs all the way down that single tier stand and right round the ground to the silence and still in the away end. The pictures that followed the full time whistle were just as special. The fans flooded the concourse to celebrate together and with the light was pouring in it was unreal.
“This country is so rich with culture that is intertwined with football, music, fashion, travel and food and drink. I’m constantly immersed in it and I don’t think it’d ever be able to unplug, for better or worse.”
Sam Cornish
LB: As a photojournalist and a fan, how would you try and describe football culture here in the UK?
SC: There’s something about football that brings out the most raw emotion and moments in us all, sometimes to our detriment, but it’s so unusual in life to have thousands of people let their guard down and feel things all at once together. It’s beautiful and I think it’s one of my biggest fascinations with football photography.
All of the things I’ve mentioned were a big factor in why I moved half way across the world from family and friends to be here. This country is so rich with culture that is intertwined with football, music, fashion, travel and food and drink. I’m constantly immersed in it and I don’t think it’d ever be able to unplug, for better or worse.
LB: What advice would you pass on to other photographers and fans taking on a similar project?
SC: Don’t get precious with your camera. You can’t take pictures if you leave it at home. It’s obvious and simple but when I first bought my camera I was hesitant to take it out a bit because it was a lot of money for me at the time, but a friend told me to just dive into it and take it everywhere you go. I have a camera on me almost every day now and am able to snap some great moments I otherwise wouldn’t have.
LB: What’s next for you?
SC: I’ve just recently launched a web store for my pictures where you can order prints. I had a few requests from people asking if they could purchase them somewhere which was really flattering, so I went and set it up.
Longer term, I think I’d like to put a photo book of my own out, maybe at the end of the season or maybe it’s one that needs a few seasons behind it. Even if it’s just a handful of copies, having pictures in front of you that you can touch just hits different. I’d also like to put together a bit more of a long-form film, everything I’ve made so far has been geared towards Instagram, TikTok and Twitter to try and pull some engagement, but it would be nice to have a bigger project to work towards.
Keep up with Sam and his project from N17 on Twitter and Instagram – and make sure you check out his Shopify page.
If you enjoyed that, you’ll also love Martin Andersen’s photographs from his book, Can’t Smile Without You.
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