Shot entirely on 35mm film, Alexander Stone‘s project is a gritty, atmospheric photo series that documents life around Tottenham Hotspur this season – from the iconic South Stand to away days in Liverpool and Frankfurt. Avoiding the polished sheen of modern football media, these images focus on what surrounds the game: scarves, pints, tattoos, flags, fleeting rituals and the people who turn up rain or shine. The result is a deeply personal yet widely relatable portrait of what it means to follow a club, even when the club – and the game itself – seems to be changing beyond recognition. We caught up with photographer Alexander Stone to talk about the project, why he shoots on film, and what keeps him coming back to Spurs after all these years.
Alexander Stone: I was born and raised in Haringey, but now live in Battersea with my partner and our son. I support Tottenham Hotspur, and have done for as long as I can remember. My big brother brought me into it – my first shirt was from the 1991 FA Cup Final, and my first game was Spurs vs. Newcastle at the Lane. I think we won 4–2. I’m also a socio of Racing Club de Avellaneda, a connection from my time living in Argentina, but that’s another story.
“I grew up in a time when having a camera at a match meant you might be accused of being a grass or a journalist, so the first time I saw fan culture being photographed from the inside, I was hooked.”
Alexander Stone
I’m a Story Producer for NGOs, documenting their projects around the world through photography and video. I often work with people from marginalised communities, teaching them how to use cameras and encouraging them to share their stories with me.
Lower Block: Tell us a bit about what does Spurs mean to you, both now and growing up.
AS: It means a lot! Hard to put it into words really. Tottenham gives me a sense of community and belonging. It’s an outlet, a release, an old friend that never goes away no matter how much you p*ss each other off. Just like my photos rarely focus on the football itself, supporting Spurs is as much about everything surrounding the 90 minutes – the rituals, friendships, and rhythms of match day. Certain people, at certain pubs, on certain days – there’s no need to text or plan. They’ll be there. I grew up with great players like Teddy Sheringham, Jürgen Klinsmann, and Steffen Iverson, but my favourite all time Spurs player is probably Dimitar Berbatov. But it changes.
LB: What drew you towards football as a fan? Were there any experiences that connected you to football and the culture around the game?
AS: It’s been so long now, I can’t even remember exactly what drew me in – probably looking up to my older brother. What keeps me here though? At this point, it’s probably something close to Stockholm Syndrome! In many ways I don’t recognise this modern Spurs from the one I grew up with. It’s like a microcosm of the city, how the London I grew up in and have nostalgia for no longer exists. It’s hard not to fall out of love with the modern game: nation states owning clubs, selling hotels to yourself to pass PSR, prices going up and up – you can feel like tapping out. But then something happens. A goal, a signing, a shared moment. And it drags you back in, like Silvio from the Sopranos.
“It’s hard not to fall out of love with the modern game: nation states owning clubs, selling hotels to yourself to pass PSR, prices going up and up – you can feel like tapping out. But then something happens. A goal, a signing, a shared moment. And it drags you back in.”
Alexander Stone
AS: These photos, all shot on 35mm, tell part of my story following Tottenham home and away. I love capturing the details of the game – the stadiums, the people who go, and the atmosphere around it. When I look at the football photography I admire from around the world, it often has this warm, golden-hour glow. But that’s not how I experience most matches. For me, they’re dark, gloomy, shadowy events – and I want that mood to come through in my photos. I try to embrace the blur, the soft focus, the lack of control – because that’s how I experience games. For personal projects, I always tend to shoot on film. There’s something about the delayed gratification and the extra thought required. A shot I’m proud of means more to me on film than it would digitally. I grew up going to matches before camera phones, when taking photos felt off-limits. That energy still lingers in certain moments, which makes the images feel even more meaningful.
LB: Do you have a favourite photograph from this series? Were there any influences in making you want to record your experiences as a fan?
AS: Probably the shot at Frankfurt away, taken through the entrance into the away end, with the Spurs flags in the background. I love the energy of it – the shadows, the mood. With my football photography, composition can sometimes take a backseat to the feel of an image, but I think this one has both. When I look at that photo I can hear the stadium buzz. My favourite photo projects are the ones where I’m shooting something I’d be doing anyway, bringing outsiders into my world for a moment, or where I get brought into someone else’s. I’ve been going home and away with Spurs for 30 years now, and I don’t plan on stopping. These photos are for me – I love making them, it’s part of how I enjoy football. If other people enjoy them too, amazing.
AS: I grew up in a time when having a camera at a match meant you might be accused of being a grass or a journalist, so the first time I saw fan culture being photographed from the inside, I was hooked. I loved the access – knowing what it took to be there and capture those images. Football brings emotions to the surface – good and bad – which makes it a fascinating thing to photograph. Within football photography I am inspired by lots of people including @j_daczkowski, @scottyfrenchhh, @stoppage_time_winner, Frederikke Jensen. Away from football Boogie, @eatenbyflowers, Pau Buscato, and 550BC publishing are people whose work I admire.
LB: What’s next for you?
AS: Bilbao is next – I’ll be shooting the whole trip. After that, I’ve got a rough plan to create a hard-copy project from this season’s Europa League run.
Watch this space… give Alexander a follow on Instagram and keep up with his Spurs project.
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