Top 5 Football Casual Films – Voted By the RD1 Community
The transfer window’s open, the buzz is building, England’s women smashed the Euros as champions and that matchday itch is back. Football season is just around the corner. But let’s be honest, for us at RD1, it’s never just about football. The culture. The crack in the pub enroute. The build-up in the concourse. The soundtrack of singing, shouting and the clobber on your back.
We asked the RD1 community over on our socials to settle it once and for all, what are the greatest football casual films of all time? You responded. And now, the votes are in.
These films don’t reflect football culture today, not really. They’re exaggerated, dramatised and often soaked in violence. What they capture is a moment in time. An era where matchday was something else entirely. Not always better, but definitely louder, rougher and dressed to the nines.
Now, football’s grown up. It’s dads and kids, grandads and grandsons. It’s about keeping traditions alive without the aggro (maybe a little). But those films? They’re still part of the story. Here are the Top 5 Football Casual Films – Voted By the RD1 Community:
1. The Football Factory (2004)
No surprises here. The Football Factory came out swinging in the early 2000s and left a dent in the culture. Danny Dyer at his peak, playing Tommy Johnson, a Chelsea lad completely consumed by weekend violence, firm life and the ticking clock of his own self-destruction.
It’s dark, loud, and brutally honest. There’s no glamorising here, just a gritty look into a lifestyle that’s as exhausting as it is addictive. The pub scenes, the punch-ups, the comedowns. It captured something raw.
And the football casual clothing in this film? Timeless. Henri-Lloyd, CP Company, Stone Island, Aquascutum, Burberry are all the high end terrace staples that still get a run-out today, just without the claret on the collar.
2. The Firm (2009)
Nick Love’s reboot of The Firm took the 1989 cult original and dialled everything up to eleven. More colour, more chaos and a soundtrack that practically demands a pint.
This time we follow Dom, who gets caught in the orbit of Bex, a charismatic, tracksuit-wearing ringleader of a firm who mixes charm with threat in every sentence. The plot’s familiar, but the visuals are what really hit.
Track tops and terrace trainers. Sergio Tacchini, Fila and Ellesse. Lads head-to-toe in terrace wear that still holds weight today.
3. The Firm (1989)
The original. The blueprint. Gary Oldman as Bex, colder, smarter, sharper. This version of The Firm is more unsettling than explosive. Less posturing, more pressure. You can feel it building.
The violence comes slow, the tension builds quietly and the terrace clothing is pure understated swagger. No football tees. No scarves. Just clean bomber jackets, tucked in shirts and the sharp edge of the early casual scene.
It’s not about shouting who you are, it’s about knowing.
4. Away Days (2009)
Underrated, until you’ve seen it. Away Days captures a different corner of the scene: 1979 Wirral, all post-punk music, Adidas Forest Hills and men looking for purpose in chaos.
Carty, the main lad, doesn’t just want the violence, he wants to feel like he belongs. The Pack, the firm he joins, mixes Bowie with brutality. It’s about expression. A subculture built on defiance and clobber.
Wedge haircuts. Smocks. Suede. Trainers so fresh you’d wipe them down with your sleeve before every away match.
5. I.D. (1995)
A sleeper pick and one of the most psychological of the bunch. I.D. follows an undercover copper who infiltrates a firm and slowly loses grip on who he really is. The closer he gets, the more he becomes like them.
It’s darker than the rest, more psychological, and stripped of the stylised flair. The football casual clothing in the film is more practical: Harringtons, double denim, MA1 bombers. It’s the working-class backbone of terrace fashion.
Nod to Green Street (2005)
Plenty of votes came in for Green Street. It didn’t make the top five, but for many, it was their introduction to the world of football firms and terrace life even if the accents were ropey.
It’s got heart, big swings and loyalty front and centre. It’s a classic for a reason.
The Modern Matchday
These films belong to a different era. A louder, rougher time in football culture. But today? Today looks different.
Matchday now is about mates, memories and moments with family. It’s the same clobber, just worn in peace. It’s your little lad in his first track top. Your dad in the same brand he wore in 80’s. The same sense of pride.
At RD1, we’re part of it. Mickey backs Arsenal. Lewis is Millwall through and through. Liv bleeds blue for City. George won’t shut up about QPR. Every Saturday during the season, we’re checking the score and one of us is probably out there, pub to pitch, wearing the badge, the brands and the culture.
Come chat with us on TikTok, every day at 5pm. It's match day chat, every day.
Final Whistle
So, there you have it the Top 5 Football Casual Films – Voted By the RD1 Community. The five films that defined a generation of football casual cinema. They’re raw, intense, a bit mental at times, but they’re part of the history. They remind us where we came from, even if we’ve moved on.
Get ready for the new season with terrace wear and football casual clothing at RD1 Clothing today.
