Whether they helped bring down Jose Mourinho, led a march against their club’s owner at Chelsea or pushed back against plans to commercialize the game, fans prove that fan activism is far from a fad. And they’re a force to be reckoned with in the fight for football’s future.

Hundreds of fans gathered outside the Lowry Hotel to block busses that would take Manchester United players on their way to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan for their LaLiga match against Sevilla. They wanted to show their disgust at the Glazer family, which had taken over their team in January and has already made a number of unpopular decisions.

Change for Tottenham, the group that organized this protest, sold flags and scarves that said things like “Enic Out” and “Built a stadium, killed a club.” Many lifelong Spurs supporters feel alienated by their team’s owners and direction under Enic, which has brought financial growth but also sporting decline.

The protests’ success may have come from the fact that it was a small-scale model of Activism of Care, which encourages fans to express their devotion and protectiveness to fandom figures they love (see the ‘Crazy Fangirls’ section). It also tapped into a sense of community that is often found in football — where fans are seen as one big family. It’s a feeling that can be seen in the love fans have for their teams, and their players.