A fans club is an organized group of fans, generally of a

celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in spor ...

. Most fans clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to support them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person or organization the club is centered on. This is the case for many musicians,

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

s teams, etc. People in a fans club usually have either a

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are genera ...

or a pin to indicate which fans club they are a part of. All fans clubs have unique paraphernalia that are given or sold to fans to use as an indication. Barbz, who support

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accents ...

, Hollanders, who support Tom Holland, Carats, who support Seventeen, and A.R.M.Y who support BTS are examples of a fans club.

Etymology

The origin of the term fan in reference to a dedicated zealot is unclear. The word may have emerged in the 1800s, when boxing supporters were said to take a “fancy” to pugilistic sports. Among modern sports fans, however, the title is considered a shortened version of the word fanatic, as in “boxing fanatic,” an indication of the dedication of fan club members.

Functions

Larger fan clubs may organize events and

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

relating to what they are based on. In some cases, the money that is raised goes directly to fan club members or to fund the club itself. There are two main kinds of fan clubs, there are fan clubs that do not require an official registration process and others that do. Fan clubs that do require a formal registration usually require a membership fee. Different fan clubs have different systems, however most clubs have an annual membership fee. These fees will be used to run the foundation. If the fan clubs are for certain fashion brands, they may use those fees for advertisement. The term groupie is a slang that is commonly used in reference to fans of a particular musician, band, or celebrity who follow the group- or individual- while they are touring, or who attend as many of their public appearances as possible. The word is often used to describe female fans seeking sexual relationships with musicians. They often value musicians themselves over their music. Groupies are more personally affiliated with the band or celebrity they follow, however fans are not affiliated as they are more reserved than groupies would be. Most fan clubs are online and fans who are a part of these clubs, do not usually get to have personal connections with whom they are fans of.

Internet

Today, many fan clubs have

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and W ...

s to support their efforts. Technology allows individuals in fan clubs to communicate across the world. These sites usually have photos and information on the object of their affection. For example, a fan site dedicated to musicians might have photos, videos, discussion boards, and information on upcoming

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide var ...

s. Fan clubs are growing in number thanks to technological advances and influences on social media.

References

{{popular-culture-stub