Abstract: The object of this research is the football fans as a social group. The subject of the research is the trends towards establishment of the image of this group in the public eye, by using different types of mass media. The author thoroughly examines the genesis and mechanisms of the formation of the image of a football fan within the Soviet and modern Russia in the context of socio-economic and political changes. A special attention is given to the analysis of the image of the fans and history, as well as the trends of the development of their movement in our country. The Soviet and modern Russian mass media and internet resources on the subject of fan subculture and football hooliganism events are being reviewed in the course of this work. Today, not only football, but also a so-called “football hooliganism” is widely covered by the media, and the fan subculture as a social phenomenon became more informationally open. The author also believes that people who are not quite involved into sports and sport life, as a rule, build a stereotypic impression of the fan subculture. The scientific novelty consists in the ability to create an objective and realistic image of a football fan based on the conducted research, which in turn will allow determination and elimination of the false images and stereotypic delusions in relation to the fan subculture.