psychology of football fans

First off hello to everybody here. This is my first post so forgive any mistakes i may be making. I will start by saying i am totally a layman when it comes to matters of science and psychology. I am just curious to hear some expert opinions here on what is it that makes a loyal football fan. What are they actually a fan of? ( I know obvious answer is the club etc) but what is a football club? The playing staff completely changes, ownership changes , and even the stadium is often sold and a new one built. With this in mind what is the psychological explanation for the devotion fans have to a certain 'club'. It reminds me of Triggers line in 'only fools and horses' about having the same brush for 20 years, but changed the head 15 times and the handle 20 times. Apologies to all if this is a moronic enquiry

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