This presentation examines the interplay between gender and knowledge production within the hypermasculinised context of Dutch professional men’s football fandom. When conducting ethnographic research, scholars sometimes interact with communities different from their own. These interactions can be inspiring and productive but may also present challenges. Particularly in traditionally masculinised realms such as football diverse voices (gendered, racialised, or otherwise othered voices) are often marginalised or silenced, affecting both critical community members as well as researchers. My research on verbal violence, exclusionary discourse(s) and football fandom involves engaging with fanatic fan communities. As a woman studying men’s football fandom, I encounter unique challenges, including sexism, sexual harassment, and unresponsive gatekeepers. Such challenges underscore the prevalent gendered expectations and stereotypical beliefs that may obstruct access, complicate trust and rapport building, and reinforce rigid gender roles in and outside of the football context. Often, we see the challenges faced by researchers as something to 'overcome' or as methodological concerns. Instead, I would like to move away from talking about these challenges as methodological concerns and discuss them as insights into the social and cultural dynamics of the research context. Specifically, I will discuss how gendered relations and sexist encounters in the field can deepen our understanding of the underlying power structures, cultural norms, and social hierarchies within the football fan community that is being researched. By examining these (gendered) interactions, we can better understand how in Dutch football fandom exclusionary practices are being reproduced. In doing so I will try to deepen our understanding of football’s role in both reflecting and perpetuating contemporary social dynamics, such as for example rigid gender roles.