TOTAL FOOTBALL PROGRAMES

INTRODUCTION

 

We all tend to become more nostalgic as we grow older and in older age have more disposal income allowing us to indulge in collecting. Many of us can trace our interest in football to the time spent in our early years supporting the local football team and developing a passion for collecting football programmes that remains with us for life.  In common with many others I had a lengthy break from collecting in my late 20's/30's collecting but fortunately did not dispose of my collection and have to rebuild from scratch.  

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The rising popularity of football programmes and memorabilia can be measured by the fact that most of the leading auction houses now hold regular sales of Football Memorabilia.  A number of long established dealers make a living by offering a comprehensive selection of football programmes, tickets, books, magazines etc.

In addition to football programmes collecting match tickets has become really popular. The prices old ticket stubs raise is quite surprising and may be due in part to collectors having completed football programme collections are now looking to add ticket stubs as and when they find them.  Like today's modern football programmes, modern era tickets are common with most major clubs being 'ticket only', no more cash at the gate. Therefore, it is unlikely that tickets of today will reach the sought after status of those of the 1950's and 60's. Likewise, few of today's football programmes are ever likely to reach the prices many older football programmes have. This is because today it is much easier to obtain football programmes from club shops, football programmes dealers and internet sites like EBay.  An area of concern for modern football programmes is European games, a game can often have as many as 10 or more football programmes issued, the majority of them being pirate issues making it difficult for serious collectors to determine if they really do have the correct official copy. 

BRIEF HISTORY

This brief article concentrates on one aspect of football memorabilia, the Football Programme. The history of the football programme goes right back to the 1860/70s as the game became organised through the formation of leagues and regular matches. In those early years football programmes usually consisted of a single sheet (paper/card) costing 1d (pre decimalisation in other words old money) and simply showed the team line-ups. Through the ages football programmes have progressed to what we have today, the glossy football magazine costing £3 or £4. The football programmes of today offer more content and print quality but can they match the older variety of football programmes for character? Interestingly, single page Team-Sheets from games are now being collected so it would appear that we have come full-circle, though I doubt Team Sheets will ever attract the prices those of the early 1900s do. Obviously, the older football programmes are very rare and much sought after by the really serious collectors. However, it is every football programmes collectors' dream to unearth that elusive early Cup Final or International football programme. I for one, live in hope of obtaining a few pre war Leeds United football programmes for my own collection and the early 1960s single card issues for Bradford Park Avenue League Cup games.

Football programmes offer a fascinating and unique insight in to the 'Beautiful Game', the nations' national sport.  Football programmes from each decade tell the story of the great players, games, teams and clubs of yesteryear. In addition they also contain local social history  information, usually simple boxed adverts on local industry /business, offering employment and small enterprises  offering services and seeking out potential customers.  Many of these businesses are now long gone as the nationaleconomy has gone through boom and bust periods, Some of the most interesting adverts in old football programmes are the ones' for cars of the era such as the original Mini and the like, costing just a few hundred pounds or a new house for not much more than a couple of thousand pounds. 

THE HOBBY

The hobby of collecting football programmes really took off in the 1960s as football was given a major boost when England staged and won the World Cup in 1966. Of course there were serious collectors before then. Today, all memorabilia connected to the 1966 World Cup Finals remains highly collectable and very sought after. Who knows when England will stage another World Cup never mind win the trophy for a second time? 

THE POST WAR PERIOD TO DATE

Football programmes from the period before the 2nd World War are hard to come by, they are out there, but generally appear on dealers Offers Lists (more of which later) and sell for anything from £75-£500+ each. Post-war football programmes are more common with the resumption of League Football for the 1946/47 season heralding a 'Golden Age' for the game at all levels as crowds flocked to matches. However, with rationing still in place a lot of the football programmes from the early seasons after the war reflect the time and are drab, colourless affairs on poor quality paper. From the early 1950s a few clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal started to produce good quality football programmes packed with photographs and information, meanwhile other clubs like West Ham and Spurs continued to produce very simple large 4 page issues of football programmes. The late 1950s saw the introduction of the classic pocket-sized football programmes, adopted by a number of clubs the format was used by some clubs until the late 1960s.

The 1960s also brought the 'Soccer Review' (later the 'Football League Review' and finally 'League Football') magazine issued by the Football League, a popular colourful publication that many clubs incorporated into their football programmes for several years. The League Football magazine folded in 1975 partly due to clubs producing more magazine style programmes. 'Pirate' football programmes also became common in the 50's and 60's. These were really 'rubbish', consisting of simple 4 page issues with only the teams on the cover and football trivia inside to fill the space. However, 'pirate' issues do make an interesting addition to any football programmes collection, particularly as they only really appeared for 'big' games like FA Cup ties, semi-finals and local derby games. Two of the common 'pirate' producers were Tucketts and Nicholls of Battersea.

From the late 1960s and into the 1970s a few adventurous clubs , like Coventry City, broke with tradition and introduced the large magazine style football programmes, several clubs copied the format and it was possible to detect the clubs who used the same printing company. Other clubs like Oldham Athletic, Derby County and Notts County, to name but a few, went still further and produced newspaper style football programmes, a collectors nightmare as they were/are difficult to store and protect. There is a marked difference between football programmes from the 60s/70s/80s and 90s all of which adds to the variety when building a collection. The introduction of the Football League Cup in the 1960/61 season brought with it extensive use of simple single page football programmes.  Attendances at the early League Cup games were low and collectors of 1960's football programmes will know that some of the early League Cup football programmes are the most elusive. The League Cup, as a competition, only really took off after thee Final was moved to Wembley in 1967 and a place in Europe guaranteed for the winner in the old Inter Cities Fairs Cup, later the UEFA Cup.

 

More recently, we are now starting to see some clubs moving away from the printed programme and only offering digital versions or in some cases no programme at all.  The Football Programme Centre website  (see Links) gives details on the direction clubs are moving on match day programmes.

WHAT TO COLLECT

The choices of what to collect are numerous and range from:

All your clubs' football programmes for Homes from season to season. 

All Homes & Aways by season.

One per club per season set of football programmes.

Cup runs of football programmes when your team won a cup competition.

Football programmes from European games involving British clubs.

World Cup & International football programmes.

Cup Final football programmes.

Football programmes for 1st and last seasons of clubs entering or leaving the league.

The list above mentions just a few of the collections of football programmes that can be built. A few points to bear in mind before starting out:

How much can you afford to spend building your collection?

Set a sensible budget.

Be realistic about what you can achieve.

Try and specialise in an area of football programmes that really interests you.

Specify a certain period to start with, for example, 1970 football programmes onwards.

A recommendation is a collection of Cup football programmes, FA Cup, League and Minor Cups such as the Leyland DAF and/or Autowindscreens cup etc. Such a collection will give a variety of football programmes from different clubs, not just those your team plays in League matches,for Home and Away games plus perhaps the odd Semi-Final/Final should your team be fortunate to reach the latter stages of a cup competition. Total cash outlay per season would be reasonable and it is possible to increase the collection over time by working backwards through the 1970s/60s/50s.

WHERE TO OBTAIN FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES

Once you have decided what to collect the next step is to start collecting. Obviously the No 1 source is attending games plus a visit to the Club Shop where it should be possible to pick up new/recent issue football programmes. A good source is EBay where it is possible to pick up small  batches of programmes for specific clubs relatively cheaply providing a good base collection to start from and then searching for the other programmes needed to complete seasons. 

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Other sources for football programmes include relatives, friends, car boot sales/ market stalls and Programme Fairs that are often staged at club stadiums. As you become a more serious collector you can buy from football programme dealers where it is often possible to buy bargain bundles of football programmes and the rarer issues from the 50s/60s. Most dealers operate an Offers List where rare/harder to find football programmes are listed with a guide price and bidders send in bids by phone/post/email in an attempt to secure the item. The Internet is fast becoming a good source for all types of football memorabilia and it is possible to pick up football programmes for very good prices.

LOOKING AFTER YOUR COLLECTION

Once you have started a collection of football programmes it is wise to follow a few simple rules to protect your investment and enhance your collection.

DO NOT:

Fold or crease your football programmes.

Cut out pictures or tokens (if necessary buy a 2nd copy).

Write on or in football programmes. Note team-changes etc on a slip of paper.

Punch-holes in football programmes, to store in a ring binder. 

DO:

Research the team(s) you are looking to collect, getting to know the rarer harder to find issues and the price you are likely to have to pay to obtain such items.

Be prepared to shop around, prices between dealers can vary dramatically. The advent of internet, making it easier to search for football memorabilia and compare prices between dealers with e-catalogues, has seen a significant drop in prices for all but the RARER football programmes.

Be wary of OFFERS LISTS, just because an item appears on an Offers List does not necessarily mean it is RARE or hard to find.
 

Store your collection correctly, preferably flat.

If possible buy Football Programmes Binders from your Club Shop.

A simple alternative is a large shoebox.

Keep your football programmes in a dry location, not the attic or garage.

Slip a copy of newspaper match reports and match ticket inside, they make fascinating reading after a few years.

When buying football programmes verify the condition. As a general rule neat team changes etc are normally acceptable for pre 1965 football programmes.

Most of all enjoy your collection and collecting football programmes.

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TOTAL FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES TICKES & MEMORABILIA