Doing The 92

April 28th, 2010 | Author: Steve Hall

My name is Steve Hall. I am a Brit who loves football and travel.

In 2010 I cycled to all the 92 football league clubs in England and Wales. I set off in May 2010 and finished on 23rd September. I was met with almost universal kindness, hospitality and friendship.

I had great plans for retracing the route in 2020/2023. Sadly Covid and then a long spell in hospital scuppered my plans. I started a new 90 day trip on 6th January 2024.

I am a seasoned traveller – 50 countries, 700 flights and tens of thousands of miles by rail – but that trip was unique. Was I back in the saddle and cycling? No. Running? No. Horseback/canoes? Dream trips but not this time. No, this one was a digital tuktuk tour – virtually visiting the many football clubs in England l love so much! Yes, the motorised rickshaw much beloved of travellers in Thailand and India went visiting Old Trafford and Villa Park, Elland Road and St James …. and many, many more! It was a tremendous success. It was a beautiful virtual journey and we raised significant funds for Prostate Cancer UK and my local team here in London, FC Deportivo Galicia.

Sadly my health is not up to running, cycling, or kayaking any longer BUT it is up to helping my friend O-M on his football project.

O-M UPDATE

Many of you will know that I have been working with my Finnish friend, O-M Matihalti on his famous social media project that I featured here In a nutshell he is collecting ONE programme PER club PER season from 1967/68 to 2017/2017. This is being preserved as a huge project charting the social -economic, political and, of course, sporting life in England and Wales over those fifty years.

I thought it best if I added an update. We are making great progress although some clubs are much more difficult than others so far.

O-M comments, “Many moons ago I had this brilliant brainstorm of mine of collecting one programme per club per season. Little did I know what a project this would be. Without Steve, whom I got acquainted to back in March of 2024, getting anywhere near finishing the task would have been practically impossible. There’s been plenty of other people helping Steve. One of them is Stephen Morris. (Thanks, we shall meet one day.)

I am eternally thankful for all the help fellow collectors have been giving on the way to finalize the task. Getting back to Steve… he has swapped hundreds of programmes helping me to fill the gaps and scanned an enormous number of programme covers for me. One of the biggest challenges I have found is the high cost of postage to Finland. I can arrange postage to/from here via Steve. I have many thousands of programmes from Finland that l can exchange for my wants. Obviously you are most welcome to visit beautiful Finland …. probably best in Summer!!! Things to be done… are to meet Steve in person (I know he’s deaf but we will get by), to visit a West London programme fair (Hi, Mark, Barry, Lee and Les – Steve has told me a lot about you all so I’d love to visit) and anyone else in the UK who wants to say “hi.” Meanwhile, I will be pleased to help any collector who is interested in Finnish programmes.”

Thanks, O-M. I am really excited to get back to Finland. I was there in 1975 ….. I guess that makes me “old” or “urgammal,” as they say in certain parts of Finland.

We are complete for many clubs including ARSENAL, ASTON VILLA, BLACKPOOL, BOLTON BRENTFORD, BURNLEY, CRYSTAL PALACE, DARLINGTON, EVERTON, FULHAM, GILLINGHAM,IPSWICH, LIVERPOOL, MANCHESTER UNITED, NEWCASTLE UNITED, NORTHAMPTON TOWN, NOTTINGHAM FOREST, PORT VALE, PRESTON, READING, QPR, SHEFFIELD UNITED, SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY, SOUTHAMPTON, STOCKPORT COUNTY, STOKE, SUNDERLAND, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR, WATFORD, WEST BROMWICH ALBION, WEST HAM UNITED, WOLVES & YORK

If anybody can fill the gaps on the other clubs please do make contact with me. The hope initially was that people would be keen to take part in the project and would be happy to donate or maybe run with 1×1 exchanges. Sadly, it has not been possible to complete so now I am offering 5×1 with either/any of Premier League, big match, Gillingham, named clubs (most but not all of the 92), non-league, Finnish or Swedish. Can you help?

Those who I would like to applaud publicly are:

Lee Hermitage of NWM Football

Brian at Brian’s Football Memorabilia

Mark Barnes the co-owner of Welling Collectables and of the West London Programme Fairs

… but the biggest, biggest (drum roll, PLEASE) shout out is for Stephen Morris. He has really engaged in the project and diligently searched for dozens of teams for O-M. He has huge stocks of most UK teams and I have always had hugely positive trades with him (both privately and for the project.) Everybody else I have spoken to speaks highly of him too.

He has a terrific offer on currently with a Super 50p Sale. He has tens of thousands of club programmes from the 70s to the 20s all at 50p. As my way of thanking him, if you take 50 programmes at 50p, I will double that with 50 random programmes from my own collection. Seem fair?

Any thoughts, questions, suggestions, kind wishes or, well, anything just get in touch with O-M or me.
Many thanks indeed, to everyone.


Birmingham	14/15
Blackburn	16/17 15/16
Bournemouth	14/15 13/14 11/12
Bradford C	16/17 11/12
Brighton	0.3/04
Bristol C	16/17
Bristol R	15/16 09/10
Bury	16/17
Cambridge U	16/17 14/15 12/13 69/70 68/69
Carlisle	15/16 14/15
Chester	16/17 12/13 11/12
Chesterfield	15/16
Grimsby	11/12 07/08
Halifax	16/17 14/15 13/14 12/13 11/12 09/10 Dorian
Hartlepool	16/17 15/16 14/15 13/14
Huddersfield	15/16
Leicester City	15/16
Leyton Orient	15/16
Lincoln	16/17
Luton	15/16 14/15 13/14
Mansfield	16/17 15/16 13/14 12/13 07/08
Millwall	14/15
Newport Co	07/08 06/07 04/05 98/99 94/95 92/93
Notts Co	16/17
Peterborough	16/17
Rotherham	16/17 15/16 14/15
Scunthorpe	12/13 05/06
Shrewsbury	16/17 10/11
Southend	14/15
Swansea	73/74
Torquay	16/17 13/14
Tranmere	14/15
Wrexham	16/17

Remember you can get involved

Please check through the site to learn more about the project, the people involved and how you can also help and get involved.

Thanks

Steve

As at 30/3/26

Posted in The Clubs | 23 Comments »

Next Step Will Be Europe

July 27th, 2026 | Author: Steve Hall

How organised women’s football began across Europe

Part 1 of an ongoing series of how competitions and leagues began to form. This article looks at Germany, the Netherlands and France.

Many of you have been enjoying Clare McEwen’s history of the women’s game in the UK. In true Evita style she now moves on to Europe

Women’s football grew in pockets: players formed teams, teams created small competitions, and those competitions slowly began to join the dots across each country.

Most were built without football federation backing; most were built in the face of bans and prejudice.

They are stories of resilience, determination, and playing without permission.

Today I’m looking at three of those beginnings: an unofficial cup in Germany, an independent league in the Netherlands, and regional competitions that helped revive women’s football in France.

Germany

The Deutscher Fussball-Bund (DFB) – the German Football Association – banned women from using their pitches much later than England. It wasn’t until 1955 that the ban came in – over 30 years after the FA in England halted the game.

It was a much shorter ban – lifted in 1970 – but recognition came with restrictions: women could only play 70-minute games, the ball had to be smaller, and they had a six-month winter break. Women waited until 1993 before their game became aligned with the men’s game.

Prior to the lifting of the ban, though, teams began to organise their own competitions.

Formed in 1969, TuS Wörrstadt are part of the fabric of German football history. Before any official tournament began, their manager Philipp Scheidt organised an early national competition between regional champions.

The intention was to call it the German Cup but the DFB refused to recognise it. When Scheidt threatened to go to the press with the story, a compromise was reached. The cup became the Gold Cup.

TuS Wörrstadt beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in the first final.

A year later, in 1974, the DFB organised the first German women’s football championship. A tournament rather than a league, the event included 16 teams from across West Germany.

Werder Bremen (from Bremen)
Buxtehuder SV (Hamburg)
Sparta Göttingen (Lower Saxony)
Wiker SV (Schleswig-Holstein)
Bonner SC (Middle Rhine)
Prussia Krefeld (Lower Rhine)
DJK Eintracht Erle (Westphalia)
SC 07 Bad Neuenahr (Rhineland)
SV Bubach/Calmesweiler (Saarland)
TuS Wörrstadt (Southwest)
FC Germania Untergrombach (Baden)
FC Bayern Munich (Munich)
NSG Oberst Schiel (Hesse)
SpVgg Wiehre (South Baden)
TSV Grötzingen (Württemberg)
Tennis Borussia Berlin (Berlin)

The teams were divided into four groups and the winners progressed to the semi-finals.

TuS Wörrstadt then sealed their place in history by becoming Germany’s first women’s champions.

Netherlands

Sparta Rotterdam tried to form a team to play an English team in 1896. In an all too familiar story, the KNVB – the Dutch football association – banned it.

There was another failed attempt to organise the match in 1924 – the ban remained in place.

In April 1955, the Dutch Ladies Soccer Association (NDVB – Nederlandse Dames Voetbalbond) was formed.

After a proposal by women’s club Herbido, the founding meeting was held in Utrecht. The chairperson and board members were all female and they discussed the organisation of a competition and set the rules on playing time and ball size.

Fourteen teams joined the first national women’s league in the Netherlands and they were initially split into two districts of seven teams.

They played from August to October and from March to May using a size four ball and playing two 30-minute halves.

All women had to wear football boots and undergo a medical exam to make sure they were healthy.

The teams were:

District A

DCO (Haarlem)
Full Speed (IJmuiden)
Minerva (Dordrecht)
EHDVV (The Hague)
Union (Vlaardingen)
Zeemeeuwen (Velsen)
Zilvermeeuwen (Zaandam)

District B

Apoldro (Apeldoorn)
Herbido (Utrecht)
Holviams (Amersfoort)
Rievelo (Utrecht)
Rood Wit Blauw (Nijmegen)
SVA (Almelo)
Voetballerina’s (Hilversum)

Unfortunately, before the season began, four clubs – Apoldro, Rood-Wit-Blauw, Voetballerina’s, and Zilvermeeuwen – withdrew. VVV (Rotterdam) was added as a replacement and the league was reorganised into a single 11-team group.

It was then that the KNVB stepped in and prohibited clubs from allowing women to use their pitches.

The KNVB back-tracked a little when they realised the women weren’t interested in becoming part of their organisation. It allowed them to access pitches, provided their matches didn’t affect the recognised men’s games.

Since pitches were busy all weekend, the women effectively had to play at 7am or 7pm.

Despite this, the league ran from August 1955 to spring 1956. Utrecht’s Herbido won the league having dominated it with 12 wins and 2 draws and zero losses.

No wonder they were keen to start it.

The competition lasted only one season but its legacy shaped the later development of women’s football in the Netherlands.

France

France’s first FFF-backed national women’s championship began in 1974 but the foundations were laid beforehand through a patchwork of unofficial regional competitions.

In the mid-1960s, Schwindratzheim in the Alsace region was one of the first women’s clubs to form. In the 1969-70 season, a competition involving nine teams began in the Bas-Rhin area. The Alsace region already had 18 teams across different areas.

FC Schwindratzheim won the first final of the competition, beating Notre Dame de Strasbourg. One of their players – Marilou Duringer – became a key figure in the development of women’s football in France. Two years later, there were 25 clubs playing in the Alsatian leagues.

Not too far away in Reims, journalist Pierre Geoffroy advertised for players for a women’s team. The team was intended for an exhibition match at a fair rather than a grand gesture to build something more. But Geoffroy, surprised by the interest, ended up forming Reims – he’s now regarded as the father of modern women’s football in France.

Soon afterwards, Reims played Schwindratzheim in front of 6,000 people, as the opening game before a men’s fixture. The Reims players wanted to continue playing and went on to build an impressive legacy. They travelled around the world playing in Italy, Czechoslovakia, Mexico, Canada, Haiti, Indonesia and more.

Their visibility and the growing momentum in the region helped lead to the launch of the Challenge du Coq Sportif in Champagne-Ardenne. Thirteen teams took part and Reims came away with the trophy.

Football spread across France and pockets of teams began to emerge in other regions. By the end of the 1970-71 season, France had 2,170 registered female players.

Four years after formally recognising women’s football, France’s Football Federation (FFF) launched its national championship in 1974. By then, there were reportedly 260 clubs playing regional football.

Sixteen teams competed in four groups, with a round-robin stage followed by knockout rounds.

The first full national league for women in France began in 1992-93, a year after England did the same.

Three countries, three different beginnings. All built from a simple love of the game and a will to play.

This is part of a series on the formation of early leagues in women’s football. Which country should I investigate next?

Enjoyed this article? You can support my research and writing with a virtual coffee (tea in my case) on Ko-fi. Every contribution helps me keep uncovering and sharing the stories of women’s football.

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Tickets for London Stadiums

July 21st, 2026 | Author: Steve Hall

The London Stadium, home to West Ham

Tickets for London Stadiums

I am a regulator contributor and moderator to various groups on Facebook for visitors to London. On a group I mod and all the others the same question comes up time after time after time. “How do I get tickets for Premier League games?” There will then follow a meter or two of comments and occasionally some facts from locals. In among someone screaming how they got tickets for Adele in Paris or Bruce in Tampa which add nothing to the discussion and leave the original poster even more confused, some local season ticket holder or 50-year an Arsenal fan try to give facts. Last night’s abuse of my eyeballs was as bad as it gets but fortunately my friend Richard Atkinson did more than moan. He put together a semi-definitive guide to help people get tickets without being victims of criminal activities. Yes, I say, definitive but acknowledge there are options but probably not options to a first time purchaser with no purchase history etc. To make this truly definitive, Richard has kindly said I may upload it here and if anyone has any suggestions, please do get in contact with me and I will update. Thanks in advance.

London currently has 6 teams playing in the Premier League

Arsenal – Tube – Holloway Road

Chelsea – Tube – Fulham Broadway

Tottenham Hotspur – White Hart Lane on Weaver line (overground) or Northumberland Park (National Rail), Tottenham Hale (Victoria and National Rail) Seven Sisters tube and walk

Fulham – Putney Bridge tube or bus

Brentford – Train Waterloo-Kew Bridge, Gunnersbury (District Line/Mildmay Overground)

Crystal Palace -Train Victoria to Selhurst, Thornton Heath, Norwood Junction

Obviously there are other well known clubs outside of London such as Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City.

Both Liverpool and Manchester are around 2 1/2 – 3 hours train journey from London and would probably require an overnight stay in either city IF you can secure match tickets.

The first thing to be aware of is that time and dates of fixtures may change due to TV schedules or cup matches. This is normally announced approximately 6 weeks in advance, use the specific club websites for up to date information so don’t necessarily plan your whole trip around the game until dates are confirmed as you may miss the game and not necessarily be able to get a refund.

Unfortunately tickets for Premier League clubs are rarer than gold hens’ teeth unless you are a season ticket holder or club member. The latter often only gets you into a ballot for a ticket anyway. The reality is in 2026 that to even get a face value ticket from any of the top clubs you MUST be a member. To get a legitimate third party sale using the club’s ticket exchange, you must be registered and sometimes even in advance. You often cannot just find that tickets for Rovers v City has tickets available and expect to buy one from a member who cannot attend. You must have a club membership number. This being 2026, this is probably going to cost you AND may not guarantee a ticket.

Check out the Premier League website for information about tickets and membership for individual clubs. Their information is VERY clear.

BE VERY CAUTIOUS OF THIRD PARTY SELLERS: A large proportion of them are not genuine ticket resellers and you can potentially lose a lot of money on tickets that are invalid and, worse than that, you may well be turned away on arrival at the game. The Premier league website listed above has a list of known illegal or scam ticket sellers. Just click on the unauthorised tickets tab. Remember ticket touting or scalping is illegal in the UK and you risk losing a lot of money AND still be denied admission. Chelsea denied 2000 people at the very turnstile last season. That’s a lot of broken dreams. Pleading “…but I used StubHub in Vienna or Viator in Chicago,” is not going to get through security! (I know Steve was at Stamford Bridge recently for a women’s game with tickets on general sale with thousands of empty seats. The group of tourists next to him were lucky to get in ……but paid twenty six times the price Steve did and they could have done. Ouch!)

A number of clubs have an overseas membership scheme which can sometimes get access to tickets. Visit the relevant club’s website for information. Note that you often need to join up 3 months in advance, to even be considered for tickets so start thinking about joining ASAP.

The only other option after all of the above would be hospitality tickets which can work out very expensive. Most will include access to some sort of restaurant or bar with food and drinks provided. Again only purchase through the club themselves. Some of the illegal sites will quote a restaurant etc AWAY from the stadium. That is normally a good clue to avoid without further thought!

…. and what happens when things go wrong and you buy from a dodgy agent, hotel concierge etc

Unauthorised Websites

“Brentford FC can only guarantee the authenticity of tickets purchased from our official sources. If you buy tickets from any other website or seller, you risk purchasing illegal or invalid tickets.

Tickets obtained through unauthorised sellers, whether online or from street vendors, will be deemed invalid, and the ticket holder may be denied entry to the Gtech Community Stadium or asked to leave.”

That is from the official Brentford website. All clubs will have something similar.

Now for some good news. In general domestic cup matches for The FA Cup or Carabao often have tickets readily available and often as low as £10 but premier league teams won’t enter these competitions until later in the season AND they may not play their “star players.” It’s still a great way to visit the stadium and see a match. Equally the early rounds of the various European cup competitions will mean tickets readily available.

Another option is an England international match which are normally played at Wembley Stadium in North West London. Tickets are available through the Football Association or Wembley stadium website and are often freely available and tend to be about 1/2 the price of Premier League tickets. Wembley Stadium itself is impressive and is easily reached (Wembley Park on the tube and Wembley Stadium National Rail.)

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Fixtures for 2026:

26 September England v Spain

6 October England v Czech Republic

12 November England v Croatia

Be aware there will not be any premier league matches in the weekend prior to these games.

If you are travelling in July/Early August this is the start of pre season matches often friendlies or mini tournaments against teams from other parts of Europe. For tickets look around 6 weeks ahead.

Perhaps consider a game outside of the Premier League lots of London based clubs in the lower divisions.

London Teams in Lower Divisions

Championship

Queens Park Rangers, probably closest to central London in Shepherds Bush but Shepherd’s Bush Market, Wood Lane and White City are all within easy walking distance.

Watford (Just outside of London easy by train to Watford Junction or tube to Watford (both about 20 minutes walk or 5 minute cab ride from stadium.)

Millwall – Train London Bridge to South Bermondsey

Charlton Athletic – Trains from Cannon Street and Charing Cross to Charlton

West Ham – Various options to Stratford

(Avoid West Ham v Millwall)

League 1

Leyton Orient tube to Leyton

Bromley Train from Charing Cross/Waterloo East/London Bridge to Bromley South then cab

AFC Wimbledon (another good option for families) – Train Blackfriars to Haydons Lane

Reading (Outside of London but now accessible via Elizabeth line) Then cab to the stadium

League 2

Barnet tube to Queensbury or Canons Park on the Jubilee Line

Gillingham – National Rail to Gillingham and short walk

For Championship some high-profile games will sell out quickly but for others it’s worth looking a few weeks ahead. Leagues 1&2 should generally be available on the day but if you are certain of your dates book ahead online. Some clubs are online bookings only ….even on the day so always check on their official website.

Women’s football is increasingly popular. Chelsea, & Arsenal, have now moved to play all WSL matches at the men’s stadium.Tottenham and West Ham all have top women’s teams games against other London based clubs often attract 40-50 thousand fans which generates a great atmosphere. If you are interested in the women’s game see Clare McEwen’s She Can Kick It

Look here for up to date fixtures for all levels of London based football right down to the non-league setup which is huge http://www.tlfg.uk/ Did you know there are over 100 grounds within 15 miles of Shepherds Bush?

If you can’t get to a game stadium tours are available at Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, West Ham (Olympic stadium) and Wembley as well as Fulham, QPR and Brentford on selected days.

The images are watercolours by my friend Dave Baldwin. A quick scan says he has prints of all the London Stadiums and if there is anywhere you would like him to complete, just drop him or me a line.

Richard and I hope this has been of use and, as I said above, if you have any input please do not hesitate to contact me. All updated information is useful.

So, thanks indeed to Richard for that. As I say Richard is a London tour guide of 23 years experience specialising in small group and private walking tours. He is also a big football fan, since a very young age attending numerous games a season at all levels, having previously worked for Chelsea, West Ham United Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and AFC Wimbledon and The Football Association. He is well versed into how football ticketing operates. If you would like more information about his tours, they can be found HERE

Or DM him via Facebook messenger

POSTSCRIPT: The images are courtesy of Dave Baldwin at Papilios Creative.

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Rising From The Wreckage

July 13th, 2026 | Author: Steve Hall

I was delighted to see that Iain McCartney’s definitive guide to the 56/58 seasons will soon be back in print. Iain has written a score of football books and this covers the vital seasons immediately post-Munich.

Manchester United 1958-68 Summary

Manchester United 1958-68 by Iain Mccartney

Rising from the Wreckage is the definitive story of Manchester United’s resurgence, from the ashes of a German runway to a balmy May evening at Wembley and the pinnacle of European football. Jimmy Murphy arrives back in Manchester unaware of the disaster at Munich, but soon discovers that he is now at the helm of a shattered club. Distraught, but a fighter, the Welshman uses the resources at hand and supervises the necessary rebuilding of Manchester United from scratch, and as Matt Busby returns to the fore, together they begin to create yet another outstanding United team.

As relegation threatens, the FA Cup is won and becomes a springboard for further success, with a team boasting of not one, but three European Footballers of the Year. Being crowned European Champions was always the ultimate dream and this became a reality ten years after Munich. It was arguably the most memorable decade in the history of Manchester United, with numerous highs and lows, and here for the first time in print, is the story of Manchester United rising from the wreckage.

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Whatnot

July 7th, 2026 | Author: Steve Hall

Yes, I know it’s an odd name but what company based solely on the internet calls itself “Exors of J.Smith?” More importantly, it’s a great innovation on a great platform it is. In my favourite receommendation to anything digital is, “It just works.” Yes, a great platform and now a GREAT offer.

You will remember that the latest UK Bookfest is in full swing. This week it’s in Bradford and again it’s an enormous success with record numbers of visitors. Sadly, not everyone can get to Yorkshire so the bookfest is coming to you. On Saturday 11th July at 8,30pm, Stephen White the owner of Stephen White Books who is the brains behind the bookfests is holding a “live” Whatnot. What’s a Whatnot? In its simplest form it is an online live auction. It’s fast and furious and gives buyers the opportunity to get great deals and sellers the opportunity to reach a larger market and move stock at bargain prices.

So, Stephen will be live at 8,30 on Saturday evening with some great offers on books of many genres and specifically this week ……FOOTBALL programmes and books. He bought a significant collection recently which included some duplication and is ready to move these on quickly and at great prices.

BUT, and this is where it gets better, EVERY single person who registers for the first time can get £25.00 of merchandise completely free. You heard correctly, free, nada, zilch. (You pay only postage!) Yes, Stephen is even offering a £25 credit to all new participants this week. Previously, he had been offering £10 but those registering before Saturday will get a £25 credit.

It is FREE to attend online. Here is your invite. Please feel free to forward this link to any friends and family who are book or football fans. If they are book AND football fans, you’ll have friends for life!

Obviously, if you are in Yorkshire or nearby you will be very welcome at the Bookfest which continues every day until Saturday 11 July. (See below)

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Bradford Mega Bookfest

June 30th, 2026 | Author: Steve Hall

Many of you will remember the hugely successful bookfest I attended back in February. I am delighted that my friend Stephen White has organised an EVEN BIGGER one this week. Even more exciting is the mini programme and memorabilia fair he is hosting within the main event.

In a nutshell, there are more than 100,000 books (children’s and adult) with huge, huge stocks of fiction and non-fiction. I have been helping him set up for the last couple of days and am absolutely in awe of the sheer size of some of the sections. There are massive transport and military sections, a huge foreign language section, more scifi than my local libraries have and, soooooo much fiction. This time, for the first time, he has thousands of brand new books too at bargain prices. So you are covered: adult or child, fiction and nonfiction, new or pre-loved!

BUT

What about the sports section?

There are over 1000 autobiographies and annuals, 20,000 plus programmes including literally thousands of big match issues. Likewise there are brand new and second hand programmes. Big numbers of Arsenal, Chelsea, Palace, Manchester United (all 1,000+each), then 500 plus Brentford, Fulham, West Ham and QPR. There are 3000/3500 non league programmes and (drum roll please) over 2,000 Gillingham programmes which are all individually bagged.

Likewise there are several hundred magazines with year after year of Four Four Two and, if you follow cricket almost FIFTY YEARS (sic) of Wisden and The (International) Cricketer. I counted several boxes of World

The other sports are not overlooked as I saw plenty of rugby memorabilia from both codes, as well as golf, F1, boxing and, well, pretty much everything else you can imagine.

See Stephen’s quick video

There’s free parking and the mill is on several public bus routes to Leeds and Bradford, Keighley and Shipley etc. If you are like Steve and a fan of trains as well as books, then I won’t need to tell you what line Aperley Bridge is on. Can’t carry everything? No worry, Stephen can arrange shipping.

See you all there, I hope

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London – Manchester – London

June 24th, 2026 | Author: Steve Hall

London – Manchester – London or Manchester – London – Manchester

….depending on how you look at it!

The new season is just round the corner and a FB friend has launched a new service that I think can be very useful to fans trekking the M1 and M6 etc every week.

The idea is beautifully simple. It’s basically a niched version of Bla Bla Car. Now Bla Bla is HUGELY successful across much of Europe but has struggled to get great traction in the UK. Now watch this!

LONDON <-> MANCHESTER SHARED RIDES

For students and football fans Got spare seats in your car? Need a cheaper ride between London and Manchester? NextRoute is testing a new cost-sharing carpooling platform that connects: drivers with spare seats passengers looking for affordable travel Perfect for: university students football fans travelling to matches regular London <-> Manchester travellers

How it works Drivers list spare seats Passengers register interest Travel costs are shared fairly

Join early and register your interest here: https://nextrout.myshopify.com/pages/nextroute Driver or passenger – sign up today AT nextrout.myshopify.com

I wish them well

Photo: MyLondon.news

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Women’s World Cups

June 16th, 2026 | Author: Steve Hall

Women’s World Cups – an alternative World Cup History

Despite my best efforts to avoid the Trumpfest, I realise that it is being played on the other side of the pond. My first World Cup was 1966 and I can still remember the 16 (only!) teams and, of course, all eleven players in the win over West Germany. Then Mexico 70 and who can forget Spain and Italy. By the turn of the millennium, politics had overshadowed the on-field action with S.Korea/Japan, South Africa, Qatar and Russia all spotlighted for non-sporting reasons. Then came the debacle that is 2026. Everyone deserves better – the fans with 4 am kick offs and obscene pricing, the players being herded across half a continent, the officials, some of whom have been made most unwelcome or even refused entry, yes, everyone! We are not a week in and Trump’s Berlin has offered little on the field to match the dramas off it. Embarrassing.

To that backdrop, it’s good to get some balance and Ms Women’s Football, Clare McEwen has forwarded a most interesting article about the Women’s World Cups in Disneyland, Canada and Mexico. Thanks so much, Clare.

Women’s World Cups

The FIFA Men’s World Cup – as I think it should be renamed – is GO.

And Substack is rammed with brilliant writing on the subject.

I have loved football all my life, and World Cup memories punctuate my formative years.

But you know by now that I write about women’s football.

As it happens, the three 2026 Fifa World Cup host nations have hosted a women’s World Cup too.

Seeing the beautiful Azteca stadium host the opening game of the men’s World Cup reminded me of the images from Mexico ‘71.

The year before, it had hosted the 1970 Fifa men’s World Cup – the one where Pelé and Brazil cemented themselves as footballing icons.

In 1971, it was the turn of the women.

This one had nothing to do with Fifa – and it was still enormous.

The Mexican football federation, along with the Italian-based Federation of Independent European Female Football (FIEFF), organised a massive tournament.

The Azteca and Guadalajara stadiums were used – just as they had been in the men’s World Cup then, and now.

Attendances were enormous, reaching a peak of around 110,000 in the final between Mexico and Denmark,

Beyond Mexico, though, it was invisible – this was the lost generation of female stars.

Susanne Augustesen

Susanne Augustesen scored a hat-trick in the final – have you heard of her?

She was 15 years old.

Have you heard of Pelé ?

Yeah, he scored in a World Cup aged 17, and we still talk about it.

Denmark

Denmark won the final and lifted the pre-Fifa World Cup for the second year in a row.

The Danish FA still don’t recognise it because it was before the team was “official”.

Inglaterra

England had to play as the British Independents because they weren’t officially recognised by the English FA.

Many of the players were schoolkids as they could go to Mexico for a few weeks in the summer whereas the older players worked and couldn’t get time off.

They were adored as “Inglaterra” in Mexico but when they returned home they were banned from playing.

Bobby Moore Fund 2026

June 15th, 2026 | Author: Steve Hall

Run 66 Miles Challenge for the Bobby Moore Fund

Complete 66 miles of running in July to help tackle bowel cancer.

The challenge

Run 66 miles throughout the month of July.

Date

Throughout the month of July.

Location

In the gym, at the park, round the garden – wherever works for you!

Get fit, feel good, and help tackle bowel cancer.

This is your challenge. Whatever your ability, do it your way.

You can split the miles into just over 2 a day, or do your runs with six days on, one day off, or save them all up for long runs at the weekend or before England match days – however you do it, you’re powering progress.

How to take part

Step: 1

Sign up for free – no entry fee

Complete our 2 minute form and get your free retro football shirt and online Giving Page.

Illustration of group of people smiling.

Step: 2

Join the community

If you’d like to, you can join the challenge Facebook group. Meet fellow runners, ask questions, and keep your motivation high.

Join the Run 66 Miles Challenge for the Bobby Moore Fund Facebook group

Step: 3

Complete your 66 miles and start getting sponsorship

Take some much needed me-time and complete the challenge solo, or invite a friend to join and jog together.

Start fundraising and get support and tips with your free fundraising pack(PDF).

Completing the challenge

Get training support

Download your top tips guide(PDF)

You don’t need to provide evidence of your miles

We trust you! If you’d like to, you can track your runs with fitness tracker apps like Strava.

Learn more about tracking your runs with fitness tracker apps

We recommend July, but you can start and finish at any time

You can continue to collect donations on your Giving Page after the month ends.

Whether you finish the challenge or not, the money that you raise will allow us to continue funding life-saving cancer research.

For full details see the Cancer Research page here

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Enfield Town Fair

June 13th, 2026 | Author: Steve Hall

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Soccer in South Wales

May 31st, 2026 | Author: Steve Hall

I was talking to Facebook friend Joshua Heath last week and he was very excited about the launch of his first book.

“Last week, my very first book was officially released — ‘Soccer in South Wales: The Early Years – A History.’

What started during Covid as a personal research project into the very earliest beginnings of football in South Wales eventually led me to working alongside Phil Sweet who has published football history books for many years. Six years later, after countless hours of research, newspaper archives, and cross-checking sources, the book is finally here. This isn’t a book that has been rushed together for a quick release. We wanted to make sure every possible detail was researched thoroughly and accurately.

The book includes football references dating back to the 1850s and covers the development of the game in South Wales through to 1894, the end of the first South Wales League and the first ever league formed in South Wales. It also covers the first major cup tournament, the “Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire Association Football Challenge Cup” plus other minor competitions played in South Wales. For anyone interested in the history of Welsh football and the origins of the game in South Wales, this book offers a detailed and carefully-researched insight into a fascinating period of football history.

The book is priced at £8 + postage & packaging. Please feel free to message me if you would like a copy on Facebook at Joshua Heath or by email swcleaningsw@gmail.com

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