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.

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.

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Well, “Oh, Italy,” if you insist but I defy anyone over the age of 50 not to be singing a few words of it a la Pavarotti. The only words would be “Oh, Italeeeee, Italeeeeeee, Italeeeeeeeeeee in an incredible crescendo.” You now smile self-indulgently and look out at your audience of the household pets and bow from the waist. “7 Acacia Avenue is not La Scala.

Apart from everyone’s favourite Italians Pavarotti and Maldini, Bocelli and Baggio, Italy has an important place in the evolution of women’s football globally. Clare McEwen spills i fagioli …

How organised women’s football began across Europe, part 4: Italy

Part 4 of an ongoing series of how competitions and leagues began to form.

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.

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

Today, I’m looking at Italy who played a major role in the development and organisation of women’s football not only in their own country but across the world.

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Much like other nations in Europe, early teams in Italy were halted by bans or governing body interference.

But the formation of the Federazione Italiana Calcio Femminile – FICF (Italian Women’s Football Federation) in 1968 changed what was possible for women in Italy, and those across the world.

FICF women’s league

The first FICF Italian championship was played in 1968. It included 10 teams playing as two groups of five.

The standings at the end of the season were:

Group A standings (Northern group)

• Real Torino
• Genova
• Ambrosiana Milano
• Piacenza
• Viareggio

Group B standings (Southern group)

• Roma
• Cagliari
• Fiorentina
• Napoli
• Lazio

Roma beat Real Torino in one semi-final and Cagliari beat Genova in the other.

The final was played in Pisa, and Genova beat Roma 1-0.

The following season – 1969 – Roma got their revenge by beating Genova in the final by the same scoreline (in the replay).

UISP women’s league

But there was also a rival league – the Unione Italiana Sport Popolare league.

The FICF was set up purely to organise and legitimise women’s football in Italy. The UISP, however, wasn’t a football specific body but was (and actually still is) a multi-sport organisation promoting “sport for the people”.

In 1968, UISP organised a women’s football competition, amongst its many other sporting outlets.

Its first league included five teams:

• Bologna CF
• Abano Milano
• Internazionale Vimodrone
• Pilastro Parma
• Juventus Val di Lanzo

Bologna CF won the league with eight wins out of eight games.

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FFIGC League

By 1970, there was a third body organising a league – the Federazione Femminile Italiana Giuoco Calcio or FFIGC.

Ten of the teams in the FICF broke away to form this new league and four more clubs joined. The FFIGC began with:

• Gomma Gomma Milano (that’s a great name, another story for another day though)
• Piacenza
• Genova
• Roma
• Juventus
• Ambrosiana
• Fiorentina
• Cagliari
• Bologna
• Zucchet Lazio
• Napoli
• San Basilio (Rome)
• Lazio
• Reggina

Gomma Gomma Milano won the FFIGC league in 1970. Real Torino won the FICF league and Pordenone won the UISP league.

Note: there seem to be multiple teams named Juventus – in case you’re as confused as I am as you read on. There seems to be three “Juventus” teams – none were affiliated to the men’s team as far as I can tell.

Standing from the left: Vincenzi (trainer), Epicoco, Boll, Ferrara, Varone, Romano, Zoli and Rocchi.
Kneeling from the left: Cottini, Cannone, Cunzolo, Vignotto and Pessina

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Real Torino and Silvana Cittadino

Real Torino was founded by the Rambaudi brothers. It was based at a ground in Alpignano, not far from the outskirts of Turin.

Scouting for players was of course not what it is now and often happened via newspaper reports of calls for players.

In 1967, Silvana Cittadino read about the team and turned up at the team’s ground. She was told they had a friendly game the next day and to go along and watch to see what it was all about.

Cittadino dutifully made her way to Stradella in Pavia as a spectator.

She watched the girls from the sidelines.

Sometime during the match, the ball came towards her part of the touchline. She did what we’d all do and kicked it back onto the field.

Shortly after, another one came her way.

Having loved football from a young age, Cittadino had spent her time on her hometown streets playing with the boys.

So when the airborne ball came to her a second time, she volleyed it back.

The masseur (I’m amazed they had one but Cittadino herself tells this story) spotted her technique and called Coach Cavicchi over.

The coach asked her onto the field – fortunately, like any self-respecting young footballer, she was dressed in tracksuit and trainers – and asked her to take a couple of shots.

Next minute, she was on the field making her debut for Real Torino.

She scored two goals and so began an illustrious football career.

The centre-forward was described as quick, strong in the air, with a lightning-fast right foot.

Some success and then a split

As we saw above, in 1968, they topped their league group before losing to Roma in the semi-final.

And then it began to fall apart.

Cittadino herself spoke in an interview about the crowds they drew. Every game was packed with paying spectators.

But the age-old struggle of bosses and workers reared its head. The Rambaudi brothers made financial promises to the players but didn’t follow through on them. The players received very little in the way of cash and got fed up with it all.

Twelve players, including Cittadino, left Real Torino to form a new team, which they named Juventus (presumably after the men’s team).

One of their teammates worked at a factory owned by a man called Teresio Signoretto.

Somehow, connections were made and Signoretto agreed to fund the team. He kept every promise he made and covered all expenses.

Cittadino described him as a lovely man.

And even then, culture was everything.

Despite multiple opportunities to move to other teams, Cittadino remained with the black and white stripes of Juve until 1975, when she hung up her boots.

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Expansion into the 1970s

There’s no doubt that Italy led the way in women’s football organisation during the years where many countries had banned or severely restricted it.

And they continued to do so into the 1970s and 1980s, leading the way with semi-pro contracts way before it was happening in England.

International

Italy didn’t just go all-in on their domestic organisation. They also organised international tournaments alongside them.

In 1969, a small European competition was organised by the Italians. Four teams competed.

The event was successful so they planned the next one.

This time they went global and organised a world cup. The final between Denmark and Italy was watched by around 40,000 people.

It was so successful that they expanded their vision. In 1971, they played the event in Mexico.

It was organised on the same scale as the previous year’s men’s World Cup (Pele and all that). The Mexican football association and the fans were amazing.

The Azteca Stadium was rammed with 110,000 spectators for the final between Mexico and Denmark.

It was an enormous success and panicked both UEFA and FIFA into taking more control over the sport.

Ultimately it helped lead to the 1984 UEFA Euros.

Spread the fascinating stories found in women’s football to a friend. She’ll thank you…probably.

Previous articles are here, here and here

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Football Writers, where are you?

Obviously, I have spotlighted dozens of football writers over the years, likewise many people who make a living from football art. Well, amigos, I have something for you. Stephen at Stephen White Books just pinged me with this ….

UK Bookfest ·

If you’re a local author then get in touch! I’m thinking about running a local author fair in Bradford and one in Birmingham. So tell me if you want to have a table at an event like this or if you’re interested in coming to this sort of event! Make sure you spread the word and let’s try and get these authors in touch with their future fans! info@stephenwhitebooks.co.uk #ukbookfest#stephenwhitebooks#booktok#bradford#birmingham

Stephen organises mega bookfests and there has been almost ten thousand visitors each at Birmingham and Bradford recently for second hand books. He has now started to do brand new books too and the next is at BIRMINGHAM on 25/27 September. All others are listed below. He has a huge collection of sports books (well over 1000 just on football) as well as 20,000 programmes!

Hopefully see you at one of the bookfests soon. Stephen’s direct email is above but if you want an introduction, just let me know.

Birmingham

25th to 27th September

Brand New Book Weekend
• Located at National Conference Centre, Coventry Rd, B92 0EJ
• All books £5 (excluding special editions)
• Open 8am to 8pm (Sunday 1-4pm)
• Free Entry
• No secondhand stock at this event

For further details, see www.ukbookfest.co.uk

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How organised women’s football began across Europe, part 3: Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

Part 3 of an ongoing series of how competitions and leagues began to form.

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.

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

Today, I’m looking at three more of those beginnings: Big Molly Seaton drawing crowds in Northern Ireland, an Irish Benfica, and the Prestatyn Ladies’ scrapbook.Subscribe

Northern Ireland

A British Ladies FC tour in 1895 introduced football to the women in Northern Ireland but the first swell of interest came during the First World War.

A pseudo international game between Ireland and England at Windsor Park attracted 10,000 spectators. The game was a testimonial in honour of Mrs Walter Scott – not even afforded her own first name in the record books – who set up a Ladies Football Guild in 1916.

It was the appeal of Irish woman “Big Molly Seaton” who brought wider attention to the game in Northern Ireland when her Scottish side Rutherglen toured the area in the late 1920s. Molly was a superstar of her time and always drew a crowd.

Although the Irish Football Association didn’t ban women from playing football like other FAs, there was no support for the game making it hard to organise.

During the 1970s, the Northern Ireland Ladies Football Association formed and became affiliated to the English Women’s Football Association (WFA).

By summer 1973, Northern Ireland had an eight-team league. Seven of these teams were:

• Mayfair (Portadown)
• Albion (Ballymena)
• Minerva
• Berkshire
• Comber
• Millisle
• Glenavon

The eighth team wasn’t listed in the IFA source I found.

Mayfair were a clothing factory team from Portadown. Seven members of Northern Ireland’s first international squad came from the team. The other six clubs above were all represented too.

This original league was reorganised only a few years later.

In November 1976, representatives came together to form the Northern Ireland Women’s Football Association. They met at the Post Office Youth Club in Belfast to hold their first meeting.

They established league rules, the constitution, how they would recruit clubs and players, and elected their first chair – Mary McVeigh.

They began a summer league in 1977, and 18 teams were divided into three divisions of six. Unfortunately, the names of the teams seem – so far – to be lost in the sands of time. Three early teams who may well have been amongst the 18 were: Blue Birds, Dynamos, and Buzby Babes.

Republic of Ireland

It was Molly Seaton and the Rutherglen team who also brought women’s football to the Republic of Ireland. But it wasn’t until much later that it began to catch on.

One of the oldest clubs in the Republic of Ireland was Benfica of Waterford. Formed in 1965, they were apparently part of a women’s league of 22 teams, but I’ve found limited information on this so far.

A Dublin Ladies Football League was established in 1971 and one of their first champions (possibly the first) was Jeyes.

Jeyes of Figlas

Jeyes was a works team formed in the Jeyes factory in Finglas. Having won the league, they toured France making a strong connection with French side Reims. In 1973, Reims made the return trip to Ireland.

It was during that tour that Irish legend Anne O’Brien was spotted by Reims boss Pierre Geoffroy. He was so impressed he offered her a contract to join the semi-professional Reims. She was only 17 at the time and had to wait until she turned 18 before she could move away to France.

The Dublin Ladies Football League built momentum around the game in Ireland – although I’m yet to find a good record of anything beyond the success of Jeyes.

Whatever its story, it helped spark the Ladies Football Association of Ireland in 1973. Independent of Football Association Ireland (FAI), it began to organise the regional and workplace leagues that were forming.

At the same time, the Ladies League of Ireland was formed. This was a national league, organised by FAI.

Twelve teams were invited to the first league:

• Dundalk
• Finn Harps
• Cork Celtic
• Limerick
• Sligo Rovers
• Benfica (Waterford)
• Evergreen (Kilkenny)
• Avengers, formerly Jeyes (Dublin)
• Cahir Park (Tipperary)
• Beejays (Galway)
• Happy Wanderers (Galway)
• Wasps (Galway)

Later Elms United – also of Galway – joined.

By 1979, only seven teams competed and the league was discontinued in the 1980s. It was relaunched in 1987 but only survived for three more seasons.

Thanks for reading She Can Kick It! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Editor’s note: for anything and everything about the Republic of Ireland, I defer to my great friend Bobby Power of www.GoWildMagazine.com I have asked him if he can add any background information and I look forward to sharing that with Clare.

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Wales

Much like other parts of the British Isles, the First World War provided the backdrop for women’s munitions teams. The first known league in Wales formed in 1917-18. The South Wales Women’s Munitions League had three silver cups as prizes.

Newport Ladies won the league in its first season and the National Shell Factory Swansea won the Munitions Cup in 1918.

There were also some games in North Wales during the wartime period, but it would be decades before a sustained league structure emerged in the region.

In 1969, Prestatyn Ladies was formed by two sisters : Mia and Eleri Griffith. Wonderfully, they kept scrapbooks of their games, which have been preserved.

They give a long list of their opponents, who included:

• Dyserth Ladies
• Llanrwst Ladies
• Rhyl High School Girls
• Mostyn Ladies
• Deeside Firebelles
• Connah’s Quay Firebelles
• Modo Marvels
• South Caernarvon Creameries
• Point of Ayr Ladies
• Halkyn Ladies
• Wrexham Ladies

As a side note, the current Wrexham Women’s team played in the Champions League qualifiers this season, although unfortunately didn’t make it through. But they’ve come a long way because, in the Griffiths’ scrapbook, Wrexham were once beaten 25-0 by Prestatyn.

Despite the number of teams around in North Wales, there doesn’t seem to have been anything resembling a formalised league. So Prestatyn joined the Merseyside and Wirral League in the north west of England.

In South Wales, a 10-club league formed in 1972. It mainly consisted of factory and workplace teams, including Johnson Rangers of Port Talbot and Maurice Cohen, who were sponsored by a local lingerie manufacturer.

A couple of years later, around eight clubs were reportedly affiliated to a short-lived “Welsh League”, but little else is known.

By 1976, some of the leading South Wales teams began moving into England’s Western League.

These included:

• Cardiff West End
• Newport Nightingales
• Llanedeyrn, who later became Cardiff City Ladies

Regional leagues continued to come and go and it wasn’t until 1992 that a more sustained league – the South Wales Women’s and Girls’ League formed. It still exists today and may be the start of a more lasting structure in South Wales.

Since North Wales teams often crossed the border into England to join their leagues, it wasn’t until 2003 that a modern North Wales Women’s Football League was formed.

And it was only in 2009 that Wales had its first national league. The Welsh Premier Women’s League is now known as the Adran Premier league.

This is part of a series on the formation of early leagues in women’s football.

Here’s part 1click and 2 click:

Editor’s note : thanks to Clare for the background information on Jeyes

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“I wandered lonely as a cloud,” well it felt a bit like that as I was well and truly lost on Google Maps as I searched in vain to find my bank in Middlesbrough town centre. Those with more patience would probably have looked more carefully at the screen and seen that the quickest way involved walking THROUGH an entire shopping centre. So, there I was walking through the Dundas Centre when I saw a thing of beauty, ASB Football Shirts Yes, there among the charity shops, and the discount home furnishing stores was an image/ a mirage of pulchritude/ a genuine football shirt shop!

Wanting not to appear ungrateful for the improvement in my day, nor abuse the bank manager further (too aggressively), I walked into this Aladdin’s Cave. Yes, I know he was probably on the planet before the Founding 12 but this Aladdin was fronted by the ever affable Mark who kindly showed me the biggest Boro collection I have ever seen. “But there’s more”….yes, a huge selection of EFL, EPL, non-league and foreign club and internationals. HUGELY impressive.

Mark told me that his biggest focus currently is increasing ever further his stock levels as he has a ready trade for all quality shirts (as opposed to the skanky knock-offs from the vape shops or weekly markets!)
He travels extensively in search of nice single items and collections. So, if you have anything of likely interest please contact him via his website of even WApp/phone etc 07714 190606

As I type this up I am beginning to realise that all Smoggies are good people. There is Mark and let’s not forget Barry and Steve who welcomed me so effusively when I was last in Middlesbrough in 2010. I note I also got lost that day too! See here

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A very interesting update from Clare McEwen on the All New Subway Players Cup
Thanks, ma’am!

Last season’s Subway Women’s League Cup will now be the Subway Players Cup for 2026-27. And the format has been tweaked too.

Oh yeah, and last year’s winners – Chelsea – won’t be part of the competition this season.

The League Cup has had a major overhaul for 2026-27.

Here’s what you need to know.

How does it work from 2026-27

From this season, the three teams competing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League will not take part.

That means no Manchester City, Chelsea or Arsenal.

Rather than a group phase and a knockout phase, there will now be a league phase and knockout phase. The league phase will see all 23 participating teams from the WSL and WSL2 playing in a single league.

Each team will play three home and three away games against teams who are geographically nearby. This new regionalised league phase aims to cut down on travelling time, reducing the burden on players.

There will be 69 games played between September and December. Winners get three points but there will be no draw. Which can only mean one thing: penalties.

If scores are level after 90 minutes, it goes straight to penalties. Two points will be awarded to the winner, and one point to the loser.

It’s exciting from a fan perspective because now every game feels like a knockout game. But it’s also exciting from a development point of view because all the teams involved get a chance to feel that excitement and pressure and revel in it. That can only be a good thing for the future of the game.

After the league fixtures, the top eight teams will go on to the knockout phase, culminating in the final, which will be played sometime during the weekend of the 13th/14th March 2027.

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Benefits

As well as plenty of games and extra excitement, there are multiple benefits to the restyled competition.

The three Champions League teams are relieved of some of their playing load – it’s either the Champions League or the Players Cup, no more having to juggle both.

For the rest of the WSL and WSL2 there are multiple benefits: more meaningful game time, a better chance of silverware, and a chance to develop players and make the leagues even more competitive.

It could also help reduce injury risk.

The reduction in playing load for the top teams is an obvious benefit when it comes to managing injury risk. But did you know that not playing enough games can also increase injury risk?

A FIFPRO study in 2025 found that players who were “underloaded” with playing time – rather than “overloaded” – also had an increased injury risk.

The disparity in playing time between the top and the bottom teams in the WSL is stark. In the 2024-25 season, the average Arsenal first-team player played the equivalent of 13 more matches than the average Crystal Palace player (across club and international football). Many players either played too many minutes or too few – both increasing injury risk.

The new format of the Players Cup will help to reduce this playing time gap.

And this leads us nicely into the new name.

Why the name change?

So the Women’s League Cup has now become the Players Cup – without an apostrophe, which is giving me a nervous tic as a type, but I’ll adjust (Champions League does the same to me, btw).

The name change is essentially to reflect that the changes to the format have been built around player welfare and put the players at the heart of the competition.

There is now no “women’s” qualifier, which maybe shows WSL Football’s intent to steer away from the men’s model and build something fresh for the women’s game. The name change obviously helps make it distinct from any men’s competition too.

After talking with clubs, players, and fans, WSL Football recognised there was an opportunity to rewrite the rules for the secondary cup competition.

The player-centric focus addresses calendar congestion and player welfare, creates more opportunity for player development, and ultimately gives different teams a chance to win a major trophy.

In turn, that can strengthen player pathways, deepen the pool of homegrown talent, and perhaps give more opportunities for international call-ups.

Because the players are at the heart of the redesign, the Players Cup seems like the perfect name. I wonder how long the discussions were about whether to include an apostrophe…

Just me?

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My thoughts

I think this is a really good change. Taking the top three from the WSL out of the equation gives other teams a better chance for silverware, as well as opportunities to develop players more quickly. For the majority, who rely on funding from the wider club, this could generate more interest in their women’s team and maybe, just maybe, lead to more investment.

For the players, it means more chances to develop, experience what it feels like to regularly go deep into a Cup competition, and have something realistic to fight for every season.

For managers, it means more opportunities to develop players, test ideas, and build their vision more quickly. And of course, a better chance of putting something in the trophy cabinet.

For fans, it’s no longer another game to worry about player welfare but a chance to celebrate our teams in more exciting matches. A chance to embrace a new format – where every game produces a winner and there’s no playing for a draw. A chance to see more competitive matches and watch players grow and develop. A chance for a different set of supports to celebrate what it feels like to win silverware.

I’m excited to see what it brings.

Are you?

If you enjoyed this article, you can support my research and writing with a virtual tea on Ko-fi. Or Subscribe here for free, leave a comment below, or share the article. All help and are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Editor’s note. I see nothing but positives. I especially like regionalising as many matches as possible. In the men’s game, I have for many years pleaded for League One and Two to be split North and South. A radical thought is to add the National League and have a North, Central and South. Gillingham would be going to Orient and Wimbledon instead of Fleetwood and York. Dream on, Steve!

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One of the upsides of becoming involved in O-M’s programme project was that I met many great people along the way. O-M introduced me to Stuart Eyre from the East Midlands who had helped him from his early days collecting the 92 clubs’ programmes over the 50 years.

Stuart and I traded and he told me this week that he has started a new Facebook Community for football memorabilia collectors. Nothing new so far but Stuart has added a nice turn on it and programmes are NOT for sale but rather for exchange. He explains it, ” This group has been created to assist collectors of football programmes to obtain their ‘missing’ programme or programmes without having to pay out.

Just like many of us did as kids in days gone by with football stickers, this group will enable collectors to exchange their football programmes. Connections with like-minded collectors can be made via this page.

Whether collectors have duplication they want to ‘breakdown’, two of the same programme that they’re happy to exchange one of them or after a particular programme and feel that they can ‘entice’ a fellow collector that has that ‘wanted’ programme to exchange.

The rules are simple:-

No sales allowed, only exchanges

The admin take no responsibility for any transactions other than the transactions participated in

Be kind, honest and courteous to each other.”

So, here you are Football Programme Exchange Community

As an example, here is what Stuart is looking for himself:

You can catch him here

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Yes, it is that time of the year again when clubs launch their 3456789 new kits. There was a halcyon time when clubs had a red, white or blue shirt and it did not change for decades. Nowadays with a few honourable exceptions, most clubs are falling over themselves to launch a Rovers in Europe goalkeeper’s third shirt …..apparently blissfully unaware that they did not qualify for Europe!

So let’s look at the Good, Bad and the just plain Ugly offerings this summer.

1. Manchester United

2. Liverpool

3. Arsenal

4. Chelsea

Here are a dozen shirts that have generated plenty of discussion. There is a good over view on the official Premier League site

Club	Why it’s interesting
Manchester United (1)	A return to the classic polo collar. Many supporters say it has a late-1990s feel, while keeping a modern Adidas look.
Liverpool (2)	One of the boldest home shirts in years, featuring a subtle geometric pattern rather than plain red. It has divided opinion but stands out immediately.
Arsenal (3)	Heritage-inspired design with clean styling. The away shirt in particular has received excellent reviews for its understated colours. I will be watching to see how this helps in their relegation battle.
Chelsea (4)	The black-and-gold away shirt has become one of the most praised releases of the summer, with many fans calling it one of Nike’s best efforts.
Manchester City	Puma have kept things relatively traditional after several experimental seasons, appealing to supporters wanting a cleaner design.
Tottenham Hotspur	A crisp white shirt with subtle detailing. Unfortunately, Spurs have also attracted criticism after increasing replica shirt prices.
Newcastle United	Traditional black-and-white stripes remain, but with refined detailing that nods to earlier Adidas eras.
Leeds United	A classic white home shirt, although the third kit has received some of the weakest fan ratings so far.
Sunderland	Back in the Premier League with a smart red-and-white striped shirt. Fans are delighted to see top-flight football return, though the price rise has been unpopular.
Coventry City	Newly promoted and sporting a distinctive sky-blue strip. Another club whose shirt pricing has sparked debate.
Brighton & Hove Albion	The classic stripes remain, but with a wider stripe pattern that gives the shirt a fresh look.
Burnley	A very traditional claret-and-blue design which has been well received by supporters wanting a return to the club’s roots.

A few background stories

Championship delays – Several EFL clubs took much longer to reveal their shirts this summer, with some supporters complaining that pre-season had already started before new kits were available. Reddit discussions show widespread frustration with late launches.

The retro revival – Polo collars, embroidered-style crests and designs inspired by the 1990s and early 2000s are everywhere this season.

Price controversy – Replica shirts are becoming increasingly expensive, with some Premier League clubs charging up to £90 for an adult shirt, prompting criticism from supporters.

Earlier launches – Most Premier League clubs now unveil next season’s kit before the previous season has even finished, because league rules allow teams to wear new kits in their final home or away fixture.

Obviously, I could not forget my beloved Gillingham’s kit. Here we have the absolute “Good, Bad, Ugly”…. all at the same club in the same season. The home blue is OK, if bland and it just looks like a half-hearted attempt to get some money out of the supporters. The away kit with the green looks absolutely fanatastic and possibly the best we have had for twenty years. Good? Superb. The third was (probably) a three year old’s first attempt on Canva. In the history of the past 60 years, I can only say that it is the WORST kit we have ever seen. Hopefully the next time I see it will be the end of year sales. Bad and Ugly!

Brentford Away – Tailored for the Game

…and I think I should sign off with this from Joma at Brentford just to remind myself that I have finally given up trying to understand anything. “Inspired by the bespoke tailoring and timeless style of the Kingsman film franchise, this kit features and elegant navy-and-cream pinstripe design, complemented by a contrasting cream crew neck and monochrome club crest. Created in collaboration with Brentford Shareholder and Kingsman director Sir Matthew Vaughn, the shirt pays tribute to the craftsmanship and heritage of Savile Row, bringing together football, film and fashion in our most distinctive kit to date.” (That’s marketing-speak for a black shirt with cream pinstripes … which I would actually otherwise have liked.)

Edit: l saw ESPN has done a comprehensive list of their favourite shirts. Proves that preferences are just that, subjective views.

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/49163915/premier-league-202627-kits-ranking-every-jersey-released-arsenal-chelsea-liverpool-man-city-man-united-tottenham

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How organised women’s football began across Europe: England and Scotland

This is the second part of Clare McEwen’s in depth research on the Origins of Women’s Football in Europe. The first part can be found here

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 two of those beginnings: regional leagues in England that helped lead to the formation of the Women’s Football Association, and Scottish teams organising independently despite continued resistance from their own football authority.

England

Although England’s women’s football history goes back to Victorian times, and the game experienced a strong period of growth during and after the First World War, regional leagues didn’t really begin to form until after England’s men won the World Cup.

When the Jules Rimet trophy was lifted by Bobby Moore in 1966, women’s interest in playing football soared. More women discovered the beautiful game and wanted to be a part of it.

Teams and leagues began to form, despite the ban still being in place. Perhaps they didn’t even know it existed.

Patricia Gregory, who was inspired to form a team around this time, wrote to her local paper looking for other players. It wasn’t until she formed White Ribbon and began looking for pitches that she discovered women were actually banned from using FA-affiliated pitches.

She was undeterred.

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Several regional leagues were formed in the late 1960s, including the Warwickshire Ladies Football League (1967), the Midland Ladies Football League (1968), and the South East of England League (1968).

The Midland Ladies Football League included the following teams:

• Nuneaton Wanderers
• British Rail of Wigston
• Emgals
• Nuneaton Rangers
• Rockmill
• Leicester City Supporters
• Bedworth Babes
• Bantams
• Bedworth Flamingoes

You’ve got to love some of those names – how cool are they?

Around this time, a group of young female supporters formed Birmingham City Ladies FC, although it doesn’t look like they joined the league at this point.

A few teams broke away to join the newly formed Heart of England Ladies’ Football League, which began in 1970. The league was later restructured and became known as the West Midland Regional League.

Birmingham City Ladies FC joined the new league. Throughout the next two decades, the Blues won various league and cup titles. In 2011, they became one of the founding members of the Women’s Super League and finished as runners-up twice.

They were relegated in 2022 but now, nearly 60 years after being formed, Birmingham City are back in the WSL for the 2026-27 season.

Scotland

Around the same time, more women’s teams and leagues began to form in Scotland – despite strong resistance from the Scottish FA.

Many of Scotland’s early women’s teams grew out of workplaces, factories and local communities. For example, Cambuslang Hooverettes were linked to the Hoover factory, while Glasgow Gay Ladies / Glasgow Gay Eleven took their name from Gay’s biscuit factory, and were later renamed Westthorn United Ladies FC.

Alongside them were teams including Stewarton Thistle, Fife Dynamites, Tayside Toppers, and Holyrood Bumbees, helping create a growing network of women’s football across Scotland..

The first formal modern women’s league in Scotland seems to have been set up in Glasgow in 1968, but little is known about it. From the limited accounts I’ve found, Stewarton Thistle, Westthorn United, and Cambuslang Hooverettes all seem to have been a part of the league but, at this point, I can’t find any further information.

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The Scottish Women’s Football Association (SWFA) was established in 1972, shortly after UEFA had voted to bring unofficial organisations under national football association control. There were 31 votes in favour of this move, and only one against: Scotland.

ELSIE COOK – with her treasured Pele photograph and autograph

Stewarton Thistle’s manager Elsie Cook became the first secretary of the SWFA and helped steer women’s football in Scotland forward.

Cook had been inspired to do everything in her power to build women’s football in Scotland after seeing talented young baller Susan Ferries play.

Ferries made her debut for Stewarton Thistle in 1961 against Holyrood Bumbees. The game was played to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia and ended in a 7-1 victory for Stewarton.

Ferries scored all seven goals. The boots she scored the goals with were second-hand from a shop in Kilmarnock called Cheapside Bargains. They lasted her 12 years and are now on display at the Scottish Football Association Museum.

Elsie Cook was also on the pitch for Stewarton that day and saw something very special in young Ferries. Cook later said:

“After that day, that was me on a mission to prove to men and to women that ladies could play football, and it was because of Susan Ferries.”

Editor’s Note: Elsie has also be inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame and written a book about Stewarton, Pele, Kilmarnock FC and much more

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

If you enjoyed this article, you can support my research and writing with a virtual tea on Ko-fi. 

Remember – Part 1 is here

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Local Business Steps Up to Support FC Deportivo Galicia’s 2026/27 Season

I have written previously about sponsorship and there is very exciting news at my local club this week

FC Deportivo Galicia is delighted to announce that A Solutions (UK) Ltd has agreed to sponsor the match ball for every remaining home league fixture this season…

Their support helps the club continue providing affordable football and strengthens the club’s links with the local business community. A Solutions UK Ltd has been a family-owned cornerstone of the South East’s construction supply sector for over three decades. Based in Ashford, just a stone’s throw from Heathrow and the FC Deportivo Ground at Bedfont Sports, we’ve grown by putting our customers’ sites’ needs first—offering everything from high-performance anchors and drill bits to specialist blades and fixtures. Our independent status means we move fast, stocking the latest innovations while keeping prices competitive and transparent. Please check our latest offers

The club would like to thank A Solutions (UK)Ltd for their generosity and commitment. Club stalwart Leo Decabo said today, “Grassroots football thrives because local businesses choose to support local communities. FC Deportivo Galicia is delighted that A Solutions has kindly offered to sponsor every remaining home fixture during the 2026/27 season. The club is extremely grateful for this generous commitment and looks forward to developing a long-term partnership.”



Interested in supporting FC Deportivo Galicia?

Match Ball Sponsorship opportunities for future fixtures and competitions are available. Please contact the club to find out how your business can become part of the Galicia family.

I (Steve Hall of TheShirt2010) would personally like to thank A Solutions and look forward to welcoming them again to Hatton Rd. They have been regular visitors over many years, have a strong business presence and I am sure will look after any new clients who contact them as a result of this partnership.

Moving on, if any grassroots club has a sponsor for this season that you would like highlighted please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be delighted to spotlight the club/company partnership. No cost, my pleasure.

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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.

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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.

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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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