Author Archive

I watched a fascinating Amazon Prime programme this week about how football, our “Beautiful Game” has brought about peace in Rwanda after the genocide in the 1990s during the Rwandan Civil War. “This Is Football” is an exceptional programme on many levels but one thing I particularly focused on was the absolute PASSION of Rwandese from every ethnic group for Liverpool Football Club. This is still a poor country, very poor in fact, but at the weekly Premier League games absolutely everybody is wearing a Liverpool shirt. I spotted classics from the 90s, to retros, the odd keeper’s shirt and even some of the latest scarecly worn away shirts. Their passion for the club is unlimited. Watching two of them visit Anfield with tears of happiness at being able to see their beloved team was actually quite emotional.

By absolute total coincidence today, I “met” Pete Fincham on Facebook today. He is an Aston Villa fanatic based in Hampshire who selflessly collects old Villa shirts (any size/season) to send to the Villa fans in Gambia. I had no knowledge that Villa were so avidly followed there. I was happy to be educated.



He says,

“My name is Pete Fincham and I am the Chairperson of the Official Aston Villa Solent Lions Club based in Hampshire in the UK. I am a Villa season ticket holder in the Lower Holte L7 Row D end seat and as you can see from the photo’s below our Lions Club has been sending any old Villa shirts, wrong size shirts or any other Villa memorabilia to the Gambian Lions who are organised by Kevin Boucal and Ebrima Sonko. So if you have any old shirts, new shirts, slightly too small shirts or slightly too big shirts and would like to send them to The Gambia I will be collecting at the Holte End. So why not say hello and bring me a shirt or two for these crazy mad Villa fans from Africa in The Gambia, thank you.”

If you don’t visit Villa but have any shirt that you can donate to the cause please do get in touch with Pete on Facebook or simply mail anything to Pete Fincham, 47 Marlborough Gradens, Hedge End, Southampton S030 2UT. He also says that they can accept any shirt from any club that they will sell it off and with the money raised, they will buy Villa merchandise.

Football for Brains is an exciting new project by Steven End

It’s not the only football quiz book I have seen but it IS as good as I have seen AND Steven is additionally making a donation to The Scores Project at the University of East Anglia which is looking into dementia after repetitive head impact in sports.

The book has over 700 questions all recently researched. There is also a good mix of questions from anagrams, to multiple choice, from international statistics through the professional game and down the pyramid into non-league.
It’s a bargain buy at only £5.50 (+ p&p) and looks a great read for a train journey, car journey or the basis for a great pub quiz.
There is also an interesting review of football programmes and memorabilia collecting in general.

So, a fantastic way to end (or start!) an argument and, equally importantly, to raise money for research into dementia.
Enjoy.

It’s available on eBay but if you want to stock the book in a clubshop, retail outlet Steven would be delighted to talk to you on Twitter.

You can find a full review on Football Book Reviews

I got this from Rob today. I have always been impressed with his posters in particular and website in general. Happy to share his newsletter to help him

OUT NOW! 2021/2022 92 Club & National League poster

Fully updated for the new season, our poster is double-sided featuring the 92 Club on one side and the National Leagues on the other.This year’s map comes with a design refresh featuring a fresh new colour palette, incredibly detailed shirts and extended statistics including star ratings for atmosphere and overall rating, as voted by our 155,000+ registered users.This is an essential purchase for any groundhopper and is a fantastic educational resource for kids – it looks great on any bedroom or office door or wall!All posters include FREE UK delivery. Order the new 2021/2022 92 Club & National League poster today!

Payments taken by PayPal or credit/debit card with 20% off using code: KICKOFF21

On the day that Serie A starts a new season and with Italy as European Champions, the confirmation has come through that Chievo have ceased to be.

Last month the club were relegated from Serie B to Serie D because of financial irregularities. Despite efforts being made to find investors, the search was successful and the club has had to admit defeat. There is probably no parallel in British football. Chievo were a one-off. Only twenty years ago they played in front of crowds of a few hundred l Mussi Volanti (The Flying Donkeys). In 2001 the club miraculously made it to Serie A where they remained, even more miraculously, for six seasons.

On field success with two seasons in Europe and even a Coppa Italia victory have often been overshadowed with off field scandals and rumours. In July their “rightful” place in Serie B was awarded to Cosenza as Chievo were unable to prove their financial viability.

A sad story. I had been looking forward to visiting the club (who groundshared with Hellas Verona at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi. As a groundhopper it is disappointing but there is another reason. In an age of Puma templates, Chievo had a unique shirt with the image of Cangrande I della Scala, a medieval Verona Lord.

I am delighted to introduce you to one of my Twitter friends, Nick AKA Footy Draws

Hand drawn digital illustrations. Any player, any club, any moment. International stars, club heroes, or even Local Sunday League Legends! Pick up an existing print, or request a bespoke design! Deals on multiples and international shipping available.

Make contact via Facebook, Twitter or Etsy

I moved to Spain in 2001, so 20 years ago. In honesty I had not been a huge follower of Spanish football which certainly at international level had failed to deliver despite the galaxy of club sides. My interest in Spanish football started following a local side FC Torrevieja (as was!) that later became something of a legend four levels below La Liga. Crowds were regularly ten times bigger than the other 23 teams and often more. In other words we were reguarly getting bigger crowds than those in La Segunda, just one level down from La Liga. In English terms it would be like Bromley getting crowds ten times bigger than Boreham Wood or as big as QPR in the Championship. Work took me more and more to Madrid, my Spanish improved and high (-er!) speed internet enabled me to start following Real Madrid more closely until it became quite addictive! Probably Barcelona were more fashionable but De Gaal was never my favourite mananger. they had Puyol, Luis Enrique and De Boer but Real Madrid had Del Bosque in team which included Casillas, Morientes, Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo (Brazilian!) and more. No contest!

So for the past 20 years, I have closely followed las camisetas (the shirts) in La Liga and below. Obviously Real Madrid are globally famous for the miniaturistic white shirt whilst Barcelona’s is their emblematic blue and scarlet. Athletic’s red and white mirror Southampton’s eternal red and white stripes. Sevilla are loyal to their white and red, whilst across town Real Betis are green and white. Fortunately, Sevilla’s “cucumber” strip was a one-off publicity stunt as was Atletico’s Spiderman!

This season’s La Liga shirts have been collected by PlanetaFobal . Enjoy!

For at least the last 30 years, the Italian Serie A (the “top” league) has been famous for the beauty of its shirts. From the deep red of AS Roma to the white and purple of Fiorentina, the red and black of Milan to the black and white stripes of Juventus, supporters the world over have followed fantastic players in fantastic shirts.

The new 20 team Serie A starts this week and I am delighted to present all 20 home shirts alongside many of the 2nd, 3rd and keepers kits. I think certainly for the home kits, there is a look back in respect to some historic designs. In common with many countries across the world, the second and third kits are more “experimental” if I can use that word. Other words I might use include “disappointing, extraordinary” and “ugly.”

I can’t help giving an opinion and that is that I think Roma’s shirt is superb, I like the ageless Juventus offer and, as always admire the Fiorentina maglia. However, my shirt of the season award goes to newly promoted Venezia. All their new shirts are worthy of the Serie A and I wish them every success over the next ten months. In bocca al lupo – Good luck.

You will find every shirt on the Sky site

I have just found an interesting infographic from PlanetaFobal showing the manufacturers of this season’s Serie A shirts. It’s quite a mix with several manufacturers supplying both the biggest and the smallest clubs in the league.

And let’s not forget Parma who slipped out of Serie A at the end of the 2020/2021 season.

Spain to Norway on a Bike called Reggie

Many will remember that the whole Shirt Project started with Bjørn Heidenstrøm cycling from Norway to South Africa in 2009/2010. I followed up in 2010 cycling to the 92 EPL and EFL grounds in England and Wales. The next year Bjørn cycled the length of Norway. Although not connected with the project I was delighted to read of Andrew Sykes’s cycle ride from my beloved Spain to Norway – not to Oslo in the South but to the very top, twice the distance! Respect to Andrew. Let me introduce you to Andrew …. and Reggie!

Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie

Meet Andrew: French teacher, writer and long-distance cyclist.

Now, meet Reggie, his bike.

With two European cycling adventures already under his belt, Andrew was ready for a new challenge. Exchanging his job as a teacher in Oxfordshire for an expedition on Reggie the bike, he set off on his most daring trip yet: a journey from Tarifa in Spain to Nordkapp in Norway – from Europe’s geographical south to its northernmost point.

Join the duo as they take on an epic journey across nearly 8000 km of Europe, through mountains, valleys, forests and the open road, proving that no matter where you’re headed, life on two wheels is full of surprises.

Andrew P. Sykes is a writer and cyclist. He is also a lover of those quirky, humorous travelogues that meander comically from one minor adventure to the next, and so writing about his own cycling adventures seemed the natural thing for him to do.

When not writing and travelling, Andrew edits a popular cycling website, CyclingEurope.org, where you will find more information about his journeys and cycling and travel in general. For more details, visit apsykes.com, the Cycling Europe on a Bike Called Reggie Facebook page, and follow Andrew on Twitter @CyclingEurope.

The book is available through Summersdale.com

Matt Walker watched a top-division football match in all 55 UEFA nations over a single season and has written a critically-acclaimed book, Europe United, about his adventures.

The idea to complete a pan-European tour in one season came to me one dull December day in my hometown of London. I immediately thought it was the perfect combination of football and travel with a challenge to focus my interest.
 
The European football family extends to the likes of the Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan and Armenia and this gave my travels appealing variety. I loved the contrast between, say, northern Wales and southern Israel in the depths of winter. I spent an average of four days in each of the 55 nations, which normally gave me the chance to explore and hunt some interesting stories for the book, as well as watch at least one top-flight match.

The logistical challenge was considerable. I started my travels in June 2017 and it was crucial that I visited all of the summer leagues before they ended that autumn. Georgia, one of my favourite countries, made a late decision to shift to a summer season so I kicked off my challenge there. My second country was Iceland, hardly the most logical start to my adventures. Games were regularly moved at short-notice and I even had to bluff my way into an Albanian match being played behind closed doors. My last match was in Podgorica, the bland Montenegrin capital. I celebrated with friends afterwards on the beautiful coastline and took a speedboat ride captained by a Serbian who claimed he was an ex-footballing prodigy.

I then compressed my experiences into Europe United, my first book. Football is the theme, but it’s intrinsically linked to my travels, in particular some of the people I chanced upon. It was always my intention to visit footballing underdogs – not the European Super League wannabes – so my book takes you to Kruševac in Serbia and Crotone in Italy. I probably got a more personal experience there than in their big city cousins. I think it strikes a nice balance between football and travel and if you love both then Europe United is the book for you! Matt’s book, Europe United, is widely available in Ebook, Paperback and Hardback.

Matt Walker  – writer – photographer – football fan️ “Europe United: 1 football fan. 1 crazy season. 55 UEFA nations” out now! ️  Book available in 25+ countries including the UK,  Romania and Estonia️

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It is that time of the year when everybody is eagerly bandying about their predictions for the coming season. Some, like Gary Lineker, are paid huge amounts for our views whilst others look forward to telling friends and family that “this is going to be OUR season.” The fact that they lost more than they won at the end of the previous season or that they have lost their three best players and had a wretched pre-season with a string of embarrassing results against opposition that could not fill the bench, is a complete irrelevance. It’s what we do every year.

Neil Richardson decided to turn the hot air into something positive. I caught up with him earlier to learn what he and his friends have done. He said, “I am once again running the prediction league for the up and coming season. Same format as before with the money being split 50% to the winner and 50% shared between Demelza and Evelina. Every pundit can put his/her money where his/her mouth is and predict the outcome of the 2021-2022 season.

A group of my friends started raising money a few years back and the first year we raised something like £300. This money was used on buying a load of toys from Argos and taking them up to Great Ormond Street childrens hospital. As the years passed more money was raised and we decided to run a charity night. Millwall Football Club kindly allowed us to use their facilities free of charge and a benefit night that consisted of raffles/auctions etc raised us over £10,000 in 2019. This money was split between Evelina and Demelza , two children charities close to many of our hearts at Millwall.

With Covid arriving we unfortunately couldn’t host an event in 2020, so a few of us decided to try different ways to make money and this was my input. Started last season and it raised £280 for the charities with £280 going to the winner who on this occasion was split £140 between two people who tied on the same number of points, their names were Don Bone and Phil Roberts.”

I was delighted to put my predictions in writing. Some are easy – Arsenal to finish bottom of the Premier League, Gillingham to top League One and Arteta to be the first manager to go. Others needed a bit more thought but my list is in and I hope every football fan around the world will join in. It’s just £10 a go and you have a chance to win hundreds of pounds and HUGE bragging rights among friends and family. Much more important is that two fantastic charities will gain much-needed funds.

To get in touch with Neil and request your prediction form, click here.