Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Aston Villa

Emery at Sevilla in 2016

So, yesterday it was Bournemouth and today it is Aston Villa. I think I could make a case for them being the two clubs in the Premier League who have most over-delivered this season. (Obviously it is a HUGE surprise that Arsenal were not relegated but that’s another story for another day!) Unai Emery has done a fantastic job at Villa Park and they are now guaranteed European football next season too. Impressive. Here’s a little side story, Emery knows about The Shirt Project from waaaaaaaay back in 2009 when Bjorn and I were invited to the training ground to watch the Valencia squad train for an away cup game at Slavia Prague. By absolute coincidence it was his birthday (3 November) and we presented him a Shirt pin-badge as a little birthday present. He showed gratitude. Since then he has had great success throughout Europe at Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Paris SG and Villarreal. For reasons I cannot understand he went to Arsenal for a season. I presume he regrets that on his CV. Great manager shame about the team! So, congratulations to him again.

What of Villa? Well the big story is two new books being produced to mark their 150th anniversary ….and not just “any” books.

THE ASTON VILLA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEAR BOOK PROJECT – VOLUME ONE & VOLUME TWO

As we approach Aston Villa’s landmark anniversary, two large-format 420-page coffee table books have been produced to commemorate the occasion. Hundreds of beautiful photographs, illustrations, stories, fascinating press cuttings and precious memorabilia have been combined to make the finest quality Aston Villa books ever produced – books that will be treasured by every Villa supporter.

The first volume tells the remarkable story of Villa’s first 75 years between 1874-1949, an era when the club dominated football – the Kings of Birmingham and renowned across the globe. Unrivalled printing quality, using truly beautiful photographs and stories, this book really brings those times back to life like never before.

Colin Abbott’s long-awaited second volume moves Aston Villa’s remarkable story forward – with the ups and downs between 1950 and 2024 given the same care and attention as the first volume. Even more pin-sharp images, artefacts and stories are featured, alongside stand-out interviews with some of the players and managers that make this club so great.

FULL INFORMATION AND TO ORDER CLICK HERE

THESE STUNNING BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED INDIVIDUALLY, OR COME BOXED WHEN BOUGHT TOGETHER, ALONG WITH A SPECIALLY COMMISSIONED LIMITED EDITION METAL BADGE – STRICTLY WHILE STOCK LASTS. PRE-ORDERS ALSO GET THEIR NAME IN THE BOOK!

GET YOUR NAME IN THE BOOK

All advanced purchasers will have their name automatically included in the fans’ roll of honour section of both books if purchased during the pre-order period before the end of September 2024. We will use the purchaser’s name from the order details. Books will be delivered early November. Names will appear in both volumes of the book. If you purchased Volume One as part of the first print run in 2020/21 and your name is included in that edition, your name will automatically also appear in the new volume/s.

FULL INFORMATION AND TO ORDER CLICK HERE

A great friend of mine, Dave Baldwin is also a huge Villa fan so it is only right I mention his art again. I have featured him on this blog several times. Here are some of his latest works. To see his entire portfolio visit his excellent website.

Villa Park

It would be equally remiss to overlook Matty’s work. He has got a great collection of Villa players too. He was first known for his work with Liverpool players but his portfolio has expanded now. See especially his Newcastle United collection. Check his website

So, the tuktuk digital tour pushes on and I have Bristol City & Rovers and Birmingham in my sights but in the meantime, kindly remember that the purpose of this 90 day challenge is to raise funds for my local club, FC Deportivo Galicia and an equal amount for Prostate Cancer. As always, I hope that you are all enjoying the tour of the UK and that you will consider a donation to support FC Deportivo Galicia and/or Prostate Cancer UK 

If everybody chipped in with just £1 I would easily hit my target of £10,000 and life would be easier in West London whilst the charity could continue their great work. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can.

A.F.C.Bournemouth

I was looking to get to Bournemouth but by chance (or perhaps Facebook algorithms our friends at Pitch Publishing sent me details of a new book outlining their Championship Winning Season.

“Anything is Possible” is the inside story of Bournemouth’s remarkable Championship-winning season and tells how the smallest club in the division defied bookmakers, pundits and the Football League to emerge triumphant from a fiercely fought promotion contest and gate-crashed the richest league in the world.

But that is just the end of the story! Only six years earlier, the club was on the brink of liquidation following a series of financial crises and points deductions. The club took a last-ditch gamble on former player Eddie Howe. A 31-year-old former player with zero management experience. It paid dividends and some, as Howe sowed the seeds for an astonishing rise up the leagues.

The club rose from League Two to the Championship in four seasons, successes made all the more remarkable as Howe spent 20 months of that period managing Burnley.

In 2014/15, Howe eclipsed his previous successes as he led a squad described as “misfits” by captain Tommy Elphick to the Championship title in the final seconds of the season. Anything Is Possible is the quite astonishing story of how a club on the brink of extinction rose through the divisions and reached to promised land of the Premier League.

The author, Michael Dunne, is not new to the south coast and was the author of “Dean Court Days: Harry Redknapp at AFC Bournemouth.” He has written about football in the Guardian, Observer, When Saturday Comes and many other publications and websites. He has supported Bournemouth for more than 40 years and for several seasons produced and presented the All Departments podcast, which charted the Cherries’ fairy tale rise from the brink of extinction to the Premier League

I will be back tomorrow but in the meantime, kindly remember that the purpose of this 90 day challenge is to raise funds for my local club, FC Deportivo Galicia and an equal amount for Prostate Cancer. As always, I hope that you are all enjoying the tour of the UK and that you will consider a donation to support FC Deportivo Galicia and/or Prostate Cancer UK 

If everybody chipped in with just £1 I would easily hit my target of £10,000 and life would be easier in West London whilst the charity could continue their great work. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can.

Kit Holden

After the trip to Arsenal it is back to somewhere a little close to home …not. Many of you will remember Kit Holden for “Scheisse”, his unique book about 1FC Union Berlin or was it his book about the unique Berlin side, 1FC Union Berlin? Well, the good news is that he has a new book almost at print. If it is anywhere near as good as the previous one it is going to be a belter!

“Played in Germany”: In summer 2024, the eyes of football fans worldwide will turn to Germany as it hosts the European Championship. For many, the country seems familiar territory: a footballing behemoth with clubs as famous as its beer and its cars. But, if you look closer, the beautiful game can offer a deeper understanding of Europe’s powerhouse.

Beyond the booze and the bratwurst: what football really tells us about Germany, the UEFA Euro 2024 hosts.

Played in Germany takes us on a journey through modern Germany’s football heartlands in search of the issues which define it. Through the stadiums, songs and simmering resentments of football, it sheds light on a nation so diverse and divided that the only thing which really unites it is the game itself.

The book is available to pre-order through our friends at Stanchion Books

If you missed “Scheisse! We’re going up,” here is an overview .

Journey through the European capital of cool with Scheisse!

Have you ever been to Berlin? And if so do you love it as much as we do?!? We are a bit Berlin-crazy here at Duckworth and one book that really reflects our love for the city is Scheisse! by Kit Holden

A club on the rise.
A city in flux.
This is Union Berlin.

No football club in the world has fans like 1. FC Union Berlin. The underdogs from East Berlin have stuck it to the Stasi, built their own stadium and even given blood to save their club. But now they face a new and terrifying prospect: success.

Scheisse! tells the human stories behind the unexpected rise of this unique football club. But it’s about more than just football. It’s about the city Union call home. As the club fight to maintain their rebel spirit among the modern football elite, their trajectory mirrors that of contemporary Berlin itself.

Tomorrow I am off to Bristol and a chance to visit two clubs in one day. Sounds like fun. In the meantime, kindly remember that the purpose of this 90 day challenge is to raise funds for my local club, FC Deportivo Galicia and an equal amount for Prostate Cancer. As always, I hope that you are all enjoying the tour of the UK and that you will consider a donation to support FC Deportivo Galicia and/or Prostate Cancer UK 

If everybody chipped in with just £1 I would easily hit my target of £10,000 and life would be easier in West London whilst the charity could continue their great work. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can.

Arsenal FC

Yes, it had to happen. FC Deportivo Galicia Top Man, all round good guy BUT Arsenal fan Rogelio Loureda was aware that I would probably avoid visiting the Emirates on the tuktuk tour. He is aware that I am not universally known for my love of Arsenal, its football, fanbase, Library atmosphere or, in general, the shame the club brings on English football. People ask me what team I support and I subconsciously say, ABA. Many think it is probably some Estonian team or a 9th level Spanish village team. No. A.B.A – Anyone But Arsenal

Like so many Arsenal fans, he is still absolutely confident that the Dial Square Nomads will take the Premier League title. To cut a long story short, he made a very generous sponsorship offer to the cause if I visited the Emirates and uploaded photos of my visit in my blog. So, here they are. Proof that I have visited the home of Arsenal. You will notice the appalling weather. There was driving rain and biblical gales. The water was flooding down Highbury Hill carrying all before it. If that was a Thomas Mann novel, I would have thought it was a metaphor for the Arsenal fans having their dreams dragged away. As I am not a novelist, I will just say that the day was wet and depressing…… pretty much everything I expect about Arsenal. So, thanks for your kind donation to the cause, Roger. It is greatly appreciated.

So, there we are, I went to the Emirates and Rogelio made a donation. Please kindly remember that the purpose of this 90 day challenge is to raise funds for his (and mine!) local club, FC Deportivo Galicia and an equal amount for Prostate Cancer. As always, I hope that you are all enjoying the tour of the UK and that you will consider a donation to support FC Deportivo Galicia and/or Prostate Cancer UK 
If everybody chipped in with just £1 I would easily hit my target of £10,000 and life would be easier in West London whilst the charity could continue their great work. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can.

The Way We Were …..

No, not the Barbara Streisand/Kris Kristofferson film soundtrack but, yes, a similar era. I was looking at a Blackpool programme from 1968 yesterday which had the marvellous Football Review inside. How I miss those days!

Anyway, there was a little quiz asking readers to name the kits. Just look how “plain” they are in those days. No logos, no crests, no betting companies ……no nothing! No fluorescent lime boots, no square metres of tattoos and not an agent or VAR in sight.

Just for fun, can you recognise these kits? A couple of hints No.2 is NOT Manchester United and No.3 is NOT Gillingham nor Chelsea nor Everton. No.4 is not Leeds United. I would be impressed if you got all four and even more impressed if you named the players.

Whilst talking about kits, I got an email from Brentford FC with an interesting twist on the “retro” trend.

Brentford and Bees United have created a version of the club’s first-ever striped shirt, worn in the 1890s.

The shirt, which has the same claret and blue colours from 1889, is now available for fans to purchase. It features a club crest that was in use during the 1893/94 season.

This release follows the launch of Brentford FC and Bees United’s 1889 heritage shirt, a version of the club’s first-ever playing kit, made available in March.

The shirt, which has the same claret and blue colours from 1889, is now available for fans to purchase. It features a club crest that was in use during the 1893/94 season.

This release follows the launch of Brentford FC and Bees United’s 1889 heritage shirt, a version of the club’s first-ever playing kit, made available in March.

This second heritage shirt marks the club’s shift from solid claret to claret and blue stripes in the 1890s.

While the reasons for Brentford’s choice of design are not known, stripes were only made possible in the late 1880s thanks to new technology and textile capability. Hoops had been commonplace, but stripes were brand new.

Mundial

Mundial Magazine

“It’s taken us 29 issues and nearly a decade to dedicate an entire magazine to kits, but some things are worth the wait.”

ISSUE 29: THE KITS SPECIAL

Mad really that it’s taken us 29 issues and nearly a decade to dedicate an entire issue to kits, but some things are worth the wait.

We asked our favourite people, from Adam Devonshire to Jackson Irvine to Lee Trundle, to tell us all about the kits that meant the most to them. A smorgasbord of shirts, ready for you to devour.

Wimbledon founder Marc Jones took us into his laboratory to show us what it really took to design those Wimbledon beauties that had social media on fire.

There’s a dispatch from an undercover kit baron, a man who’s been trafficking fake shirts across borders, from Turin to Berlin to New Jersey.

You’ll also find Émile-Samory Fofana’s latest additions from his Champions League Koulikoro project from the frontlines in Mali.”

Sounds Great! As followers of The Shirt know, the project was started by Bjørn Heidenstrøm way back in 2009. A whole project was launched around that thing of beauty known as the football shirt. So, yes, we both still love the grounds, the stadiums and everything else that football is known for but “The Shirt” is clearly at the very centre of the project.

What has Mundial delivered this edition?

Longform? This is where the big bits go. Inside, you’ll find an Owen Blackhurst odyssey around the Netherlands to explore Ruud Gullit’s legacy, an undercover story from a fake shirt seller, James Bird tracing the history of the world’s first gay football team through their kits, and you’ll find 20 pages of people we love—from Charlie Cooper to Lee Trundle to Flo Lloyd-Hughes to Cold War Steve—telling us about their favourite football shirts.

….and let’s see what magCulture has to say,

Mundial #29

190 x 260 mm, 98 pages

London, UK

Quarterly

First published 2014

Editor-in-chief: Dan Sandison

Art director: Alex Mertekis

Our favourite football mag, back on the magCulture shelves! Having resigned themselves to a digital-only future as the pandemic struck, the Mundial team was taken over by online publisher Footballco in 2022 with the express aim of relaunching the print edition. This is their eighth issue since the relaunch last summer, and it’s the Kits Special!

On the cover, it’s the odyssey of Ruud Gullit, orange-clad football hero from the Netherlands. Then, find a retrospective on Hackney Women’s FC – the first openly gay club in Europe – a photo-essay of kits on the frontlines, confessions of a bootleg shirt baron, and much more. 

On the Journal:
At work with editor Dan Sandison as they plot their return, ‘We’d had quite a few offers from weird and wonderful organisations to buy us out over the years, and we’d pretty consistently turned them down. This felt different though, they were publishers and football people. We got on.
‘Fast forward six months and we are working on a magazine for the first time in about three year…. It’s been a long time in the making, and we are all made up to be back.’
READ MORE

So, time to shoot to Mundial and buy the quarterly magazine.

Sunday again but for FC Deportivo Galicia the season is over. We played a rearranged game at Hanworth Villa against the London Samurai where we lost 5-4. Mid-table oblivion … tragically!

Sunday again so it’s Darren Ashley’s excellent vlog. I caught up with him earlier and he said,

” ….. sun beating down on a good natured pitch invasion and grown men crying with joy.

Those were the scenes at the final whistle of yesterday’s National League North play off final, where, Boston United, in my opinion, deservedly on the day, beat Brackley Town.

Although very much in the camp of really wanting Brackley to win, I couldn’t help but be happy for Boston and their fans. All in all, my experience of them, even before kick off, was that they were a great bunch.

When I visited St James Park yesterday to record my weekly Non League vlog I thought it may be tricky to do it in the way I usually try to, as, the ground was segregated. I knew that if I was to get a half decent recording spot, it would mean having to stand at the same spot for a few hours…one movement, and it would be quickly taken.

I managed to get bits and pieces filmed before finding my spot an hour or so before kick off, so, it actually was not too bad in the end.

Talking of “the end”, after the pitch invasion, and the high profile nature of the match, I thought it may be really hard to get any post match interviews from the winning team, however, I was wrong.

Keaton Ward, who had scored Boston’s equaliser, and incidentally was celebrating his birthday too, was great, and, although manager Ian Culverhouse was super busy with interviews, he kindly still had time for a small time Non League vlogger like me.

In fact, I knew the dressing room were waiting for Ian to make an appearance and I didn’t want to hold him up, so, I actually said it’s best you go in for celebrations and I would wait around for the interview.

Unbelievably, Ian appeared within a couple of minutes, and gave me as much time as I needed.

That just sums up Non League for me, no prima donnas and everyone has time for you.

One final thing, just after the full time whistle, I’m not sure how, but I found myself next to a very happy emotional and tearful man in a suit. I had a quick chat with him ( not recorded) whilst he was receiving congratulatory hugs….and it turned out he was Boston United chairman David Newton.

A fantastic day all in all, congratulations to Boston United, I hope they do really well next season, and, hopefully Brackley Town will pick themselves up, dust themselves off, go again and, in 2024/25, finally get promoted.”


Thanks, Darren. I hope everyone will pop over to his vlog and see this game and all the previous ones. No cost, no fee, Premier League please note! If you don’t squeeze another game in, I look forward to showcasing your non-league vlogs next season.

As a Gillingham fan, I am not likely to be sympathetic to Brackley Town and as soon as I hear the word “Boston” I immediately think of Steve Evans so I guess if they had both lost 3-0 I would have been happy!
Anyway, congratulations and commiserations. Talking of Gillingham, the manager left during the week. Steve Clemence’s first attempt at club management was not a success and as much as I was not a fan of Nil Nil Harris, I am not sure Clemence really moved us forward. Of course, having the second-fewest goals in the league and trying to play without a recognised striker was never going to keep us in the play off spots! Next! Clemence seemed a decent guy, a hard worker but the results were not there. The chairman’s dream is bigger than the manager’s. Yesterday also was the day when Birmingham City went down to League One from the Championship. I had a wry smile on my face as Blackburn Rovers managed by John Eustace stayed up and Birmingham City went down ……. having sacked Eustace whilst they were sixth in the table! Crazy! Big shout out to Matt at Plymouth Argyle yesterday who also stayed up and congratulations to Sheffield Wednesday who won their audition for the Great Escape when all looked lost!

So, let’s all shoot off to enjoy Darren’s Vlog and feel free to subscribe, at no cost, so you will never miss a game. Please remember, if you would like him to visit your club, do make contact. I know he will be delighted to try to fit in another 40 games next season!

Please also kindly remember that the purpose of this 90 day challenge is to raise funds for my local club and an equal amount for Prostate Cancer. As always, I HOPE you are all enjoying the tour of the UK and that you will consider a donation to support FC Deportivo Galicia and/or Prostate Cancer UK If everybody chipped in with just £1 I would easily hit my target of £10,000 and life would be easier in West London whilst the charity could continue their great work. A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can.

Pick My Postcode

After learning of all the great works at Brentford for the last two days, it is time to move on. Where? Literally anywhere in the UK where there are postcodes! For a couple of years I have been a member of Pick My Postcode and yesterday I was checking to see if I had won £10 or £1000 and was pleased to see that my bonus was now touching £100. That’s £100 of “free money” literally for checking my postcode every day….. a 30 second job! What I did NOT know was that if I chose to donate my winnings to a charitable cause that Pick My Postcode would double it! So, that would be £200 for Prostate Cancer UK.

It is 100% free to join and your only commitment is to check your home postcode against their daily list of winners. If your postcode has been chosen at random, you claim the money and they transfer it to you. How do they make their money? Simple, it’s like a free newspaper, say the Metro or London’s Evening Standard and is funded by advertisers.

I only joined about two years ago but it has been around for almost 15 years. As Chris Holbrook says, “I had the idea for a postcode raffle in September 2007 when I heard a similar term on a Radio 4 report about the NHS. I was also inspired by milliondollarhomepage.com, and how advertising on the internet makes things free. I’ve never been a fan of paid competitions in general, because the consumer almost always loses, so worked on the concept of a daily, ad-funded postcode raffle that scaled the prizes along with the audience.”

“Registered postcodes are drawn at random by a computer and posted online. If you share a postcode with someone else who also enters, your chance of winning increases – just like names in a hat! You can win anything from £5 on our flash draw, all the way up to £200 on our main draw – more if you manage to snatch a rollover.” Chris Holbrook, Founder

So, today, I am encouraging each and every one of you to register at no cost whatsoever. They don’t ask for card details or have any type of subscription or fee. Obviously, if you win, you claim the prize money but perhaps you would be kind enough to donate some of it to Prostate Cancer UK or FC Deportivo Galicia. No pressure, no obligation but I would be grateful. Equally, you could use it as a way of raising funds for your club or team. I would wish you well. Note: you must be over 18 to play.

PS Hear from some of the winners here

As Jane Austin once wrote, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an Arsenal fan, in possession of a huge amount of optimism bleats, ‘Next Season’, mate.” Sadly for them the last twenty years have not brought a title but seasons effectively over by Easter. This obviously brings me infinite joy but this season there is still a miniscule chance that they MIGHT get close. This obviously is a source of deep regret. To cut to the quick, a huge Arsenal fan and Top Man at FC Deportivo Galicia, Sr. Rogelio Loureda assured me that this WOULD be the one and that he would donate £20 to the cause if I went to the Library aka “The Emirates” and took photos of me standing there. Whilst The Emirates is, obviously, a blot on the London skyline and the thought of having to go there voluntarily is not appealing, I did remember that Barry Dixey hosts an excellent Programme Fair next door on Bank Holidays. I particularly remember that the one last May Bank was excellent and so on Monday I shall indeed venture forth to North London and have a bitter-sweet day. Whether you are an Arsenal fan or not I am sure you will find something of interest at the Community Centre next to the tube centre. I know Les Easterbrook will be there with his huge selection of badges and many regular stall-holders will have programmes, magazines and all kinds of memorabilia. Enjoy. If anybody wants to make a donation to the Shirt appeal for Prostate Cancer and FC Deportivo Galicia I can be persuaded to wear an Arsenal shirt for a genuine donation too! See below.

…and in true, “Not Only But Also” style, here is advance notice of one in Chelmsford. Greg hosted two excellent events last year in Loughton and he tells me this one at a unique venue will be better still.

Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show Press Release

The inaugural Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show will take place at the Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford on Sunday 9^th June.

Following two successful Essex Retro Football Shows last year in Loughton, organiser Greg Lansdowne has revamped the event with a new venue and the addition of the summer game.

Stallholders will have a vast array of vintage football and cricket memorabilia on-sale to visitors, ranging from books to badges, shirts to stickers, programmes to photos and much more.

Held in the pavilion at the home of Essex County Cricket Club, to provide an even greater feel of sporting heritage, entry is free and the bar will be open to visitors throughout the event from 10.30am-2.00pm.

Show organiser Greg Lansdowne commented: “Having previously worked at Essex CCC as its first-ever Communications Manager, and edited the Yearbook for a decade, it is an honour to hold this event back at the club. It will be a great opportunity for nostalgia lovers to wallow in football and cricket’s past and hopefully a special guest or two will also turn up.”

Updates and further information can be found at www.greglansdowne.co.uk, the Essex Retro Football & Cricket Facebook page, @Panini_book on X or email essexretroshow{at.}greglansdowne.co.uk

I hope you are enjoying my journey around the grounds. (A cricket ground? That’s a first) To be honest, I am struggling to reach £500 for FC Deportivo and Prostate Cancer at £20 or £50 so this is a bit of a test/a trial if you like. I wonder how many of you would be happy to add just £1? I would be very grateful if you would consider a donation however small to support  Prostate Cancer UK  If everybody chipped in £1 I would easily hit my target of £5,000 and the charity would continue to fund their great work. Every single penny goes DIRECT to Prostate Cancer UK. As I said above, if you want me to wear an Arsenal shirt or something equally ridiculous, I am open to suggestions. Equally I will send you 10 programmes for a £10 donation or perhaps you prefer two autobiographies for £10 (Neville, Rooney, Sir Alex, Lampard, Crouchy etc etc) Just shout.

A HEARTFELT thanks, if you can donate. If you can’t you can still help massively by sharing this page about the work of Prostate Cancer. If you prefer to support FC Deportivo Galicia, their link is here

Brentford FC Logo

Yesterday we were at Brentford FC looking at their work in the community. As I said, I have always been impressed with how focused they are on remaining true to their roots. So, today we are staying here another day to learn about another exciting initiative. I will let Nikita Rathod, Brentford’s Communication Manager explain.

Brentford FC matchday audio commentary makes football accessible for visually impaired fans

The club releases immersive video featuring Andy Godfrey, a visually impaired Brentford FC fan who attends home matches with audio commentary as a part of Thousands of Stories

A new, immersive video from Brentford FC shares the story of Andy Godfrey, a visually impaired Brentford supporter that uses the club’s audio commentary to experience matches live at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The Sound is the final video in the second series of Thousands of Stories, a collection of short films sharing the stories of Brentford’s community. The club’s fans have been the focus of series two.

The film shares the story of Andy, who was born blind and tells us what it’s like to experience a live football match as a visually impaired person.

The film, best watched using headphone, uses sounds recorded from a Premier League matchday at Brentford to create an immersive audio experience. The video is an opportunity for viewers to discover what a matchday is like for blind or partially sighted football fans.

In The Sound, Andy explains he came to Brentford to teach French and German at a local school and was approached by a colleague who suggested that Andy should try Brentford’s matchday audio commentary.

“One of the teachers said to me, “they have excellent commentary at Brentford, would you like to try that?” And I came to the club and it was everything that I could dream a football could be” said Andy.

Andy received that advice more than 50 years ago and he’s been a Brentford fan ever since.

He says, “It’s just unbelievable, that feeling of going to Brentford. I don’t miss many home games. On a matchday, I can’t think about anything else really, it’s just Brentford all the way through. I get the shakes sometimes!”

In the video, Andy elaborates on what his unique matchday experience is like, including the build-up to kick-off.

“I’ve listened to the excited shouts of the Brentford fans. I listen to them predicting a win. People are excited. There are excited conversations all around me.”

“The atmosphere is electric. You can hear the shouts of the players, the cries of the crowd. People are getting nervous, you do sense that”.

Andy’s matchday experience wouldn’t be what it is today without his access to live matchday audio commentary, broadcast by Brentford Fc in-house at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The club’s long-serving matchday commentator, Mark Burridge, is the voice behind the microphone that Andy relies on to follow the match as it happens right in front of him when he’s sat in the stadium.

“Having a commentary really enhances the whole experience of going to Brentford. When I was growing up, all the blind spectators had to sit together. In those days, you had the plug your headphones into a console.”

“Now we have wireless headphones with are absolutely super because you can sit anywhere you like with your friends. The best thing about it is the commentator keeps up with play, never misses a shot or a kick and describes everything”.

“It means the world to me, it really does”.

Wireless audio commentary at Brentford is one of the many ways that the club is making football accessible for all. To help blind fans enjoy the matchday experience at the Gtech Community Stadium, fans can bring along a carer, free of charge. Andy discussed why these initiatives are so important to him.

“Obviously not all blind people like football, but loads do. I just wish more people would come to the ground.”

“I think the more people you can get into football, the better it is. If there was no commentary at Brentford, I wouldn’t go.”

“I think football is a great introducer to other people and other walks of life. The impact of football on my life is immense. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the kindness I’ve received at Brentford.”

About Thousands of Stories

Thousands of Stories is a film series from Brentford FC that highlights the club’s community.

Following the success of the inaugural series, the series two of Thousands of Stories consists of four films which delve into the experiences of our fans, what supporting the Bees means to them and how the club has impacted their lives.

Accompanying The Sound in this series are:

• The Moment – the story of Raymond Harrison, a lifelong Bees supporter who experienced a cardiac arrest at Gtech Community Stadium before our fixture against Newcastle last season
• The Dream – the story of Connor Wolfheimer, a Brentford fan who came through Brentford FC Community Sports Trust’s football programme and is currently on a two-year scholarship playing for Brentford’s Under-18s
• The Local – the story of Claire Peleschka, the landlady of The Griffin, one of the four pubs surrounding Brentford’s previous stadium, Griffin Park

So far, the series has attracted more than 1.4m views across social media.

Speaking about the return of the series, Sally Stephens, Brentford’s fan and community relations director, said: “Thousands of Stories shines a spotlight on some of the incredible individuals who make up our vibrant community. We’re fortunate to have such fantastic fans.”

“The films share how being a Brentford fan is about much more than football. Being a Bees fan means being part of a trusted community, supporting each other and showing togetherness during the good times but also through adversity.”

“We look forward to continuing to celebrate the stories that make our club so special.”

You can download The Sound video in 16×9 or 1×1, and video stills to use in your piece using this WeTransfer link.

The Sound is available on all of Brentford social media channels.

X (Twitter)

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

YouTube

More information on Thousands of Stories, including all other films from this series and last year can be found on the club’s website.