Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

As some of you know, I am selling off my programme collection. (See here )

Realistically it will be to a dealer and I hear that many of the biggest and best are in Derby this weekend so I shall take a wander.

I am told it is easy from Derby city centre and everywhere else in the Midlands.

I am particularly keen to find out what the Blue Peter Island is. Will Valerie Singleton or John Noakes give me a badge? Intrigued.

PSA For those keeping up with O-M, we are excited to confirm that we are well now well over 80% complete and with a few “promises” in the post, he is really on the final lap. Do YOU have that elusive programme from the 80s or 90s? O-M would love to hear from you.

I read a very interesting article on Substack this week about the the printed programme by Trevor Knell, a professional writer and someone whose opinion I value. Now, I have been collecting programmes since 1964 and although I am now looking to sell my entire collection of some 20,000 programmes, programmes and shirts (obviously!) are close to my heart. More about my sale below.

With Trevor’s kind permission, he has allowed me to reproduce part of the article. Because of the T&Cs of Substack, you will need to read the rest here You are also able to access Trevor’s entire Substack library. You are welcome to contact Trevor via Substack or if you prefer here.

The Printed Matchday Programme.

The printed matchday programme. A staple of the game for so long, a
legacy part maybe but every season it’s under threat. That is despite
clubs actually moving back to a printed copy and more so since 2020.
It’s something that divides opinion throughout the game and more so
now than ever before. As a kid I was I guess an avid collector, more from
the point of view that it contained information and tons of it.

I do have a vested interest in the printed copy; I run a little sideline
business that offers a column to clubs on a home game basis for a full
season. It’s been running since 2020 and currently sits at 11 clubs in
total.

There are columns out there to use that can be downloaded, but I don’t
even find these in some of the publications I’ve picked up. That is the
minimal work you can do to add something to a programme.

The cost as well considering clubs have been paid by their sponsors for
their adverts is pretty high in some cases with no real reading material.
Some do make a great effort, some produce some stunning work to pick
up and muse through.

Continue reading here

I would also think this is an appropriate place to remind people of O-M Matihalti’s incredible programme quest. Think of it as a massive treasure hunt! See here It is a great way to build your programme collection fast and at no cost. Shout me or O-M for more details

…. and, sadly, I also need to make an announcement.

Some of you know that I have not enjoyed the best of health for several years. A Cardiac Arrest, 16 months in hospital and most recently a stroke. The doctors have been very honest this month and say I have had more lives than Top Cat and I am very much on borrowed time. So, it is with great dismay that I announce that l am looking to sell my entire programme collection.

The entire collection is for sale as one single sale. It is 20,000 plus or minus.

A quick overview – ca 20,000 programmes including hundreds and hundreds of big game (Cup Finals/Internationals) and probably 500+each from Spurs, West Ham, QPR, Chelsea, Palace and Brentford.

There are 3500 (counted) non league programmes going back to the 1970s.

I also have almost 900 books about football and another 100 on different sports (primarily Cricket but many others) I have 250+ Cricket magazines (Wisden etc including 20+ complete years in binders) There are probably 100+ DVDs and a similar number of annuals going back to the 1950s.

I need to be realistic on price and will be. They are available for collection from a storage unit near Heathrow. I also have 18,000 non-football books and 500+ DVDs/Blu-rays available either as a separate one off sale or at an absolute give away price with the programmes. That is almost exactly 600 cubic feet of collections.

I repeat, l am not going to sell anything individually. I am not scouring 40, 000 items for Hilton United v Liverpool Rangers Reserves re-arranged game single sheet from 1987. No, this is a one-off sale at a bargain price. It has been a great hobby over 60 years but realistically now is the time to say goodbye.

Please contact me if interested. HERE or steve (@)theshirt2010 co uk

It is always good to get a newsletter from my friends at COPA in the Netherlands and this week’s edition focused on their countrymen’s kits. As a huge believer in the “Less is More” and “Less is better” philosophies when it comes to shirts, the Dutch national shirts have always impressed me.

They say, “The Holland Retro Collection, created in close collaboration with the KNVB, brings the legacy of Dutch football to life for today’s fans.

From the golden era of ‘Total Football’ in the 1970, a style that redefined the game, to the heartbreaks and near misses that only made the Oranje spirit stronger, the Netherlands has given the world both unforgettable heroes and unforgettable moments. The early 80s tested the nation’s resilience, before a new wave of talent in the late 80s and 90s once again captured the imagination of football lovers worldwide.”

The 1978 World Cup final is unforgettable to me as my father actually died during the actual game. It was not until YT became so readily available that I saw the whole game. That 78 is surely one of the great shirts of all time ….not that the Argentine shirt was shabby!

So, shoot off to CopaFootball.com and check their entire range. Remember as a new subscriber you get 10% off for registering.

Park to Wembley – A Story in development!

So here we are. Three mates; Sam, Will and Mike, have over 20 years of friendship, and not nearly enough time these days to just hang out together. Between families, work, and bills, the proper “lads’ days out” have become few and far between. That’s partly why Park to Wembley exists. It’s our excuse to get back together, do something we love, and hopefully share it with a load of you along the way.

Back in April, Sam had this lightbulb moment: “What if we followed the FA Cup all the way from the very start to the finish?” Not just tuning in when the TV cameras show up in January, but actually being there from the extra preliminary round—those park pitches, the tiny grounds, the die-hard fans—right through to the final at Wembley. Imagine standing under the arch in May, knowing exactly where that journey started months earlier. That’s the magic of this competition.

The FA Cup is, for us, the greatest club football tournament in the world. Where else do you get those stories? A pub team giving a scare to a professional club. A striker scoring the goal of his life in front of a few hundred people. Fans who follow their local side through thick and thin, dreaming of “one of those days” that will never be forgotten. Sadly, in recent years, things like the scrapping of replays have chipped away at that romance a little. But we think the heart of the FA Cup is still alive, real fans still cherish this competition and there are so many stories just waiting to be told.

That’s what Park to Wembley is about. We want to capture those stories, the real ones, from real fans and real communities. We’ll bring you along through our vlogs. We chose a starter club, a club that is close to you that enters the extra preliminary round, and you follow that whole journey. As soon as a team you are following loses, you follow the victor in the next round and repeat.

Every time we start following a new club, we will do a biography on that club and learn about the history and tell their story. It’s a platform where in the qualifying stages, we want to tell the local clubs stories. As the tournament progresses, you could be standing at Wembley stadium, and you know this journey started in front of a few hundred local fans before any league football kicked off. It’s about showing the side of football that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. 

As for motivation? Well, we’ve got two. First and foremost, it’s about us spending time together and having a laugh while following this mad journey. But secondly, we’d love to see this grow into something bigger. We’ve got a clear vision for Park to Wembley… and that is to make it a go-to football channel on YouTube. And down the line? Why not expand to the FA Trophy, the FA Vase, and maybe even other cups across the UK or beyond?

As much as telling the story of the FA Cup, we want everybody to get to know us as well. We are not special, we are three normal lads, normal lives with all the ups and downs you would expect.

We’re already sharing vlogs, club stories, and matchday experiences over on our YouTube channel Subscribe so you don’t miss a single step on the road from the first whistle in the extra preliminary round all the way to Wembley.

And if you fancy even more content, follow us on Twitter (X), TikTok, Instagram, Facebook
Wherever you hang out, we’ll be there, just search for Park to Wembley.

Every legend starts local. Ours starts here.

Editor’s note: I thought this was a great story, so made contact with Sam and he’s going to forward the updates from the various rounds so that you can also see them here on TheShirt. I have pinged O-M as this is exactly the community story he loves so much.

Well, the new season has really “begun” for many fans now that the Premier League Prima Donnas are back. Gillingham are now unbeaten since March and squeaked an injury time point at Tranmere Rovers to take us to five points. On the Sunday live game, we saw an incredibly poor Manchester United lose to an even worse Arsenal. I think even their fans were embarrassed at just how poor they were and how little they deserved the points. The fact that Raya, their keeper was M.O.M sums up how bad they were. DEFINITE relegation fodder. Manchester City, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest had all impressed earlier in the weekend.

More importantly, Darren Ashley is back with his vlogs and yesterday he had an absolute belter of a game he says. He was at HALESOWEN TOWN v REAL BEDFORD for the NONLEAGUEvlog Check it out – he chose a fantastic game and clearly had a great time. Hopefully he will be as fortunate this week coming.

I noticed he had been out the week before so it would be rude of me not to add Newport Pagnell v Nuneaton Town here Watch both and subscribe for free to his channel.


She Can Kick It

I also got a very interesting newsletter from Clare at She Can Kick It. She says, “It’s about 15 minutes since the Euros finished and today the women’s football season starts again. The FAWNL in England and the SWPL in Scotland begin later today (1pm in Scotland; 2pm in England).

During the last couple of weeks I’ve been on the Brazilian Football Shirt Podcast (streamed live as well as recorded – terrifying) and have been frantically getting the website in order and writing for a new and exciting project I’m part of (stressful). I’m very much looking forward to a holiday next week.

The project is an online women’s sport magazine, not just covering football but as many sports as we can cram into our digital pages (I interviewed a double world kettlebell sport champion this week – I kid you not). The New Women’s Sport Magazine will launch on Wednesday 20th August and if you’d like to keep up-to-date and show your support, you can find us on Instagram: 
https://www.instagram.com/thenewwomenssportmag/

Now

I’ve been writing the FA Women’s National League preview articles for The New Women’s Sport Magazine (TNWSM for short) and have a new appreciation for the league – it’s fascinating. It’s tier 3 of the pyramid and is split into a Northern Division and a Southern Division.

Here’s 3 reasons to keep an eye on it this season:

1. It’s a very competitive league with loads of really interesting battles at the top, middle, and bottom of the table

2. It’s a great place to spot future stars: Hannah Hampton, Ella Toone, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway, and Fran Kirby all played in the FAWNL

3. For this season only, there are 3 promotion spots across the Northern and Southern Divisions meaning a play-off final between the second-placed teams for promotion to WSL2.
They’ve just announced a decent investment package and a new strategy to grow and improve this middle level of football. With focus on club environment, individual welfare, fan experience, and commercial sustainability. It’s an exciting time.

Then
I was on The Brazil Shirt Podcast alongside a Brazilian journalist. As we talked about the Euros versus Copa America, it became clear how far behind South America is in its treatment of women’s football (a concern since Brazil host the World Cup in 2027).

I was asked where the differences might be. I instantly said, “Hope Powell” who hasn’t actually been mentioned in the wake of England’s success. So here’s why I think English football owes a great debt to Hope. I’ll caveat this and say with that without support from the FA, Hope wouldn’t have been in the position to change things, but aside from that, she was the driving force of the modern Lionesses.

At the beginning of the new millennium, Hope was hired as England Women’s first full-time coach. She was in charge of the whole international pathway from under-15s to seniors. She improved the entire pathway. The number of Centres of Excellence increased. Hope introduced a scholarship programme meaning 19 young players had fully funded scholarships so they could concentrate on football whilst still receiving an education – players like Ellen White, Jill Scott, and Karen Carney benefitted.In 2009, Hope introduced central contracts: 17 players were now paid a salary to play football. The Lionesses were professional for the first time.And she made all these improvements whilst constantly having to battle for everything, including office space. Without Hope’s determination and persistence, England may not have won the Euros yet. “

Well, here is a quirky one. A friend from Wales sent me a copy of his local newspaper, fortunately in English!

CPD Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch FC

A Welsh football club with the ‘biggest name’ in world football has netted a high-profile sponsorship deal with Mastercard, riding the wave of Welsh teams to score A-list investment.

CPD Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch FC, which plays in North Wales Coast West Division One, has agreed to a three-year-shirt deal with Mastercard to kick off the new season. At 58 letters, the 126-year-old team, which plays in the fifth tier of the Welsh league, has the longest club name in world football.

North Wales has proved to be an unlikely hotspot for football investment in recent years. Since 2021, Wrexham AFC has had Hollywood owners, with hit documentary series Welcome to Wrexham following the club’s fortunes. This season they will play in the Championship, having become the first team in Football League history to win three consecutive promotions.

Meanwhile, in South Wales, fellow Championship side Swansea City also announced A-list investment with rap superstar Snoop Dogg as the side’s US owners look to build the club’s reputation on the world stage.

The new sponsorship strengthens Mastercard’s connection with the Llanfairpg community. In February, the village was chosen, alongside seven of Europe’s longest-named places, to become pioneers of Mastercard Click to Pay, a new one-click payment technology removing the need to enter personal details like long card numbers when shopping online.

Samantha Jones-Smith, Llanfairpwll FC chairman, said: “You only have to look down the road at Wrexham to see how football partnerships can inspire success on the pitch and a huge feel-good factor off it.

“This isn’t just another sponsorship deal for our club, it’s a collaboration that builds on the strong relationship Mastercard has forged with the Llanfairpwll community throughout the year. They’re not just putting their name on our shirts; they’re investing in our future, our facilities, and most importantly, our supporters.”

 

Mastercard has become the official shirt sponsor of the ‘biggest name’ in football, Welsh team CPD Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch FC. The three-year deal continues a trend for big-name investments in Welsh football following the Hollywood takeover of Wrexham in 2021, and Swansea announcing their music industry A-list co-owner last month. The new home, away and keeper kits, designed and made in nearby Bangor, feature all 58 letters of the town name and are inspired by its railway station’s windows. Mastercard recently teamed up with the town of Llanfairpwll…, home to the North Wales Coast West Division One side, to drive awareness of Click to Pay, a simple payment method that removes the need to enter personal details when shopping online. A ‘Click to Pie’ van will appear at the club’s first home game vs Llangoed on August 25; to feed the fans, and help residents and local businesses get onside with the new technology. Please contact Chris on +44 (0)7967 392 908 or Mastercard@TheAcademyPR.com if you require any further details.

Barcelona meets Bangor

Llanfairpwll’s new home, away and keeper kits are an all-Welsh affair, designed and created in neighbouring Bangor by football shirt specialist Andrew Maclean and manufacturer Teejac Sports. Andrew said the striking blue-and-black striped home design is “part-inspired by football giants Barcelona’s 2017/18 kit, as well as by the windows at Llanfairpwll railway station”, one of the town’s most popular attractions.

The shirt, which has a yellow trim, carries all the letters of the town name, along with the club badge, Welsh dragon and Mastercard and Click to Pay logos. The white away shirt also features the window motif, along with the burgundy that matches the colour of the railway station’s iconic sign.

Simon Forbes, Division President, UK and Ireland, Mastercard, said: “Football clubs are the beating heart of communities across the country, and we’re proud to announce this long-term partnership, cementing our links with Llanfairpwll. This expanded collaboration reflects our commitment to backing grassroots football and local businesses and driving forward technology that helps support everyday transactions across small towns and villages as well as global cities.”

To mark the team sponsorship and the launch of Click to Pay in Llanfairpg, Mastercard will host an event at their first home game of the season vs Llangoed for residents and local businesses. Visitors to the Maes Eilian ground on Bank Holiday Monday, August 25, will be able to see the kit in action, sign up for the Click to Pay technology with partner the Co-op, and receive exclusive club merchandise. There will also be free matchday food, Co-op pies courtesy of a Mastercard ‘Click to Pay’ pie van!

It’s not often that the Times runs a story on football kits and, in all honesty, I did not expect it to be too accurate but checking through football sites like FootyHeadlines it seems absolutely legitimate. The story is based on the 2025/2026 away kit

Genoa CFC has revealed the 2025-26 away kit, and it’s a stunning tribute to both club and footballing heritage. The new shirt features the iconic red cross of St. George on a clean white base, paying homage to the shared legacy between Genoa and England – where the roots of the game run deep.

The Kappa Genoa Cricket and Football Club 2025-2026 away jersey is defined by the unmistakable St. George’s Cross, printed boldly across the front. Set against a minimalist white background, the design reflects the Republic of Genoa’s historic banner, which also appears in the club’s crest alongside the Griffon. The 2025-26 Genoa away kit has a white base with a prominent red St. George’s Cross, gold trim, and a smaller cross on the upper back.

Inspiration and Availability: The kits pay tribute to the club’s heritage and Genoa’s connection to the origins of football.

…..and delving deeper on Soccer Bible there is more to the story. I quote, “It’s a look that we’ve seen before, notably with Inter Milan’s away shirt in 2007/08. So why does an Italian team have England’s flag plastered all over it? Well, glad you asked. See, back in the Middle Ages, the Republic of Genoa granted English ships the right to sail under the Cross of St. George in exchange for tribute. That emblem now lives on — in both the city’s flag and the club’s crest, sitting beside the ever-iconic Griffin. This shirt is a celebration of that history, of ships and shields, ports and pitches, and the journey of football itself. There you go.

Refined detailing sets the tone throughout. An embossed Griffin lurks in subtle sophistication, while premium finishes in gold round off a design that feels both heritage-heavy and future-facing. On the reverse, just below the collar, the red cross reappears — a sharp reminder that Genoa doesn’t forget where it comes from.

But Kappa and Genoa have gone deeper still. The launch campaign taps directly into the club’s English DNA with the slogan “It’s coming home” — a clever twist that links Genoa’s English founders with the global movement of the game. The campaign journeys back to James Spensley’s London neighbourhood — the English doctor, goalkeeper, and pioneer who helped bring football to Italy and founded Genoa CFC in 1893.

Shot through the lens of Sam Gregg, the campaign imagery is a visual handshake between London and Genoa. It’s gritty, romantic, and steeped in character — two port cities, two footballing cultures, one shared heartbeat. England U21 Euro winner Brooke Norton-Cuffy stars in the campaign, representing the new wave of talent and bridging Genoa’s English past with its vibrant present.

This isn’t just a kit — it’s a love letter. To heritage, to football, and to the people who’ve carried both across centuries and seas.

Here’s an interesting game of chance where you can win £1,000,000 with NO stake. Yes, you enter free of chance. I will not promote betting but this seems a fun way to follow Arsenal’s relegation fight! It’s Andy Robson’s season-long prediction league. I’ve already had a go, you’ll see my predictions in the image attached. Let me know your thoughts.

Premier League Predictor game

Here it is, your chance to win £1,000,000 cash.

My Premier League Predictor game is now live and it’s completely free to play.

Play here: http://bit.ly/1M-PL-Predictor

The premise of the game is that if you predict the Premier League table correctly, you’re a millionaire.

You might be thinking where the hell have I pulled £1,000,000 from and it’s a fair question.

I’ve basically paid to insure the game and payout. My money is gone so I’m really hoping someone wins it.

Make yours here: http://bit.ly/1M-PL-Predictor

You have up until the end of Gameweek 5 to cement your picks so there’s plenty of time.

IN PURSUIT OF PROGRESS – BRENTFORD FC LAUNCHES 2025/26 THIRD KIT

Brentford FC has launched the club’s 2025/26 third kit. 

Created by official kit partner, Joma, the shirt focuses on the Brentford’s original colours from the club’s creation in 1889. 

Our third kit is available for purchase online, and in our club shop The Hive Superstore now. 

As with our home and away kits, this season Bees fans have the option to purchase our authentic shirt, worn by players on the pitch to support their performance, as well as a replica kit.  

Our colours from the start 

This season’s third kit commemorates the club’s history using the original Brentford Rowing Club colours that were adopted when Brentford FC was established in 1889. The blue shirt features a striking claret and salmon stripe across the front as well as on the sleeves and sides of the shirt. Brentford’s crest is seen in the middle of the shirt. The back of the neck also includes a special ‘1889’ logo. 

The authentic shirt is created with a jacquard weave. Intricate designs are woven directly into the fabric rather than being printed or embroidered. This technique and the micro-mesh ventilation panels keep the kit lightweight and breathable, so our players’ bodies stay dry even during peak performance.  

To support our efforts to be more sustainable, our replica third shirts are made of 100 per cent recycled polyester. Using recycled polyester prevents materials from being sent to landfills and requires less energy than conventional polyester.   

The traditional colour scheme continues onto the shorts and socks which are blue and feature panels of claret and salmon.  

Our third shirt features the logo of our official kit partner, Joma on the top-centre of the shirt. This season our front of shirt partner is Hollywoodbets, while Cazoo is our sleeve partner. Kits for our Brentford B team, Brentford Women and academy teams will feature Cazoo on the front and PensionBee on the sleeve.  

A relentless pursuit of progress 

This season’s third shirt remembers Brentford FC’s origins, first established in1889 and pursuing progress ever since. 

On 7 October in 1889, a meeting was called by Archer Green – the secretary of the Brentford Rowing Club. The idea of creating a football club was discussed, and all those who were interested in football gathered in the pavilion of the Oxford and Cambridge hotel in Kew Bridge.  
 

It was agreed that a vote would be taken on Wednesday 16 October to determine whether the rowing club would play football or rugby; football was favoured by eight votes to five.  

As a result, Brentford Football Club was formed, adopting the claret, salmon and blue colours of the rowing club which are seen on this season’s third shirt. Since then, the club has looked for progress in every aspect, which eventually led the club to the Premier League in the 2020/21 season.  
 
The launch video for the shirt features men’s first team players Fabio Carvalho, Sepp van den Berg and Yunus Emre Konak and women’s team players, Chloe Logie and Maddie Philips. 

Purchase your third shirt  

As with our home and away shirts, our third shirt adult price is frozen at £65 in our ongoing commitment to affordable football. Junior shirts will also be available at a reduced price of £45, down from the 2024/25 season.   

In line with the Premier League’s voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors, like our home shirt, this season’s third kit will follow a one-year cycle as our partnership with front-of-shirt partner, Hollywoodbets will come to an end after the 2025/26 season.   

Buy your Brentford 2025/26 third shirt now 

It is always good to hear from my friends at Stanchion Books and this week’s newsletter threw up an interesting new book that I had not even seen mentioned elsewhere.

xGenius: Expected Goals and the Science of Winning Football Matches

By James Tippett

From the publisher:

‘Eye-opening. An essential read for any football fan’ – Jamie Carragher

A new, expanded and super-charged guide to Expected Goals (xG) analysis from the bestselling author of The Expected Goals Philosophy. The concept of Expected Goals – or xG – has changed how we understand football.

Every fan will have heard of xG, many will understand what it is, but few will know exactly how it’s being used by football teams to improve their chances of winning matches. xGenius explores the interplay between analysis, tactics, and decision-making. It seeks to put the sport of football under the microscope with the aim of getting closer to the ultimate truth of what makes players, managers and teams successful.

What, ultimately, wins football matches. Packed with examples from the Premier League and beyond, xGenius shows how xG and other performance analysis tools are helping answer previously unanswerable questions. Were Brighton the unluckiest team in recent history? What is ‘The Timo Werner Paradox’? How many titles did Liverpool deserve to win under Jürgen Klopp? Is Son Heung-Min the greatest finisher in the modern era? xGenius demonstrates how clubs and coaches are using data as a major tool to improve performances on the pitch.

It reveals how xG helped Brighton and Brentford transform themselves into established Premier League clubs, and how such analysis was integral to Liverpool and Arsenal’s renaissance in recent years. As teams have realised the importance of amassing high xG numbers, the average shot distances in Europe’s major leagues have plummeted, dead ball situations have become ever more important, and players who are able to accumulate large xG volumes have become increasingly valuable. Clubs have developed new systems, formations and strategies as they strive for ‘big chance creation’.

xGenius shows how top-level football analysis is being carried out by the very best in the business. The insights explored in this book will change the way you watch football.

The author:

James Tippett started his career as a freelance Football Analyst at Smartodds, a betting consultancy highly skilled in the science of predicting match outcomes. He is currently a Sports Partnerships Manager working across Oddschecker and WhoScored.

Tippett is the author of ‘The Expected Goals Philosophy’ and ‘xGenius’

The book is available from Stanchion Books.com

Bloomsbury Sport

21 x 14 cm

Paperback

272 pages

August 2024

English

9781399411554