True Reviewer

To effectively begin a football programme collection, a person needs to choose a specialism to his or her collection. There are thousands of programmes available in Britain, and even more worldwide. To give a collection some sort of purpose a theme should be adopted to avoid unwanted accumulation and to keep to a preferred budget.

Sometimes you come across a programme that covers or crosses two themes at the same time. These may prove to be valuable acquisitions in years to come as they signify an important or historical occasion, which will revive memories for football fans from across the world in the future.

The programme is a great way to record a memorable event at a particular game. This could come in the form of an achievement such as a player milestone, which is featured in the programme. Player milestones come in many forms, such as an appearance record, a goal getting record, the final match of a players career, a number of years of service by a player, and others.

The darker side of football is also often recorded in match programmes. These historical events interest collectors who see them as poignant reminders of the past. They are sought after and valuable as a result. The tragedies at Hillsborough, Ibrox and Bradford have collectible programmes associated with them, not only for the day itself, but also the subsequent commemorative matches.

A very valuable set of football programmes to own are those associated with the Munich Air Disaster involving the Manchester United team and Busby’s Babes. The programme from the match against Partizan Belgrade who Manchester United were playing on the tragic trip can sell for over £1000. A similar sum can be achieved for the programme against Sheffield Wednesday straight after the disaster, where the players list wasn’t filled in for the Man United team.

Notable events are usually reflected in the content and design of the programme. Important football programmes to get hold of are final games in an old stadium, or the first issue within a new one. Most programmes of this type are easily available with interesting features and historical information, making them a gem in any soccer programme collection.

Programmes often mean different things to different collectors. You may value one programme highly due to entirely personal reasons and memories which they may conjure up. For others the pursuit is one of passion, finding out more about the history and traditions of a football team that they follow. Whatever your reason, collecting football programmes is a very rewarding hobby, and comes highly recommended to any football supporter.