Programmes! Programmes!: Football Programmes from War-Time to Lockdown Hardcover ? November 15, 2021

Programmes! Programmes! Football and Life from Wartime to Lockdown is a fascinating archaeological dig through a collection of 2,000 programmes. From the bleak wartime era when players had to shelter from air raids and depend on army leave, to tragedies and the 'Slum Game', through to the glitz of today's global stars, noodle partners and fan-owned, community-based clubs - every aspect of football's evolution, its highs and lows can be found in match-day programmes, along with a dose of bad poetry, adverts for sex magazines, boy bands who never made it and explanations of a 'magic sponge' for American fans. There are unforgettable games, World Cup winners, schoolboy internationals destined for stardom and others whose glimpse of glory proved fleeting. The stories play out against a backdrop of technological, economic and social change in Britain and beyond, rekindling the memories of generations of fans. Programmes! Programmes! is a 'must' for lovers of football nostalgia, with fascinating, funny and quirky tales galore.

Cliff Hague grew up playing football in the drizzly terraced streets of post-war Manchester, idolising the Busby Babes and collecting football programmes. Moving to Scotland in the late 1960s, eventually he became a globe-trotting urban planning academic, consultant and author. In 2016, he was awarded an OBE for his work. His writings have been published in The Scotsman, the Edinburgh Evening News, Scotland on Sunday and The Independent.