Welcome to 10 Footballs – Football Programmes and Sports History Memorabilia
10 Footballs is a home for anyone who loves the game’s past and the printed relics that bring it to life. Built around a carefully curated personal collection, the site celebrates Football Programmes as windows into Football History: tangible records of matchdays, eras and emotions. From early twentieth-century fixtures to post-war revivals and modern milestones, each item tells a story—of players and pitches, of towns and terraces, of the wider world shaping the sport we cherish.
A Personal Collection with a Public Purpose
At its heart, 10 Footballs began as one supporter’s lifelong habit of saving the programme on the way through the turnstile. Over time, that habit became a collection, and that collection became a resource worth sharing. Rather than a sterile catalogue, you’ll find a living archive: notes, memories and context set alongside the printed artefacts themselves. The aim is simple—use Football Programmes to illuminate Football History in an accessible, enjoyable way for every visitor, whether you’re a seasoned collector or a curious newcomer.
This is a website for anyone interested in the history of football, largely as reflected in football programmes of the day. The selection is personal taken from my own collection. I hope it proves interesting to you. Please check back for updates as we add more articles covering a century or so of football history – D.T. – 10 Footballs
The Programmes
Why Football Programmes Matter
Matchday programmes are much more than souvenir sheets. They capture a precise moment: the manager’s outlook, the expected line-ups, the mood around the ground. Advertisements reveal the businesses that supported local clubs; typography and design echo the fashions of their time. Across decades, these modest booklets trace tactical shifts, rising stars, stadium changes and social history. Hold one from a famous cup run and you’re instantly back in that season’s excitement; open another from a hard winter and you’ll read the game’s resilience between the lines.
Explore the Programmes
The site’s programme selections are chosen to show the breadth and richness of the medium. Expect variety: league fixtures and cup ties, domestic powerhouses and international visitors, glamour occasions and gritty replays. You’ll encounter classic covers, limited-print curiosities and issues tied to turning points in club and national stories. For collectors, the gallery offers inspiration and reference; for fans, it offers nostalgia and discovery. Either way, it’s an invitation to look closely—at the artwork, the editorial tone, the tiny details that make each piece unique.
Articles that Bring the Past to Life
Alongside the programmes, you’ll find articles that dig into defining themes and moments. These features revisit eras such as the inter-war years, journeys through post-war touring sides, and profiles of players whose careers left a mark far beyond a scoreline. By pairing programmes with narrative, the articles turn paper evidence into fuller stories: why a final mattered, how a club changed, or what a particular season felt like from the stands. The goal is to make Football History vivid—rooted in evidence, told with enthusiasm, and open to readers at all levels of knowledge.
For Collectors, Fans and the Simply Curious
Whether you’re charting a team’s home fixtures season by season, hunting a specific cup tie, or just love the romance of old print, 10 Footballs aims to be a welcoming stop on your journey. If you collect, you’ll recognise the thrill of spotting a rare variant or a pristine spine. If you don’t, you might find yourself tempted to start—perhaps with your first match or a favourite player as a theme. And if your main interest is Football History itself, the site’s blend of images and context offers a rich way to learn.
Articles
You Have To Be Mad To Be A Goalkeeper: When Keepers Paid The Price
“My dad always said you have to be mad to be a goalkeeper.” For a lot of us, that line sounds like a joke about the kid who gets stuck in nets because no one else fancies it. But for older generations, it had a far more serious edge. It came from a time when...
The Most Famous Arsenal Football Programmes
Arsenal’s history is packed with drama: last-minute title wins, classic Wembley finals and unforgettable European nights. For collectors, the magic of those occasions lives on in the matchday programmes. Arsenal programmes do more than list the teams – they capture a...
The Most Famous Boxing Day Football Games and their Programmes
For many supporters, Christmas is not really over until the Boxing Day fixtures have been played. While others are queueing for the sales, football fans are wrapping up, heading to the ground and checking the scores. Over the decades, 26 December has produced some of...
The Most Famous England Football Programmes and Why Collectors Love Them
For many fans, following England is about far more than the 90 minutes on the pitch. It is memories with friends and family, the drama of tournaments, and the feeling that you are part of something bigger. One of the most tangible ways to relive those emotions is...
Steve Bloomer’s Final Game at the German Internment Camp
Ruhleben, March 1918 Steve Bloomer was the greatest footballer of his age—spanning 22 seasons from the late Victorian and Edwardian eras up to the start of the First World War. He scored 28 goals in 23 games for England at a time when they played only a handful of...
A Beginner’s Guide to Collecting Football Programmes
If you love football history and the stories that make the game special, collecting football programmes is a brilliant way to bring that heritage home. A programme captures a moment in time: the line-ups and tactics, the manager’s notes, adverts from the era, and the...
The Most Collectable Manchester United Programmes
Few clubs have a paper trail as rich and evocative as Manchester United. For many fans, Manchester United Programmes are touchstones of Football History: tangible, date-stamped artefacts that capture a team sheet, a manager’s message, a design style and a crowd’s mood...
Why People Love Collecting Old Football Programmes
For many fans, football programmes are more than paper souvenirs; they are portable pieces of Football History. From evocative cover art to manager’s notes and team line-ups, each programme captures a single matchday moment. It’s no surprise that collecting football...
Sunderland FA Cup Win 1973
The first second division winners since 1931, Sunderland's story was one of the ultimate underdogs throughout the whole tournament. With many replays and shock wins we look at the programmes coving the Black Cat's successful cup run... ...
How to Use the Site
Start with the visual galleries to get a feel for eras and styles. Then dip into the articles to add depth and context. Follow threads that interest you—cup finals, legendary forwards, international tours—and see how different programmes narrate the same footballing moment from multiple angles. New additions and features are added over time, so it’s worth checking back to see what’s been uncovered or restored.
A Living, Growing Archive
10 Footballs isn’t finished—and that’s the point. Football History keeps revealing itself through fresh finds, newly examined issues and the shared knowledge of supporters. As more programmes are scanned, described and discussed, the picture grows clearer and richer. You’re invited to be part of that process by exploring, returning and spreading the word to others who share a passion for the printed heartbeat of the game.