Arsenal Football Programmes

ARSENAL COLLECTORS HANDBOOK FOR HOME PROGRAMMES FROM 1946-2006

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Arsenal Collectors handbook for home programmes is a booklet which has been many years in the making and spans more then forty years of the clubs history. It lists and brings together for the first time reserve and youth matches that have been played at Highbury. This booklet will appeal to you where you are interested in collecting football programmes or only in the results of every Arsenal match played at Highbury since the war.

I have listed as much information as possible within the scope of this booklet and have separated the first team programmes from the reserve and youth team. I have included all first team postponed matches where programmes have been seen as well as reserve teams. Some will be very difficult or near impossible to find as very few exist. This is due to the fact that nearly all postponed programmes were sent back to the printers to be destroyed and have not officially been issued by the club. Details have been included of all combination matches played at London Colney, Programmes have not been issued for these matches. From season 1965-66 there have been some school boys and youth match played before and after first team matches. These details have been omitted from the booklet. However, I have listed the 1970-71 Arsenal V Orient South East Counties League Cup Final as the teams are listed in the first team programme and it is an important youth match.

 

Programmes have been listed as they were printed season by season, in date order with actual programme numbers even though the printers have got one or two programme numbers confused. I have included fixture details and results; Arsenal's score is shown first. There is also a column to mark in personal collection details with abbreviated information as to the type of unusual programmes issued for a particular match issued each season.

 

It is, of cause, very difficult to list all other matches played at Highbury were programmes have been issued including results, other then Arsenal matches such as English Schools shields, Catering Cups and other minor matches as there have been so many matches played over the years. I would appreciate any help and information, which could be of use to me and other collectors for inclusion in any future publication.

 

I have only coded the unusual programmes issued each season. As most first team programmes issued in season 1946-47 are four page issues codes have not been included. Other reserve and youth programmes, which are not coded, are 1962-63 till 1974-75 red on white card type programmes, and 1975-76 to date single sheet duplicated programmes. To help collectors, I have coded with a star * the postponed programmes which have not been officially issued by the club. The Manchester United V Benfica European Cup Final replay was due to be played at Highbury on 31 May 1968, a programme was printed before the first match at Wembley and I have seen three copies of this programme but as the match never took place this programme has not been included in the list.

 

After the start of the Second World War in 1939 Arsenal Stadium became an Air Raid Precautions base (A.R.P.) and closed to football. Tottenham came to the rescue and threw open the hospitality of White Hart Lane. For these war-time matches single sheet programmes were issued. In 1945 the F.A.Cup resumed on a two leg basis and Arsenal played West Ham at White Hart Lane in the 3rd round on 9-January 1946 winning the match 1-0, but going out of the cup on aggregate score of 1-6. A normal single sheet programme was issued. This is quite rare and difficult to find these days. I have not written in details about the war-time programmes as the listing start from 1946.If you buy the booklet you can read the rest of the introduction

 

New edition updated 2016 
1946 -2006 cost is ₤12.00 + postage UK ₤2.00, Europe ₤3.50 and outside Europe £4.50.
Some copies of the 1946-90 edition are still for sale at ₤4.00 plus post of £1.50

Email leonardevans@arsenalfc.net

 

 

A must for all Arsenal Supporters and Football Statisticians as it contains a wealth of information.

Price UK ₤15.00 
Europe ₤16.50
Outside Europe ₤17.50
Price includes post and packing

Please send orders to the following address

Leonard Evans

84 Hawtrey Road

Swiss Cottage

London NW3 3SS

England