Arsenal Football Programmes

ARSENAL FOOTBALL PROGRAMME COLLECTORS HANDBOOK FOR HOME AND AWAY RESERVE AND YOUTH MATCHES 1980-2020 Out now  e-mail me and I can give you updated information on how to pay. Due to coronavirus it has been delayed. 

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This booklet is ready now to order please email me for updated information on how to order during coronavirus as ways to pay have changed.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This is the back page and cover picture of the new booklet just been published. 

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Arsenal Collectors Handbook for home and away reserve and youth programmes is a booklet which has been many years in the making it spans 40 years of the clubs history. It lists and bring together for the first time home and away matches from reserve and youth team football as well as other important matches that have been played at Highbury and Emirates Stadium. This booklet will appeal to you where you are interested in collecting football programmes or only in results of matches.

 

This is my seventh Arsenal Programme Collectors Handbook since 1983 and followers three updated revised home booklets issued in 1990, 1993 and 2008. Again this booklet has been written on similar lines as my other issues. It includes many more reproduction of programmes and other souvenirs.

 

I have listed home programmes/team sheets in date order and for the away reserves they have been separated from the youth issues. Included are all postponed matches where programmes have been seen, as well as 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 programme issued for a particular match issued each season.

 

It is of course, very difficult to list all other matches played at Highbury and Emirates Stadium where programmes have been issued including results, other than Arsenal matches such as English Schools Shield, Catering Cups and other minor cups, as there have been so many 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 publications.

 

 

CODES

 

 

 

 

Large single sheet programmes:                                                          SS

Small single sheet programmes:                                                           ss

Newspaper programmes:                                                                      N

Four page programmes:                                                                        4

 Eight page programmes:                                                                      8

Twelve page programmes:                                                                   12

Sixteen page programmes:                                                                  16

Colour programme/team sheets:                                                        C

Not seen Programmes:                                                                       NS

 Hand written for official records

These photo copied team sheets are not programmes:                    x

After Extra Time                                                                            a.e.t.

 

I have only coded the unusual programmes issued each season as most reserve and youth team programmes are large single sheet issues, codes have not been included for these matches. I have included the South East Counties League matches in the listing as one or two programmes have been issued most season and it is likely others will turn up.

 

Arsenal play their youth home matches at The Arsenal Training Centre also known geographically as London Colney. The new centre was opened on 11 October 1999. These days all youth matches are played behind closed doors and it is not possible to find out which matches had programmes/team sheets issued. For season 2017-18 no programmes were issued for those matches. I did make a point of finding out which reserve matches had team sheets issued at the Training Centre and they have been included. For the first time the club has decided not to issue to supporters at the Emirates Stadium any programmes/team sheets in season 2019-20 for Premier League Under 23 matches and very few have been printed and issued to the press and club officials etc. For this reason supporters are not able to get a team sheet when attending the matches. 

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On 31-3-2017 The Hale End Arsenal Academy was re-opened and the Liam Brady Cup was played against Manchester United, Bayern Munich which Arsenal beat and Juventus in the final 1-0 to win the cup. All these types of home matches are outside the scope of this booklet.

 

 For some home reserve matches colour and also black and White programmes/team sheets have been issued for the same match and I have listed and made notes next to the matches concerned. In 2013-14 the Premier Reserve Cup semi-final match Arsenal V Reading was one of the only matches not to have a team sheet issued all that was available on the day were two press sheets with team line-ups on each sheet and I have one press sheet printed on both sides on poor quality paper.  Chelsea have over the past few years only issued programmes to the press and officials and were not available to supporters at the match. Fulham have in the past sent out programmes in the post printed on colour paper even if only black and white programmes/team sheets were given out at the match. In Season 2016-17 and 2017-18 for the Premier Reserve League Sunderland refused to send out programmes/team sheet in the post. And for this reason I have not seen any copies. Club like Barnet only issue there programmes on line and you will need to print them out. Other international youth tournament programmes have been available on line.  Football Aid matches continue to be played at the end of the season at the Emirates Stadium but for season 2015-16 the match was played at the training centre. And of course this season’s 2019-20 has been postponed. These matches are also outside the scope of this booklet as it is not possible to find out anything about the type of programmes issued.  

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The second section of this publication I have listed the reserve and youth friendly away programmes, season by season this time listing them with codes mostly only for single sheet and four page issues. With the modern age of travel more and more Arsenal youth teams of all ages travel all over the world to play in youth tournaments so it has not been possible to find out all information on tournaments played and some have not been included in this publication even if programmes have been issued like the Premier League Truce Christmas Tournament played in Belgium. Overseas countries have different rules and regulations and for this reason I have not listed the age groups of the teams taking part in the youth tournaments or friendly matches as in England completive youth matches are not listed for under 16’s except for some cup and other matches played at bigger stadiums.

 

I have included many reproductions of covers but due to the size of this booklet it has only been possible to select some of the more unusual programmes. The illustrations are not in size or scale.

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