Unlike the players, fans never let you down, so I decided it was time to celebrate our role in our great game…….
On October 26th 1863, the captains, secretaries and other representatives of a dozen London and suburban clubs met in a pub called the Freemason Arms (now the Connaught Rooms) in the centre of London’s West End. Their purpose was to form an Association with the object of establishing a definite code of rules for the regulation of the game of football.
150 years later the world is celebrating, but these celebrations too often forget what makes the game truly great…. its Fans.
History of Fandom: While this is a chance to remember a host of on-pitch memories at Fan United, we believe it is also the time to celebrate footballs fans – their trials, tribulations motivations and memories and how these have changed over the years.
Fans For Your Memories: As part of this celebration we have put together a pictorial history of some key landmarks for fans over the last 150 years but are encouraging fans to submit videos discussing their earliest and best memories over the years, (especially from the 30s, 40s, 50s or even before). Watch seven example entries now.
Schools Project: We believe that Football Fandom has been more responsible than almost any other activity for creating emotion and communication across the generations and to celebrate this we would also love schools to get involved via the ‘Fans for your Memories/Schools’ project. A selection of our favourite entries will be displayed on the website and the best primary and secondary schools entries will win a prize.
Fans for your Memories is intended as the first ever comprehensive oral history of what it means to be a football fan in the UK.
The deadline for submission is December 5th and schools can submit their entries here. For information on how to tie this project into the curriculum for Key Stage 1 and 2 click here and for Key Stages 3 and 4 click here.
Integral to our campaign is a school project where we hope to encourage as many pupils as possible to sit down and interview their grand or even great grand parents about what football was like in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.
Here are seven examples:
Mavis Wright, age 100, award winning nurse, grandmother and NUFC’s 100 year old fan.
Maurice Sills, age 98, Schools Guide at St Paul’s Cathedral.
George Cohen, age 90, London cabbie, talks about Chelsea vs Liverpool in 1933.
Lewis Gilbert, age 93, British Film Director. Football was my life.
Owen Luder, age 85, Architect, talks about love of Arsenal.
Jack Jacobs, aged 76, talks about Tottenham in the 50’s, Jimmy Greaves and the generations