Turn the Pages of Football History This July in Glasgow

By Jack Cranmer

In this modern age, many clubs have a huge online presence and have switched their matchday information to the World Wide Web.

However, many traditionalists remember the days in Scotland when, no matter what level of match you attended—from an Old Firm cup final to an Ayrshire juniors match on a pitch that could be mistaken for a mud bath—there would be a programme.

Inside, there would be pieces going over the team(s) you were there to see, the match details, and perhaps some interviews with officials at the club—and, of course, plenty of advertising to generate funds for the sides in the days before huge TV rights money.

Many clubs do still release matchday programmes throughout the Scottish pyramid, but nowhere near the level of their heyday from the 1950s through to the early 2000s. This has caused concern for collectors, completionists, and even the casual matchday fan.

Alas, all is not lost for programmes, as there are many around the country dedicated to keeping them alive and in the public eye.

One of these people is Jim Thomson, who has been organising and coordinating programme fairs across Scotland since October 2021.

Jim and his organisation recently announced via their social media sites that they will be running their first national event in over 20 years: ‘The Great Glasgow Official Programme Fair’, to be held this summer at the Hall of Fame, within the hallowed halls of our game’s home—Hampden Park.

The event will take place this summer following the end of the football season, on 6 July from 10:30am until 2:00pm, and will be free for all those looking to browse or add to their programme collections.

This announcement follows recent successes with their regional fairs held around the country, notably one earlier this year in Stirling, where over 200 programme aficionados were in attendance.

Jim was delighted to announce their return to the national stage after such a long hiatus—and after the disappointment of last year’s event being cancelled, the relief of having a secure venue to work from.

He said: “It’s the home of football, Hampden Park, the centre of Scottish football, right next to the museum, which is fantastic.

“What a great place to have it, and I’m pleased to say that it’s going to go ahead in July.”

Jim also confirmed that many celebrated vendors from the collecting community will be in attendance, from whom punters will be able to purchase programmes of varying rarity and value.

On the selection that will be available, Jim said: “It really ranges. You’ll get modern-day programmes for £2 or £3 each—you’ll maybe even get them as cheap as £1 for the ’70s and ’80s because they were produced in mass amounts.

“But there are certain games, maybe European away games involving Rangers and stuff, that you can pay several hundreds to several thousand for.

“Graham Budd Auctioneers auctioned off a programme from a Benfica versus Rangers friendly from 1948, and it reached £11,500 at auction.

“But we try to cater for all budgets, so whether you’re a wee boy with a few pounds in your pocket or a businessman with a few hundred, you’ll find programmes there to suit you.

“Although we’re in Glasgow and obviously there’ll be a focus on Glasgow-based teams and the national team, you will find programmes there for every team. You just need to look through the boxes and see what’s there.”

They’ve even had some ex-players in attendance at past regional fairs, including former Hearts and Celtic forward John Colquhoun, and Jim has promised a few more familiar faces at the national event.

Some real treasures exist within the world of programme collecting, with Jim himself sporting a collection of up to 5,000 programmes—including one from Sir Alex Ferguson’s managerial bow at East Stirlingshire.

Speaking of the most prized pieces in his collection, he said: “Stirling Albion were the first team from the UK to tour Japan. They went on a tour and played three games over there.

“I’ve got the programme for that—and the tickets.

“There are very few about. There’s one displayed in the museum at Hampden, but I’ve got one. So that’s quite close to me.”

Jim has encouraged anyone with even a passing interest to pop along for a look and urged anybody on the fence or with questions to contact the fairs directly.

He said: “We’re on Facebook and we’re on X as well.

“I’ll be releasing posts as we get nearer to the event about who’s going to be there.

“The Scottish Football Programme Memorabilia Affairs Facebook page is the best place to get all the information you’ll need—and all our contact details are on there.”