Match(magazine)
 Front cover on 31 May 2003, featuringRuud van Nistelrooy | |
| Editor | Stephen Fishlock |
|---|---|
| Categories | Football |
| Frequency | Weekly, every Tuesday |
| Paid circulation | 20,000 (July 2018)[1] |
| First issue | 6 September 1979[2] |
| Company | Kelsey Media |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | Official site |
Match,stylised asMATCHorMATCH!,[3]is a weekly Britishfootballmagazine aimed at theteenageandpre-teenagemarket. First published in 1979, the magazine had a circulation of 57,108 copies in December 2010.[4]The magazine includes interviews, a skills school, quizzes and a weekly round-up of results, tables and player ratings from the four main English divisions and the Scottish Premier League in MatchFacts. It mostly covers teams and players in the EnglishPremier League,but also has a limited coverage ofLa Liga,Serie Aand international football.
History
[edit]Matchmagazine was launched on 6 September 1979,[2][5]at a cover price of 25p. The original editor was Mel Bagnall.Kevin Keeganwas the first cover star ofMatchand supported the magazine with his column, Learn To Play The Keegan Way.[5]The first issue came with an 80-pagestickeralbum and included columns by Tottenham star Ossie Ardiles, Manchester United's Steve Coppell and Nottingham Forest manager, Brian Clough.[citation needed]Later columnists includedDavid Platt,Mark BrightandRyan Giggs.
In March 1980,Matchlaunched its first Matchman Of The Month contest. The award, based on a player's match rating, was won byOssie Ardiles.He defeatedTrevor Francisto win the title and won £100. Matchman Of The Month now has no financial reward.[citation needed]
On its launch in 1979, the magazine initially failed to catch the dominant circulation of its main weekly football rival,Shoot.In the mid-1990s the magazine was successfully revitalised and relaunched byChris Hunt,an editor with a wealth of experience in teenage music and sport magazines.[1]Under his editorshipMatchwas transformed, finally overtakingShootto become the biggest-selling football title in Britain, with its weekly sales peaking at 242,000 during this period.[6]This not only marked the highest point in the magazine's sales history (a record that still stands), but the high-water mark of the British football magazine market in the 1990s.[7]In the face of such market dominance byMatch,during this period many of its rival titles either closed or, in the case ofShoot,changed frequency to monthly.Shootfinally closed in June 2008.[8]
A number of notable football journalists have started their careers atMatch,including Mark Irwin ofThe Sun,Hugh Sleight ofFourFourTwo,Paul SmithofThe Sunday Mirror,Ray Ryan formerly withThe News of the World,Adrian Curtis formerly of theMail On Sunday,Evening StandardandThe Press Association;and Rob Shepherd.
References
[edit]- ^abHenson, Mike (26 July 2018)."Shoot, Match and the glory days of football magazines for teenagers".The Guardian.Retrieved4 November2019.
- ^ab"About Match Weekly".Soccerbilia.Retrieved4 November2019.
- ^"MATCH!".Kelsey Media Ltd.Retrieved23 May2020.
- ^"Audit Bureau Of Circulation certificate".
- ^abTudor, Stephen (15 December 2017)."Shoot v Match: A rivalry played out across the nation's newsagents and in every household".Tifo Football.Retrieved4 November2019.
- ^"Chris Hunt to edit Spurs monthly".Press Gazette.29 April 2007.Retrieved4 November2019.
- ^Chris Tryhorn (21 February 2008)."Football magazine market heats up".The Guardian.London.Retrieved12 May2010.
- ^Satwant, Pandher (20 June 2008)."Football mag Shoot closes after 40 years on the ball".Press Gazette.Retrieved4 November2019.
External links
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