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May 17, 2007
Football madness
I never thought I would see the advent of the £10 football matchday programme - but it's arrived.
That's what fans will be expected to pay at Wembley Stadium for Saturday's FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United.
I am told that it's more like a glossy magazine than a matchday programme and has 150 pages of information. In that case supporters best get their copy well in advance of kick off otherwise they will spend the entire match reading the programme rather than watching the action on the pitch.
It still seems an excessive amount to pay for a football programme particularly when you add up all the other costs that supporters will expect to incur as the cup final returns to the new Wembley Stadium. Supporting your team on Saturday could prove to be an expensive family outing.
Without wanting to harp back to the good old days I remember as a young boy going to the 1971 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Liverpool and paying 10p for my matchday programme. That meant, I think, that I still had change from my pocket money to buy a hot dog and a can of coke - how times have changed.
Suffice to say I will not be going to Wembley on Saturday but will be watching the match from the comfort of my arm chair for nothing ....
Posted by aseal at May 17, 2007 10:48 AM