When Saturday Comes

Demonised and left to watch games in decrepit stadiums, life as a football supporter in the 1980s was a demoralising experience. While some fans turned to violence, many more turned to typewriters, Tippex and staplers to create a mass movement that transformed a bleak time into a hopeful one. Adopting a DIY punk ethos, fanzine founders spread their pages across the land.

Illustration by Jörn Kröger A delivery driver’s favour to his student friends resulted in an evening they’d never forget – with the photos to prove it By Richard Stocks The current 1990s revival and celebration of the last pre-digital age shows no signs of abating; the triumphant return of the Gallagher brothers and proliferation of podcasts, books and films keeping the flame alive for Generation X. Those of us growing up in that period have all got our stories to tell.

August 2026 - European domination, EFL season review, Southampton spying, St Mirren, Arsenal champions Your item has been added to the basket.

Illustration by Steve Beerling The winning entry in our 2025 writers’ competition reflects on a father and son’s football relationship. Entries are now open for the 2026 competition By Robert Dear The boy thwacked the ball against the flint wall. It ballooned back, smothered in churchyard and rotting leaves. His father had followed him and was watching from behind the dark yew. “You should be in Sunday school!” The boy ran his fastest. But his father, the town centre-half, was faster.

How did the “people’s game” fall into the hands of a wealthy global elite – and what does that mean for the fans left behind? Investigative journalist Adrian Goldberg attempts to uncover how English football was transformed from a community asset into a globalised, billion-pound business through the murky trails of club ownership, political compromise and regulatory failure.

The WSC digital archive has every issue from the latest all the way back to WSC 1 in 1986 available to read online. Recent issues are optimised for reading on a mobile or tablet, and each one has article audio and the option to save for offline reading. Save the webpage to the homescreen on your phone or tablet and it will work like an app. Subscribers to the print magazine get FREE ACCESS to the whole archive or save money with a digital-only subscription.

February 2026 - Man Utd troubles, Tranmere Rovers, Hillsborough, Cheltenham Town, World Cup 2026 Your item has been added to the basket.

Why would a country spend tens of billions of dollars to buy and control sport? Engulfed is a story about ambition, family rivalries, extreme wealth, power, murder and disinformation. It is also the story of dictatorship, political corruption and, at its root, how sport – football, yes, but also golf, boxing and even e-sports – became a vital geopolitical tool for Saudi Arabia.

January 2026 - World Cup qualification, Morecambe, Boavista, Mary Earps, Celtic, Palestine Your item has been added to the basket.

Subscriber discount: Your item has been added to the basket. The WSC calendar features 12 images from across all levels of the game taken by our team of photographers. Never miss the magazine’s on-sale date or 2026’s top football events (yes, the World Cup really is that long). A4 folded, A3 open. Subscribers save £2