Media information 2018 About us When Saturday Comes is Britain’s leading independent football magazine. Launched in 1986, it aims to provide a voice for intelligent football supporters, offering both a serious and humorous view of the sport. We’re a serious football magazine with a pronounced satirical edge. In each issue we aim to cover most of the major topics that fans are likely to talk about. Our content includes club articles from across the leagues and divisions and topical comment on the state of the game, interlaced with a healthy dose of humour and sarcasm. WSC readers are both professionals and committed football supporters. They tend to be ABC1 or students in higher education. They have disposable income and the median age is late 30s. They are loyal followers who value the WSC brand – 82% have been reading for more than three years. Kickaround was launched in March 2018. Aimed at boys and girls aged seven to 12, it is all about getting involved, about going to matches and kicking a ball, and offers a refreshing, fun, alternative look at the game for young fans. Kickaround never talks down to its readers or attempts to sugar-coat or shirk big issues affecting the wider world of football, such as the ethics of diving and whether there is too much money in the game. But at the end of the day, Kickaround readers just love football. PHOTO ARCHIVE MATCH OF THE MONTH Coventry City 3 Exeter City 1 Exeter are back at Wembley for a second play-off final in a row, though the fan-owned club again come up against the antithesis of their model – not that Coventry fans don’t deserve some success Date MAY 28, 2018 Words HUW RICHARDS Photos SIMON GILL wo years hardly make a tradition, After that the Sky Blues moved rapidly upwards but once again the League Two play- and Exeter maintained the trajectory associated When Saturday Comes T off final matches the one League club with life membership of Division Three South. wholly owned by its fans with opponents who Exeter’s record League win was, as it hap- exemplify why the supporters’ trust movement pens, an 8-1 mullering of Coventry. But that was necessary. Fan-owned Exeter face Coventry was in December 1926. Two meetings this sea- a year to the day after losing 2-1 to Blackpool, son, both home wins, were hardly sufficient to perhaps a judgment on them for dayglo green ignite strong feelings between fanbases so dis- shirts whose contrast with Blackpool’s tange- tanced by history and geography, even though rine made the whole occasion look like Stew- Coventry’s 2-0 victory at the Ricoh in Septem- ards v Security Guards. ber ended Exeter’s early season surge. Red-and-white stripes have been restored, Hence the amicable atmosphere around the and Exeter v Coventry is a collector’s item under ground. But there are differences in mood. Cov- any circumstances. They last crossed League entry’s following is both larger and more exu- paths in 1958-59, this division’s inaugural sea- berant. It is a while since being a Sky Blue was son under the truer designation of Division Four. much fun, not just a matter of their recent mal- treatment by owners Sisu but of peak years Right Bobby Moore watches over developments which brought more pride than joy, an Below Fans congregate outside Wembley Stadium interminable sequence of bottom-half Average monthly circulation GETTY IMAGES(3) games, 112 caps and three World Cups, sensationally beaten by Haiti’s Emmanuel yards out, it swerved late and smacked into American reporter. “I am happy we won, but semi-final and West Germany in the final – Focus on although for a long time it seemed as though Sanon just after half time in Italy’s opening the inside of Zoff’s left-hand post. Few blamed never too happy.” after which he paraded the World Cup among he would be remembered for goals conceded game of the 1974 tournament. The Italians the keeper, but at 36 he seemed to have missed That phlegmatic approach was a pleasingly unchoreographed crowd of police, Dino Zoff rather than saved on the biggest stage. recovered to win 3-1, but could not get out of his last World Cup chance. Yet come 1982 consistently reflected in how others saw him. security and media (main). 14,582 Zoff broke into the Italian team with a the group after drawing with Argentina and and there he still was between the posts. Italy Italy’s coach Enzo Bearzot, who grew up less Zoff – still the oldest winner of the World standout performance when they won the losing to the rising force of Poland – Zoff’s famously sneaked through the first group than ten miles from Zoff’s home town in the Cup – could not have struck a more telling Dino Zoff didn’t give much away. Whether 1968 European Championship, but Enrico flying leap was not enough to stop Andrzej with three uninspiring draws, then took care north-eastern region of Friuli, relied on his contrast with his West German counterpart, he was talking through his crucial save in Albertosi was preferred for the 1970 World Szarmach heading his team in front (above). of Argentina thanks to Claudio Gentile’s close steadiness, calling him “calm”, “level-headed” Toni Schumacher, whose brutal foul on France’s the final moments of Italy’s 1982 World Cup. It gave Zoff plenty of time to kill with In 1978 Zoff rediscovered his clean sheet attention to Diego Maradona. and “modest”. Patrick Battiston was the other memorable Two meetings this season, both home Cup classic against Brazil, or describing how striker Angelo Domenghini at the team hotel knack, and a much better Italy team won all After the 2-1 victory over Argentina Zoff Zoff needed all those qualities as Italy goalkeeping image of the tournament. Paul Gascoigne appeared naked in the team in Mexico City (top). three games in the first-round group. Needing was interviewed by the New York Times, overcame Brazil’s fabled team 3-2 in the final The Italian’s style was never to court such wins, were hardly sufficient to ignite hotel when Zoff was managing Lazio, his Four years later Zoff was the undisputed to beat Holland in the final match of the which rather unkindly said the 40-year- group game, thanks to a Paolo Rossi hat-trick, attention. At the end of the Brazil game he had strong feelings between fanbases so demeanour barely changed: unruffled, low-key No 1, having set the record for the longest second-round group to make the final against old “had the pale look of a middle-aged man but also to his crucial save, clutching the gone up to Bearzot and given him a silent kiss and matter-of-fact behind those increasingly playing time without conceding a goal in hosts Argentina, Italy took the lead, but in who had put in a hard week at the office and ball right on the line from Oscar’s header in on the cheek. “For me, that fleeting moment distanced by history and geography bushy eyebrows. international matches, stretching back to a 3-1 the second half Zoff was beaten by long-range was hoping to catch a few winks alongside the dying moments. It was almost Zoff’s last was the most intense of the entire World Cup,” That blank exterior matched his feats of win over Yugoslavia in September 1972. Since goals from Ernie Brandts and Arie Haan. The the pool”. Zoff was typically understated: “I meaningful action of the tournament, as the the coach said. miserliness on the field through 570 Serie A then Zoff had kept 12 clean sheets, only to be latter’s goal was outrageous. Struck from 40 am happy to have a job I like,’’ he told the Italians comfortably despatched Poland in the Mike Ticher 20 WSC WSC 21 24 WSC WSC 25 Football at all levels Classic photography Actively purchased FOOTBALL & EDUCATION Learning 100% “WSC has spanned, the easy way Many children have a natural obsession with football and two charities are having huge success in channelling that enthusiasm into improving young people’s education, teaching them skills that will last a lifetime Illustration by ADAM DOUGHTY t’s nine o’clock on a Thursday morning dur- for a certain time period, go on a football trip. ing February half-term but, in the west Lon- The concept is simple but produced dramatic chronicled, and even perhaps I don offices of analytics firm Football Radar, improvements in both behaviour and attend- a group of secondary school students are tak- ance. It’s something to which Bateman believes ing their seats, notepads ready. The boys, aged the power of football is key: “Football is the thing between 11 and 16, will spend the morning learn- that the majority of teenage boys are willing to ing about some of the different career options go to lengths for that they wouldn’t for other available in football – data analytics, journal- things,” he says. “The students that do well at ism, social media – from people who work in the school are the ones who have a clear purpose. industry. They will then head to a local pitch to FBB gave these students a purpose.” spend the afternoon playing football. The first hour of an FBB session is spent in The day has been set up by Football Beyond the classroom, using football-based projects Borders (FBB), an organisation that uses foot- to improve students’ literacy and numeracy.