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100 Objects

As football fans, the things we treasure most are our memories. Players and managers, even stadiums come and go, but we will always have our memories, and we wanted to come up with something that would allow us to share ours, whilst also hearing what other gems fellow fans can remember. That’s why we started our project – Watford in 100 objects.

The aim of Watford in 100 objects is to bring together a list of one hundred different items, each providing an evocative memory or time in Watford’s history, but we need your help to do it! Here at FTRE we have our own objects that will be included, but what will make it special is hearing yours. The object can be absolutely anything as long as it is linked in some way to Watford Football Club.

SEE THE FULL LIST HERE

To play a part, all you have to do is email details of your object (you don’t have to own it!), along with a brief description as to why you want it included to podcast@fromtherookeryend.com. We will be building the list as the season goes on, providing updates here on the website and on our monthly podcasts so if you want yours to be featured, email us today.

WFC in 100 Objects – #5 An Iveco Truck

Here’s a challenge for you:
Can you name all the shirt sponsors Watford have ever had? You have to do it in two minutes or less?
Don’t cheat,  and when your two minutes are up you can look at the answers at the bottom of this post. ready? GO!!

The first one on your list should have been – IVECO. Sponsors started to appear on football shirts in the 70’s. The first ever shirt sponsor was Jägermeister in 1973, wore by West German team Eintracht Braunschweig. Kettering Town were the first English team to have a go in 1976, but the FA threatened to fine them if they kept it. The FA changed their mind on the subject in June 1977 so clubs were free to have a logo on their shirt. However, it wasn’t until 1979 that Liverpool became the first Football League club to wear a sponsor. So why wait until 1982 for Watford to get a sponsor? In 1981-82 promotion season the club had been approached to carry a sponsor, but Graham Taylor was quoted to have said, “We’re not prepared to prostitute ours shirts”. It was probably a sentiment of many football traditionalist around that time, but even back then the commercial pressures were growing and clubs had to take on the lucrative sponsorship deals that only continued to grow and grow with the expansion of TV exposure.
IVECO are a commercial vehicle company that is part of the Fiat group and whose UK headquarters is above Watford Junction. Their locality was probably a large big part of the deal coming about. It was believed to be worth £400,000 and lasted for three season between 1982-1985. As pointed out to us by Lionel Birnie, author “Enjoy The Game. Watford Football Club, The Story of the Eighties”:
“You could take your replica shirt to the Hornet Shop and ask them to iron on the IVECO letters. The thing was, the letters were in one size and designed for the players’ shirts, so when they put them on my little nine year old’s shirt they completely swamped the front.”
A truck company isn’t a glamourous sponsor, but they were our first and the reason they are going into our Watford in 100 Objects list. They were the company name the Hornets wore during our first ever season in Division 1, on our only trips into Europe and in the 1984 FA Cup Final. Hey, maybe they were our lucky charm?
So, how did you get on in our challenge? Why not set it as a pre or post match pub challenge for your mates:
Answer*:
1. Iveco
2. Solvite
3. Eagle Express
4. Hearld and Post
5. RCI Holidays
6. Blaupunkt
7. CTX
8. Phones 4U
9. Toshiba
10. Total
11. Loans.co.uk
12. BEKO
13. Evolution TV
14. Burrda
Jon
* – Do shout if we missed any.

#4 Junior Hornet Membership Card

Read the list as so far on our Watford in 100 Objects page.

WFC in 100 Objects – #3 Cardboard Andy

Read the list as so far on our Watford in 100 Objects page.

WFC in 100 Objects – #2 Knitted Wilf

This season we’re hunting down 100 objects that define Watford Football Club. Each provides a evocative memory or time in Watford’s history. They can be historic objects that define the most important moments on the pitch or personal objects that define your relationship with club.

Watford FC in 100 Objects – #1

As football fans, the things we treasure most are our memories. So we’re launching a new project…

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