In the 33 months we've been on Twitter, we've marvelled at the huge community of people that share our love of football's magical past, whether their interest be focused on great players, great matches, great memorabilia or great football kits.
But with thousands and thousands of accounts to follow, which ones should you really be looking out for? The answer is not as difficult as you might think because we at The Football Attic have sorted the wheat from the chaff to bring you our list of the Top 30 Retro Football Twitter Accounts.
Here they are in no particular order, so enjoy - and get following!
1. @ChapmansArsenal
A delightful real-time account of all that was happening to Arsenal in 1930, full of period details about the players, goals and events from 84 years ago. Painstakingly crafted by Graham Sibley from The Sound of Football podcast.
2. @TheSkyStrikers
Photographic gems from an unending seam of match-day programmes are served regularly and with relish here. Lovers of 70's and 80's football will particularly delight in this eclectic parade of retro memories.
3. @ScotsFootyCards
A real giant on Twitter when it comes to classic photographs from a wide range of eras. Source material typically comes from Shoot magazine and Topps collector cards, but not exclusively so, and certainly not just for Scottish football fans!
4. @GoldstoneRapper
When it comes to single-club retro football accounts on Twitter, you won't find many better than this one, along with its accompanying blog site, The Goldstone Wrap. Covering every possible aspect of Brighton & Hove Albion's diverse history, this is a loving tribute to The Seagulls for everyone to enjoy.
One of the most comprehensive compendiums of retro football imagery on Twitter. The League Magazine focuses on everything from players and teams to old football programmes, printed adverts and everything in-between.
6. @OldSchoolPanini
French-language project with a superb accompanying website, but the Twitter channel alone provides lots of great sticker-related imagery. In particular, keep an eye open for 'Through The Years' - a medley of sticker pics focused on one player or coach at different stages of their career.
7. @Retro_Shirts
If you like collecting old football shirts, you'll know that finding a decent source is everything. Luckily, Retro World Football Shirts are on hand with lots of tempting items to purchase, many promoted on their Twitter timeline.
8. @Football_Retro
...or Football Nostalgia to use their proper name, are another fine purveyor of well-chosen imagery from football's rich past, covering great football shirts, crowd shots, well-known players and top matches throughout its archive.
9. @MaradonaPICS
Observe the life and times of arguably the greatest player that ever lived through this wide-ranging selection of photographs featuring Diego Maradona. On and off the field, there's plenty to wonder at and enjoy...
If, however, you like your legends ever-so-slightly ridiculed, you'll appreciate this Twitter feed that shows Pele in a variety of real-life scenarios. A nice combination of gentle humour and great pictures.
11. @TrueColoursKits
If you love talking about great football kit designs from the past, you need to follow the illustrator supreme, John Devlin! With links to his latest work on the True Colours website plus great insights into football kit production, John's your man for engaging chat on everything from Adidas to Xara...
12. @GoalPostBooks
Better known as 'Victorian Football', this is a splendid source for articles about Vintage Era soccer. Taken from the book 'The Victorian Football Miscellany' and its partnering website, you won't fail to be drawn into a world of football full of stories both captivating and illuminating.
13. @RetroPunishment
All the fun and humour of football nostalgia distilled into sublime videos and delightfully funny tweets. Retrospective Punishment is the perfect antidote to modern-day football and all its deplorable drivel.
14. @AdmiralSportsUK
Think 'classic football kits' and the name Admiral is sure to quickly follow. Now you can recall all those great designs worn by teams in the UK and across the world by following Admiral Sportswear themselves. With lots of great photos to feast your eyes on, you'll be glad you did.
Football & History - the perfect combination, amply proven on this Twitter account filled with random memories of all kinds. From newspaper cuttings to videos, cartoons to player photos, this plundering of the past is well worth a follow.
16. @ColdWarFoot
Being niche is never a bad thing, and that's proven unequivocally here as the spotlight is turned on retro football from behind the Iron Curtain. Something a bit different, but a worthwhile addition to Twitter's band of football nostalgia followers.
17. @MueFootballHist
If you've ever wanted to watch some great retro football on YouTube but needed some inspiration on where to start, look no further than Library of Football on Twitter. There's a regular supply of links to great games and heaps of stuff you didn't even know was online - a wonderful resource.
18. @HistoricalKits
Follow the efforts of Dave and Matt as they strive for the specific detail that goes into the illustrations on their excellent website, historicalkits.co.uk. As if you needed an excuse to pore over vintage photos stretching back to the early 1900's...
19. @FootballMemorys
Yet another Twitter account dedicated to classic football imagery, but this one focuses on great teams and great players. Any era you chose to mention is covered with rare delights waiting to be discovered both in colour and in black and white.
20. @BCAFCobjects
Specifically of interest to Bradford City fans, you may think, but like all good clubs, a strong following is often gained by the memorabilia it produces. That's why all football fans will smile at this collection of bookmarks, pin badges and other ephemera, all with that special Bantams touch.
Random memories from the 1980's in the form of photos and video clips, usually accompanied by interesting bits of information to timestamp their historical context. As enlightening as it is entertaining.
22. @90sFootball
If the following decade is more to your liking, however, 90's Football does a brilliant job of combining great pictures and video clips to recreate the era of Cantona, Baggio, Shearer and many others.
23. @Footysphere
This Twitter account is a must-follow for nostalgic Sheffield United fans, but the accompanying website provides an even more diverse and eclectic range of imagery including postage stamps, cigarette cards and fine photography.
24. @VintageFootClub
Another French Twitter account, and one that delves deep into the world of classic European (and particularly French) football. You'll find great pictures of top football superstars plus lots of team photos and links to the excellent Vintage Football Club blog site. C'est magnifique!
25. @AntiqueFootball
A nice selection of pictures from the very antiquated to almost the present the day, many of which you won't have seen before. European football features regularly alongside material from the UK but everything presented is likely to make you smile for a variety of reasons.
'Those Were The Days - Against Modern Football' isn't all about football, but The Beautiful Game does dominate this appealing collection of imagery covering everything from scarves and hats to kit design and memorabilia.
27. @MartinMarty1974
Leeds United Memories provides just that with a diverse and pleasing array of imagery that mainly focuses on the great Elland Road heroes of the post. From the 1930's right up to the present day, this is another well researched club-centric Twitter resource.
28. @Cardinal_Tales
There aren't enough retro football accounts on Twitter that take non-league football as their subject matter, but this one on Woking FC makes up for that with lots of great imagery covering many decades.
29. @MotherSoccerNL
A wonderful mix of football photographs spanning all eras and nationalities. Tweets are in Dutch as well as English, but the imagery is universal in its appeal, be it funny, thought-provoking or downright silly.
30. @ClassicoCalcio
A newcomer to the retro football blog scene, but already proving a worthwhile addition to the fold. Articles about George Best and Norman Hunter along with features on great kits and imagery get a mention on their Twitter timeline, with much more of the same surely to come.
Honourable Mentions
@tgbjimmy
As always with trying to create a definitive list, there's always some that only spring to mind too late, but that definitely deserve a place. This is certainly the case with @tgbjimmy, who maintains the excellent site, The Glove Bag, which is dedicated to the niche subject of goalie gloves, featuring a huge archive of vintage ads for all things keeper related. Well worth a visit and a follow!
@ClassFootStick
If Panini stickers are your thing, then you need to follow Classic Football Stickers - not least because you'll get regular updates on what's new at their beautiful website. Be warned, however... once you start browsing all those Panini page layouts, you'll be there for hours!
@OldShirts
How we missed this one, we'll will never know...possibly the ultimate collection of "old shirts" on the net, with approx 55,000 shirts to date; the awesome oldfootballshirts.com. Incredibly useful as a reference for shirt histories, especially for those rarer items, There's even a few of our own shirts on there!
With sincere thanks to all of you that submitted nominations for our list - we really appreciate it!
-- Chris Oakley
@footballpapers_ has an excellent Tumblr for retro football
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip... :)
DeleteBought Football Attics Book, Check.
ReplyDeleteDonated to Football Attics Cancer Charity Raising Fund, Check.
@oldshirts on the list, D'oh! *
*Just kidding
No Phil, you're bang on! Massive doh on our part!!! Thou shalt be added!!!
Deletehow i remember the wembley trophy 5 football the first plastic ball to go in a straight line when you kicked it
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