Andrew Palmer
Founder & EditorWest Ham supporter since 1972. Collector of football memories for over five decades. Based in Biddulph, Staffordshire.
Welcome to Football Masters Magazine. I'm Andrew Palmer, and I've been collecting football stories, photographs, and memories for more than half a century. This magazine is my way of sharing those stories with fellow football fans around the world.
Growing Up at Upton Park
My first match was in 1972. I was seven years old. My dad took me to see West Ham play at Upton Park, and I remember almost nothing about the game itself. What I remember is the noise. The smell of cigarettes and Bovril. The feeling of being part of something bigger than myself.
That's what football was back then. It wasn't about money or television rights. It was about community. About belonging somewhere. About standing on the terraces with your mates, come rain or shine.
"I've spent 25 years working in football footage licensing. I've seen archives full of stories that have never been told. That didn't seem right to me."
A Career in Football
I fell into the football business almost by accident. In the late 1980s, I started working for a company that licensed football video footage to broadcasters and production companies. It was supposed to be a temporary job. It lasted 25 years.
During that time, I met hundreds of players, managers, and fans. I heard stories that never made the papers. I saw footage that's been sitting in archives for decades - moments of brilliance, tragedy, and everything in between.
I worked with footage from the 1966 World Cup, the Busby Babes, the great teams of the 1970s and 1980s. I saw interviews with players who are no longer with us. I heard their stories in their own words.
Why I Started This Magazine
In 2018, I had a health scare. Nothing focuses the mind quite like that. I started thinking about all those stories I'd collected over the years. All those conversations with players who are no longer with us. All that footage sitting in archives, waiting to be seen.
So I started writing them down. At first it was just for myself. Then I showed a few pieces to friends. They said I should publish them. So here we are - Football Masters Magazine, a free digital publication dedicated to preserving and sharing the untold stories from football's golden era.
"These stories don't belong to me. They belong to everyone who loves football. I'm just the one writing them down, preserving them for future generations."
Why It's Free
People ask me why I don't charge for the magazine. The answer is simple: I don't need to. I'm not trying to build a business. I'm trying to preserve something.
Football gave me a career, a community, and some of the best memories of my life. This magazine is my way of giving something back. If you enjoy reading it, that's payment enough.
What You'll Find Here
In Football Masters Magazine, you'll find stories about the players, teams, and moments that defined football's golden era. From the 1966 World Cup to the Busby Babes, from Bobby Moore to George Best, from Wembley to Old Trafford.
You'll find rare photographs from my collection, interviews with players and managers, and stories that have never been told before. All of it free, all of it for the love of the game.
Andrew Palmer
Biddulph, Staffordshire, 2024
Founder & Editor, Football Masters Magazine