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Gifts for football fans: A guide to buying for the footy mad one in your life

Written by Jamie Barton
Last Update: February 5, 2024
Published on

Buying gifts for football fans can often be tricky, especially if you are not really into football yourself. With so much to choose from, how do you know you’re not going to end up with some overpriced piece of tat that ends up in the bin?

But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are eight of the best gifts for the footy mad man, woman or child in your life. 

Gifts for football fans – Football Stubs

It’s amazing the memories that can be attached to certain objects. Any football fan who looks back at the ticket stubs they have will be able to tell you stories about the day out, the people they went with, and the match itself. But nowadays, with digital and print-at-home tickets, proper paper tickets are mostly a thing of the past. A screenshot is not really the best way to remember some of the best days of your life, but that’s where @FootballStubs_ come in with their unique gifts for football fans. They’ll turn your e-ticket, complete with your exact seat details, into a paper stub for you to keep.

 

Subbuteo 75th Anniversary Set

Pizzi and Antonio Adan with a Subbuteo table
Antonio Adán and Pizzi face off against each other in a game of Subbuteo. Photo by Icon sport

What can you say about Subbuteo? The tabletop football game in which players flick players around the pitch has entertained football fans for generations, and if the person you are buying for has never got involved before then there is no better way to start than with the 75th Anniversary Set. Released in 2022, the set comes with two teams, a pitch, two goals, corner flags, and a special golden ball. One of the best gifts for football fans everywhere!

Football Bobbles

Anyone who goes to the match can tell you it can get cold out there. Sure, you might be surrounded by thousands of people, but that doesn’t mean that sitting in sometimes sub-zero temperatures is always fun. But @footballbobbles have got your back (and your head!), creating quality, limited edition bobble and bucket hats for all sorts of clubs. Made in the UK and coming in as cheap as £10 in some cases, they can make a perfect Christmas or winter Birthday gifts for football fans.

Pennodraws

Ric Pennington is some artist. Seriously, if you’re in the market for a football print of any kind, you can’t do much better than @pennodraws. Everything from classic kits to club legends to famous scorelines have been immortalised in his prints, and he’s even been commissioned directly by the likes of Stockport County and Venezia FC to create fantastic pieces for each of their players.

The Goal Hanger

@the_goal_hanger describe their prints as “If Jackson Pollock did match reports”, and there’s really no better way of explaining it. Utterly unique and stunning, these designs take football prints to the next level, showing off your club’s most famous moments in the form of an infographic. Whether it was an amazing 30-pass move, or a 40-yard screamer, goals have never looked as good as they do in these prints.

Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

Widely regarded as the best book ever written about football, Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch tells the story of Hornby’s own experiences growing up supporting Arsenal. Each chapter revolves around a single match and how it related to whatever else was going on in his life at the time. Far from just an “Arsenal book”, every single fan will be able to relate to the joy and despair that supporters experience when their team takes to the field. This is truly a special book and a must-read for any football fan.

Football stadium helicopter tour

Wembley record attendance
What better way is there to appreciate the country's greatest stadiums than from above? – Photo by Icon sport

If you’re really looking to push the boat out, then this is the one for you. Here at the Football Ground Guide, we appreciate football stadiums. If the person you’re buying for shares the same passion, then why not let them marvel in the glory of some of the cathedrals of the British game with a view from the sky? Virgin Experience Days offer 14 different stadiums to choose from, and tours come in at a premium but reasonable price of £139. 

Urban Colours

Artist Jamie B Edwards has spent ten years and journeyed more than 25,000 miles around the country to draw every single ground in England’s top four leagues. He sells his prints, washbags, cushions, pencil cases and more on his website, Urban Colours. And if you can’t decide which stadium to buy, why not just get his book, Drawing the 92, which has them all?

Avatar of Jamie Barton

Jamie Barton

A freelance football writer and podcaster, Jamie has appeared on/in the BBC World Service, PA Media, Charlton Athletic FC and Empire of the Kop, among others. He's attended matches all around the world, from Tranmere to Tokyo, and once had his bus home from the 2022 Champions League final in Paris delayed by 28 hours.

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