Their First Football Match, Remembered in a Christmas Gift

Ask a football fan about their first match and the answer might have very little to do with football. They might remember their grandad lifting them up to see, the walk from the station, or being allowed to put as much ketchup as they liked on their chips. Those are the details worth wrapping up at Christmas. A print of the ground gives them the place. A few lines in your handwriting give them the afternoon.

Find the ground that belongs to the story

Start with where the match actually happened. Someone who has followed Chelsea for years might have watched their first game away from home. Equally, the ground they talk about most might be the one where they took their own child for the first time. Pick the occasion you want to remember before you choose the artwork.

If you are trying to keep the present a surprise, ask the person who went with them one small question. “What do you remember about getting there?” tends to bring out a better detail than asking for a full match report. An old photograph, programme or diary can help with the date. If nobody is sure which Saturday it was, “the winter you turned ten” works beautifully.

For a first visit to Glasgow to watch Rangers, consider the Ibrox Stadium poster. For an afternoon spent watching Chelsea at home, there is the Stamford Bridge print. Both are A4 prints on 350gsm card and come unframed.

Write the memory like the back of a photograph

On a separate slip of paper, write the ground, who went and one thing someone did or said. Then add why you still think about it. Keeping the note separate lets the recipient tuck it behind the print or keep it with their programmes. It also leaves you room to tell the untidy, funny bit that would never fit in a caption.

For a parent who took you, your note might read, “Dad, I remember asking when the singing would start. You pointed up the road and told me to listen. We were still ten minutes from the ground. Merry Christmas from the kid who nearly wore your scarf out on the way home.” Borrow the shape of the story and fill it with things the two of you remember.

If it was their first match and you missed it, give them space to tell their side. Try “I’ve heard Uncle Tom’s version of that afternoon. On Boxing Day I want yours, especially the bit about the missing hat.” A good question can be the most personal line in the card.

Give old tickets and photos a place

Lay the print on the table with one other thing from the day. A copy of a ticket, a photo of the pair of you outside the ground or even a little map of your walk will do. If the only ticket is on someone’s phone, write out the fixture by hand. A date and two team names can bring back the day just as quickly.

Slip the extras into an envelope with the note, then wrap the print flat against a piece of stiff card. If you plan to add a frame yourself, look for one with an opening for an A4 print, especially if it has a mount. Write the recipient’s name on the envelope so it stays with the artwork as presents are handed round.

Leave a line for their version

At the bottom of your note, leave a little space after the words “The bit I remember best was…”. A child can draw what they saw from their seat. Two siblings who went to the same game can each add a line. Put the year you gave the print on the back of the note, so they can tell the match day from the Christmas you remembered it together.

If you would like to tuck the story inside a greeting, choose a design with a joke they will recognise from the Christmas cards collection.