Bartholomew Football History Map Of England And Wales – An Illustrated Map In Full Colour Featuring Club Badges And Team Colours Compiled In Collaboration With The Football Association

Compiler: John Carvosso
Publisher: Bartholomew
Price: £95 including postage in the UK
Publication Date: 1972
Edition: 1972 edition
Size: Quarto
Map Size: 70cm x 100cm
Binding: Original printed wrappers
Condition: Very good

Condition:

Folding map. Wrappers slightly creased. Map has slight age-toning and original fold lines but is in very good condition indeed. A very nice copy.

Football In England And Wales In The 1970s: A Brief Overview

Introduction

The 1970s were a decade of contrasts for football in England and Wales. On the pitch, clubs enjoyed moments of brilliance, with English teams emerging as a force in European competition and the Welsh national side producing one of its strongest post-war squads. Off the pitch, however, the game faced serious problems: declining stadium infrastructure, rising hooliganism, economic hardship, and poor crowd safety.

This combination makes the 1970s one of the most fascinating—and complex—periods in the history of British football.

The Football Landscape at the Start of the 1970s

League Structure

The four-division Football League system remained largely unchanged:

• Division One: the top tier
• Division Two
• Division Three
• Division Four

Promotion and relegation were firmly established, but money and facilities varied wildly between clubs.

Attendances

Crowds were passionate but often unpredictable. After the post-war boom, attendances in the early 1970s stagnated or fell due to:

• economic recession
• competition from television
• deteriorating stadiums
• safety concerns

Nevertheless, major fixtures could still attract vast numbers, and the FA Cup remained a national event.

English Club Success in Europe

The 1970s saw English clubs rise to prominence in European competition.

• 1970: Chelsea win the European Cup Winners’ Cup

A replayed final against Real Madrid marked the beginning of English success on the continent.

• 1971 & 1972: Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur succeed in Europe

Leeds won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup; Spurs the UEFA Cup.

• 1977–79: Liverpool dominate Europe

Liverpool won the European Cup in 1977, 1978, and, along with Nottingham Forest, began a period of English dominance that carried into the early 1980s.

• Nottingham Forest’s extraordinary rise

Promoted to the First Division in 1977, Forest went on to win the league in 1978 and the European Cup in 1979—one of the greatest achievements in football history.

Domestic Highlights in England

Leeds United

Don Revie’s Leeds were the defining English league team of the early 1970s:

• League champions in 1973–74
• Known for their strength, tactical discipline and combative style

Liverpool

Under Bill Shankly and later Bob Paisley:

• League champions in 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77
• FA Cup winners in 1974
• Built the foundation for 1980s dominance

Derby County

Under Brian Clough and later Dave Mackay:

• League champions in 1971–72 and 1974–75
• Punched above their weight in Europe and domestically

Other notable developments

• Manchester United struggled during much of the decade, even suffering relegation in 1974.
• The FA Cup continued to produce iconic finals, including Sunderland’s shock win over Leeds in 1973 and Southampton’s triumph in 1976

Football in Wales During the 1970s:

Welsh Clubs in the English System

Three Welsh clubs competed in the Football League:

• Cardiff City
• Swansea City
• Wrexham

Cardiff City

Mostly a Second Division side, with fluctuating performances.

Swansea City

Under John Toshack (from 1978), Swansea began their remarkable ascent through the divisions—though the peak would come in the early 1980s.

Wrexham

One of the most exciting Welsh stories of the decade:

• Famous FA Cup runs
• Promotion to the Second Division in 1978
• Strong European performances thanks to Welsh Cup victories

Welsh National Team

Although they did not qualify for a major tournament, the Welsh team of the mid-1970s featured:

• John Toshack
• Leighton James
• Brian Flynn
• Terry Yorath
• This side came agonisingly close to qualifying for Euro 1976.

Stadiums And Infrastructure

Football grounds in the 1970s were often:

• largely unchanged since the 1930s
• standing-room terraces
• poorly lit and inadequately maintained
• vulnerable to overcrowding
• lacking modern safety standards

The decade saw several serious crowd-related incidents, increasing pressure for reform.

Football Hooliganism

The 1970s witnessed the rise of organised football violence in Britain.
Factors included:

• economic decline and youth unemployment
• tribalism between clubs
• poor policing and inadequate segregation
• media sensationalism

Clubs such as Chelsea, Millwall, West Ham, Leeds, Manchester United, and Cardiff City gained reputations for notorious hooligan groups.

This era laid the groundwork for policing changes, stadium redesign, and legislation in the 1980s and 1990s.

Football Culture and the Matchday Experience

The matchday atmosphere of the 1970s was markedly different from today:

• Standing terraces created intense, noisy crowds
• The smell of beer, cigarette smoke and meat pies was characteristic
• Programmes cost pennies
• Fans often travelled by coach or “football special” trains
• Songs, chants and club scarves were integral parts of supporter identity

Television coverage expanded, with “Match of the Day” and ITV’s regional football shows becoming essential viewing.

Decline and the Seeds of Reform

By the late 1970s, English and Welsh football faced:

• declining attendances
• financial instability
• rising violence
• outdated stadiums
• inconsistent refereeing standards

Yet the decade also laid foundations for:

• the influx of better coaching
• tactical sophistication
• modern sports science
• commercial expansion
• the European success that continued into the early 1980s

Conclusion

Football in England and Wales during the 1970s was a decade of grit, brilliance, danger and transformation. The era produced some of the greatest teams and players in British football history, while also exposing deep structural problems that would take decades to address.

Its legacy lives on in the passion of supporters, the folklore of clubs, and the enduring importance of football in British culture.

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