FourFourTwo is a football magazine published by
HaymarketHaymarket Media Group is the largest privately-owned publishing company in the United Kingdom. It also has offices in Australia, China, Germany, Brussels, India, Japan, Singapore and the USA.It started out as Cornmarket Press in the 1950s...
. Published monthly, costing
£The pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
4.50, and at about 164 pages long, it published its 150th edition in February 2007 and it had its 15th birthday edition in July 2009. It takes its name from the football
formationIn association football, the formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football....
of the same name, 4-4-2, which is considered to be a basic, trustworthy and standard formation in British football; it is almost certainly the most popular formation for 11-a-side matches.
An
Audit Bureau of CirculationsThe Audit Bureau of Circulations of North America is a non-profit circulation-auditing organization. It is one of several organizations, operating in different parts of the world, that audits circulation, readership, and audience information for the magazines, newspapers, and other publications...
report for the first half of the year 2006 showed that the magazine's circulation had increased by 18% when compared to the same figures for the previous year.
FourFourTwo is a football magazine published by
HaymarketHaymarket Media Group is the largest privately-owned publishing company in the United Kingdom. It also has offices in Australia, China, Germany, Brussels, India, Japan, Singapore and the USA.It started out as Cornmarket Press in the 1950s...
. Published monthly, costing
£The pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
4.50, and at about 164 pages long, it published its 150th edition in February 2007 and it had its 15th birthday edition in July 2009. It takes its name from the football
formationIn association football, the formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football....
of the same name, 4-4-2, which is considered to be a basic, trustworthy and standard formation in British football; it is almost certainly the most popular formation for 11-a-side matches.
An
Audit Bureau of CirculationsThe Audit Bureau of Circulations of North America is a non-profit circulation-auditing organization. It is one of several organizations, operating in different parts of the world, that audits circulation, readership, and audience information for the magazines, newspapers, and other publications...
report for the first half of the year 2006 showed that the magazine's circulation had increased by 18% when compared to the same figures for the previous year. It had a
Total Average Net Circulation Per Issue of 111,406. Of this:
- 96,267 (86%) was in the UK & Ireland
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain, Ireland and numerous smaller islands. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland...
and
- 15,139 (14%) was overseas.
In 2008, it was
announced that
FourFourTwo had entered into a three-year shirt sponsorship deal with
Swindon TownSwindon Town Football Club is an English football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, who currently play in League One. The club's home ground is the County Ground, which has an all-seated capacity of 15,728....
, which will commence in the 2008–09 season.
Present
Currently, the following high-profile people are amongst the regular contributors to
FourFourTwo (UK edition):
- James Richardson
James Richardson is best known as a former presenter of Channel 4's Football Italia programme and also known as the co-presenter of Setanta Sports' The Friday Football Show and Football Matters alongside Rebecca Lowe and formerly Des Lynam, before it ceased transmission on 23 June 2009.-Television...
, who famously presented Football ItaliaFootball Italia is an Italian football programme in the United Kingdom, which as of August 2007 is currently known as Football Italiano. The first broadcasting of the show was in 1992 on Channel 4, the show is centered around live coverage of Serie A football, the top flight in the Italian league...
, who used to give his views on Italian football before being replaced.
- Jonathan Wilson
Jonathan Wilson is a British sports journalist and author who writes for a number of publications including the Guardian and the Independent. He is notable for his historical knowledge of world football as well as his insightful and comprehensive analysis of football tactics...
, football journalist and author of Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics.
Past
Previously, the following high-profile people were amongst the regular contributors to
FourFourTwo (UK edition):
- Henry Winter
Henry Winter is football correspondent of The Daily Telegraph, Telegraph.co.uk and also writes a column for Four Four Two magazine. He attended Westminster School and Edinburgh University. Winter often takes part in television and BBC Radio 5 Live discussions...
— Leading football journalist.
- Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and subsequently football manager, most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest, and his 44 day reign at Leeds United A.F.C...
— Ex-player and manager, up to his death in 2004.
- Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson CBE was an English footballer and, after retirement, manager of seven European clubs and the England national team....
— Ex-player and manager who briefly replaced Brian Clough.
- Stan Bowles
Stanley Bowles was a leading English footballer who gained a reputation as one of the game's greatest mavericks.-Career:...
— The ex-Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers Football Club are an English professional football club, based in Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith and Fulham, West London...
and EnglandThe English national football team represents England in international association football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England...
player, who wrote an anecdotal column.
- Robbie Savage
Robert William "Robbie" Savage is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. He currently plays for and captains Derby County, and formerly played for the Welsh national team....
— The former WalesThe Wales national football team represents Wales in international men's football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales, the governing body for football in Wales and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team has not qualified for a major international...
midfielder, who wrote about the game from a current Premiership footballer's perspective.
- Sam Allardyce
Samuel "Sam" Allardyce is an English football manager and former professional player. He is the current manager of Blackburn Rovers of the Premier League. He was previously manager of Bolton Wanderers from 1999 to 2007 and Newcastle United from 2007 to 2008...
— Ex-Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United Football Club is an English football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, they play in the Football League Championship. And are renowned for having a very good fan base...
manager who answered readers' questions.
- David Platt — who wrote columns discussing tactics for particular matches or teams.
- Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French football manager who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
— ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
manager. FourFourTwo's 5-a-side "guru" who is questioned by two people every month and gives tips on the 5-a-side game.
Editors
Notable editors of
FourFourTwo have included Mat Snow and Hugh Sleight. The founding editor was Karen Buchanan, now a journalist and presenter with
BBC RadioBBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927...
Norfolk.
First Section
The following three features are always in the first part of the magazine:
- Magic Moment or FourFourTwo Moment — A usually-sponsored feature on the first page showing a moment of triumph from the past month, for example, Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international football. Before 1921, all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
beating SpainThe Spanish national football team represents Spain in international football and is controlled by the . The majority of Spain's matches are held at stadia in Madrid and Valencia. The Spanish side are commonly referred to as La Furia Roja .Spain are the current European champions, having won the...
3-2.
- A Word from the Editor — Hugh Sleight refers to the month gone by and the current month's issue.
- Letters to the Editor
A letter to the editor is a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern to its readers. Usually, letters are intended for publication....
, Hugh Sleight — Every month a chosen letter written to the editor appears in the issue and wins a prize.
- One on One — Rreaders send in questions which are put directly to either a football player or manager.
Up Front
Up Front runs from about page 25 to 60 of the magazine, consisting of shorter interviews and regular features. It is often more comedy based than the rest of the magazine. Amongst others, it contains:
- The Diary — Takes a comedy based look at the latest month in the football world.
- The Boy/Girl's a Bit Special — A short article informally interviewing a young star (male or female) in-the-making. Questions range from "who has had the biggest influence on your game?" to "what car do you own?." Issue one featured an unknown 16-year-old Liverpool youth team player named Michael Owen
Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. he progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
.
- I'll Tell You This — Transcript of a short, irreverent telephone interview with a well-known football personality, where questions rarely involve football, and often border on the surreal, unless of course the interviewee has a book or other product to promote.
- Reviews — of football related products, predominantly books and video games.
- They Said What?! — A short column of funny, strange or witty quotes from football personalities in the month beforehand.
- The Insider — Another short column listing all the rumours in the Premier League at the present moment.
- On the Couch — A psychologist analyses a part of football to find its basis.
- Ask a Silly Question — Where a footballer or football-related person is asked a selection of odd questions which tend to culminate in still stranger answers.
- You Asking? — Where four present or former footballers answer two questions: one relating to football and the other not.
- The Big Debate — A look at two differing opinions on a controversial footballing issue.
Features
Between
Up Front and
Planet Football, so usually stretching from about page 60 to 125."Regular" features include:
- Extended interviews.
- And Another Thing... — Four of a kind (e.g. four disabled fans, four referees, four journalists, four fans supporting West London clubs) are gathered together in a pub and asked to comment on different footballing issues.
- More Than a Game — An in-depth look at one of football's biggest rivalries
This article deals with major football rivalries around the world. This includes local derbies as well as matches between teams further apart. Major footballing rivalries manifest themselves in many ways...
, often involving deep social and political parameters. A recent example was Fenerbahçe vs GalatasarayGalatasaray Spor Kulübü is a Turkish association football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club. Galatasaray is one of the most successful Turkish football clubs, holding the joint record for Turkish League titles, and record number of both Turkish Cup and TSYD Cups...
- My Secret Vice — A report on a particular footballer's unusual hobby. A recent example was Reading
Reading Football Club is an association football club, based in the English town of Reading, in Berkshire, who play in the The Championship. Formed in 1871 the club is one of the oldest teams in England, but did not join the Football League until 1920, and never played in the top tier of English...
's American player Marcus HahnemannMarcus Stephan Hahnemann is an American soccer player who currently plays as a goalkeeper for English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.-Early years:...
, who confirmed he was a petrolheadPetrolhead is the third studio album by ex-Cold Chisel guitarist / vocalist Ian Moss. The songs on the album are written by Don Walker, Ian Rilen, Spencer Jones and Andy Heggen. This album was a departure from Ian's previous albums as it has more of a Hard Rock sound to it. Moss said that "it was a...
.
- Sing When You're Winning — One celebrity (although past "specials" have seen multiple English rugby
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 25 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam. England also compete for the Calcutta Cup...
World Cup winners or CabinetA Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or Executive Committee.- Overview :...
PoliticianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
s) talks about their football fandomFandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...
.
- Action Replay — A retrospective look at a significant, obscure, landmark or forgotten event in football history.
- At the End of the Day — A a footballing personality talks about the defining moments of their career.
Planet Football
This covers two main areas: UK football other than the Premiership and overseas football. It consists of a number of short interviews, features, and a results service. Among many reports from top-level football leagues across the globe, the section includes a report from
James RichardsonJames Richardson is best known as a former presenter of Channel 4's Football Italia programme and also known as the co-presenter of Setanta Sports' The Friday Football Show and Football Matters alongside Rebecca Lowe and formerly Des Lynam, before it ceased transmission on 23 June 2009.-Television...
.
Elsewhere in the magazine
- My Perfect XI — A football personality's favourite team, often within certain criteria (e.g. players played against, players who have played for Liverpool
Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club plays in the Premier League, and has won more trophies than any other English club...
clubs), normally with one or more substitutes and a manager. The interviewee may name themselves in the team, but often rejects it, instead settling for a place on the bench, or as coach of the team.
- Spine Line Competition — To win a prize, readers can decipher the riddle printed along the magazine's spine line, which always relates to some content in that edition.
Swedish Edition
In November 2002, the first issue of the
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
edition was published. In September 2009, issue #50 will be published.
Nigerian edition
In 2006, the first issue of the Nigerian edition was published. In May 2008, the relaunched edition came on board with the veteran editor Samm Audu as the editor. The senior staff writer is Ikenwa Nnabuogor. It's currently the biggest-selling soccer magazine in
West AfricaWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
. It also sells in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
.
Australian edition
FourFourTwo launched an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n edition in October 2005, to coincide with new
A-LeagueThe A-League is the premier Australasian domestic football competition. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia, it was founded in 2004 following the collapse of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005-06...
.
The launch publicity ran with the tagline of "It's footy, but not as you know it," a reference to the popularity of
Australian rules footballAustralian football, also commonly referred to as Australian rules football, football, or Aussie rules, colloquially as footy, and historically as Australasian football or Victorian football, is a variant of football played between two teams of 18 players, plus four interchange players, outdoors on...
and
rugby leagueRugby league football is a full-contact form of football, played with a prolate spheroid ball by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. Rugby league is one of the two codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union...
and the fact that association football is referred to as soccer in Australia. This also referred to the launch slogan of the
A-leagueThe A-League is the premier Australasian domestic football competition. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia, it was founded in 2004 following the collapse of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005-06...
: "It's football, but not as you know it" — part of the work
Football AustraliaFootball Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of association football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003....
is doing to rebrand and relaunch the game. Further to this, the first edition's frontpage contained the motto "Goodbye Soccer, Hello Football." The launch party was attended by, amongst others,
cricketerCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
Ricky PontingRicky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is the current captain of the Australian cricket team. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very occasional bowler...
.
Korean edition
In June 2007, the first issue of the South Korean edition was published, by Korean publishing company MediaWill. The Korean edition contains many articles on domestic football, which normally take up about half of the 190-pages per issue.
The price is
WThe won is the currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used for everyday transactions, and appears only in foreign exchange rates.-Etymology:...
6,800. Although the English edition is imported in Korean market, it costs W16,000 and therefore has a very limited market share.
Brazilian edition
In 2009, the first issue of the
BrazilianBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
edition was published, by Brazilian publishing company Cadiz.
Malaysian edition
In 2009, Measat publications took over the license of the Malaysian edition. On August 11th 2009, a weekly
FourFourTwo TV ShowFourFourTwo is a weekly football magazine television show on Asian cable channel, Astro SuperSport, broadcasting to Malaysia and Brunei in association with global football magazine, FourFourTwo...
began on affiliated television station, Astro SuperSport, hosted by former ESPN anchor
Jason DaseyJason Dasey is an Australian journalist and broadcaster, a former CNN International, BBC World News and ESPN anchor who works as a TV sports host for Asian satellite network, ASTRO.-Early career:...
.
External links