New additions, historic finds, and exciting challenges
What a year it’s been for adding to my collection of Norwich City memorabilia! From the latest match programmes to rare historic treasures, this year has brought some real gems into my hands, and I can’t wait to share the highlights with you.
Current season additions: programmes & shirts
Every season, I make it a point to grab both home and away match programmes for the first team. It’s one of those little traditions that keeps me connected to the season as it unfolds. For the 2025/26 campaign, things have been a bit mixed. Blackburn Rovers, Swansea City, and Watford have gone for digital-only matchday programmes this year, which is a bit of a disappointment for collectors like me. On the flip side, Bristol City and Millwall might not issue official programmes, but their fan-produced versions are absolutely brilliant efforts and well worth buying.
Now, when it comes to 2025/26 shirts, things really get interesting. With three different kits, three goalkeeper shirts, and a whole variety of sleeve patches for Championship, Carabao Cup and FA Cup matches, there’s plenty to chase. And don’t even get me started on the poppy shirts or the one-off charity sponsors that appear every season.
This year, I started tracking the kits worn by the Canaries. While I don’t have the ambition to try and collect every version of every shirt, I love picking up the ones that really stand out to me. Websites like Match Worn Shirts have made it easier to find match-worn and player-issued shirts, but honestly, the market feels flooded these days. It’s made me a little pickier about what I actually want to add to my collection.
Historic finds: shirts, programmes and handbooks
While I’m interested in the current season, it’s the vintage items that really get my heart racing. 2025 has been a great year for adding some truly historic pieces to my collection.
Three highlights in particular stand out:
- Asa Hartford’s 1985 Milk Cup Final Kit
I’m beyond thrilled to have gotten my hands on the shirt, shorts, and socks worn by Asa Hartford during Norwich’s first-ever Wembley win in 1985. His deflected shot sealed the 1-0 victory and owning this iconic Hummel kit truly feels like holding a unique piece of club history. - A 1933/34 – 1938/39 Norwich City Shirt
This is a real, stunning beauty – easily the oldest Norwich shirt I’ve ever seen and there can’t be many others that are older still around. It’s an absolute privilege to own such a rare item. - Unbadged 1972/73 Home Shirt
This one is from the first 10 games of Norwich’s inaugural season in the top-flight (the 1st Division). The shirt was probably worn by Jim Bone, who had the honour of scoring the Canaries’ first-ever goal in the league, a 1-1 draw against Everton.
Finding missing items
I’ve been plugging away at completing my programme collection. I’m aiming to cover every season from 1946/47 (the first post-WW2 campaign) to the present day. I’m so close now — just 16 home and 45 away programmes left to find!
One of my best finds this year has been a Norwich v Gillingham programme from the 1953/54 season. With a tiny attendance of just 6,687 for a midweek fixture, it’s no wonder that copies of this programme are so hard to come by. It’s a true rarity!
I’ve also added more pre-WW2 items than usual, including some beautiful programmes from the 1930s. Also some Hospital Cup programmes from 1907, 1921, 1932 and 1938. I’m starting to wonder if completing a full set of all the 1st team games played at Carrow Road from 1935/36 onwards might be achievable. Only 80 left to find!
Handbook hunting
My handbook collection has made significant progress this year. One of the highlights was adding a number of pre-World War 1 handbooks. This was from a lady who was selling her late father’s old memorabilia that had been discovered in her loft. These earliest handbooks have always been very tough to find. Securing multiple pieces in one go felt like winning the lottery! Now, the only one I’m missing is the 1921/22 season handbook – and I’m not giving up until I find it.
Every year I think, “That’s it – I’ve probably reached the limit on finding historic items.” But this year has shown me that you should never stop looking. Incredible pieces of Norwich City history continue to surface. The thrill of the hunt is half the fun!
Volunteering for the Historic Trust
On top of adding to my own collection, I’ve also had the pleasure of helping the Norwich City Football Club Historical Trust launch their new website. This provides a showcase of their extraordinary collection of memorabilia. This has been a hugely rewarding experience. It’s been fascinating to see over 2,500 items from the club’s rich history now available for fans to view online. Even better, there’s more to be added in the coming months, so it’s a project that will keep on giving.
Looking forward
I hope to continue to find and add more great items to my collection next year. Although I’ll be mostly interested in Norwich City shirts and programmes, you never know what might turn up and catch my eye.
I’ve also got some new ideas for another book that I hope to progress in the coming months. This will follow on from the book I authored and published in 2024 – Canary Threads.
If you’re a fellow memorabilia enthusiast, I’d love to hear what you’ve been adding to your collection. You can contact me at hello@ontheballcity.co.uk. The hunt is always better when you’ve got good company!