A new book that charts the early history

of Aylesbury United Football Club

Playing The Game ... order now from Amazon and good booksellers

£16.99 Paperback and £3.45 ebook

The social history of a town and its football club, marked by sporting excitement, colour and surprises

For the first time this remarkably detailed and thoroughly researched book tells the stories behind the foundation and early development of Aylesbury United Football Club nearly 130 years ago.

The book delves deep into the 60 years from the club's founding in 1897 to approximately 1955 - a period of change and challenge both on, and off, the pitch.

We get closer to some of the larger-than-life characters who helped to build one of England's most celebrated non league football clubs.

The Rev Arthur Jones - the young curate regarded as "the founder of Aylesbury United".
Thomas Kyle, whose ambition brought senior football to Buckinghamshire's county town.
Harold Cowley, who kicked off United's first ever game in 1897 ... and scored a hat-trick!
Tommy Stevens, the Aylesbury boy who went on to play for Clyde FC in front of 50,000 fans at Glasgow's Ibrox Park in the 1912 Scottish cup final.

For those who love statistics Playing The Game has a complete list of every Aylesbury United match - friendlies, league and cup - from 1897 to the start of the Second World War, plus many other club and player performance insights.

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Aylesbury United FC

United for nearly 130 years

Aylesbury United was founded in 1897 when three local sides – Night School, the Printing Works, and Aylesbury Town – merged. Nicknamed The Ducks after the Aylesbury breed, the club are one of England's best known non league football clubs. The Ducks were the first non-league team to be televised live, and are the only non-league team ever to have played against a full England XI.

The men’s first team currently compete in the Pitching In Southern League Division One Central, but the club have been without their own home ground since they were evicted from Buckingham Road Stadium in Aylesbury in 2006.

The club's women and girls, juniors, pan-disability and walking football sections remain in the town, supporting more than 500 participants.

The author

Retired journalist and communicator, Mike Snell, has been a supporter of Aylesbury United since he came to Aylesbury in the mid-1990s and was, for 10 years, their match photographer. He is also vice-chair of the club's supporters' organisation 21st Century Ducks.

Mike is also a Trustee of the Cancer Care and Haematology Fund, the charity that supports the treatment of cancer and blood disorders run by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

He is married with two sons and lives in Stone, near Aylesbury.

Our supporters

Units 4 & 10 Anglo Business Park, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP19 8UP, UK

sales@expresslabel.com 01296 768652

The company that helped to make this book possible

The establishment of Aylesbury United Football club owes much to Hazell, Watson and Viney, the major printing business that flourished in the town in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, though, they are no more.

However, a new specialist printing company, Xpress Labels, is supporting the publishing of Playing The Game, and is committed to continuing Aylesbury's rich printing heritage.

The supporters' trust

21st Century Ducks are the Aylesbury United Supporters' Trust and are a major shareholder in the club, owning 39%. The Trust contributes more than £6,000 to Aylesbury United each season, which has been a vital financial boost for the club while it's without its own base in the town.

We would like to acknowledge the important contribution made by the independent Aylesbury United Archive to the history of Aylesbury United. It's huge online collection of club statistics, competitions, matches and players covers the period from 1945 to the present day. The archive was developed, and is managed, by Luke Buckingham-Brown.

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