Anyone remember Play By Mail football management games?

Goldstone Rapper · Jul 3, 2013

For a moment, take your eyes off Colin Pates' garish football kit and look to the adverts on the left...

Does anyone remember these adverts that used to crop up in the classified sections of Shoot! and Match magazine in the 1980s and 1990s. Anyway, did anyone ever sign up and play these games? What was it like? Did you eagerly await your post each week to find out your results after your inspirational managerial decision-making or was it all bit of a rip-off and a let down?

I always remembered they seemed ludicrously expensive. As if I could afford £2 a week for it in the early 1990s! So I never signed up for any of them.

But how did they work? How did whoever was organising the leagues generate the results?

By now, I imagine the combination of Fantasy Football Leagues (based on what actually happens in real-life football), the internet and really comprehensive computer-based football management games have all but killed PBM, but I may be mistaken.

Anyway, over to you!

Acker79 · Jul 3, 2013

I didn't see any advert for it, but a friend of mine did it, so I joined up to one. I wasn't very good.

I don't have a strong memory beyond that, but I have vague recollections of picking teams, formations, substitutions (you actually had to list when a substitution would be made, which players would swap), if you wanted to take the team away on bonding activities, spending on ground upkeept, whether to accept sponsorship deals etc. then post it off, then you'd get the results back, how much money came in from tickets, merchandise, food and drink, etc

crookie · Jul 3, 2013

I and a couple of mates did these for a few years, great fun at the time, especially when playing against each others teams, and yes, couldn't wait for the post to hit the mat !!! Advent of decent football management games in the last 15 years has consigned them to history I should think. Mind you, a few years since I've read Shoot and Match !!

John Byrnes Mullet · Jul 3, 2013

crookie said:
I and a couple of mates did these for a few years, great fun at the time, especially when playing against each others teams, and yes, couldn't wait for the post to hit the mat !!! Advent of decent football management games in the last 15 years has consigned them to history I should think. Mind you, a few years since I've read Shoot and Match !!

I was in a couple of PBM's and you are right. I couldn't wait for the postie to arrive, how times have changed. This certainly led to an addiction of Football Manager and Championship Manager.

forrest · Jul 3, 2013

I used to play one back in the day. Picked my team selected my tactics and any transfers I wanted (Didnt have the transfer windows back then!) I so wanted to be in charge of Brighton but ended up with Gillingham. Hell i even manged to secure the services of Patrick Kluivert for £1.5million!

Seagull by the Sea · Jul 3, 2013

Goldstone Rapper said:
For a moment, take your eyes off Colin Pates' garish football kit and look to the adverts on the left...

Does anyone remember these adverts that used to crop up in the classified sections of Shoot! and Match magazine in the 1980s and 1990s. Anyway, did anyone ever sign up and play these games? What was it like? Did you eagerly await your post each week to find out your results after your inspirational managerial decision-making or was it all bit of a rip-off and a let down?

I always remembered they seemed ludicrously expensive. As if I could afford £2 a week for it in the early 1990s! So I never signed up for any of them.

But how did they work? How did whoever was organising the leagues generate the results?

By now, I imagine the combination of Fantasy Football Leagues (based on what actually happens in real-life football), the internet and really comprehensive computer-based football management games have all but killed PBM, but I may be mistaken.

Anyway, over to you!

I did one with a friend if mine and we were always excited when the results were due back in the post.

The one we did was with a guy based in Horsham and we had to pick the team and basic tactics. When he sent them back there would be a full match report and possession stats etc. the guy who ran it said he put all the info into a computer and it randomly told him the player's number that made a pass or had a shot, then he would type up the match report and use your players name that had that shirt number.

In those days it was just a simple 1-11 so it was easy.

I actually always thought he didn't have a programme at all but he just made it up!!

Goldstone Rapper · Jul 3, 2013

Thanks for the replies, guys!

I half-thought it would be an NSC thread that might go down like a lead balloon as no one knew what it was on about

I remember Match in the early 1990s running a magazine version of a Play By Mail called 'Superboss'. It involved answering multiple-choice questions to decide what players did during the match, adding the number of points you get for your answers, and then phoning up a premium-rate number to discover your score and get a match report (you had to wait for the next week's Match for the scores if you weren't allowed to use the 0898 numbers!). Along with other readers, you could also vote by post or phone about which players to buy or sell, which kit your team would wear etc and the most popular choices carried the day.

Pretty good except I think they rather abruptly canned the 'Superboss' feature mid-season in the second year....

forrest · Jul 3, 2013

Goldstone Rapper said:
Thanks for the replies, guys!

I half-thought it would be an NSC thread that might go down like a lead balloon as no one knew what it was on about

I remember Match in the early 1990s running a magazine version of a Play By Mail called 'Superboss'. It involved answering multiple-choice questions to decide what players did during the match, adding the number of points you get for your answers, and then phoning up a premium-rate number to discover your score and get a match report (you had to wait for the next week's Match for the scores if you weren't allowed to use the 0898 numbers!). Along with other readers, you could also vote by post or phone about which players to buy or sell, which kit your team would wear etc and the most popular choices carried the day.

Pretty good except I think they rather abruptly canned the 'Superboss' feature mid-season in the second year....

I remember that game in Match! If i remember rightly the team was called 'Matchester United'

The Wookiee · Jul 3, 2013

I played one in the mid 90's can't recall the name of it but the were based in halstead in Essex. Always remember 2 of the other managers in the set up were brothers named Paul and John, their surname was Terry !!!

Goldstone Rapper · Jul 3, 2013

forrest said:
I remember that game in Match! If i remember rightly the team was called 'Matchester United'

Thanks, I had completely forgotten the team's name. I'm glad I'm not the only one that remembers it

Faldo · Jul 3, 2013

Soccer Supremos. I remember my dad getting the hump because you would have to phone other managers to put deals through. He kept finding random calls to Scunthorpe on the bill.

Puppet Master · Jul 3, 2013

This brings back so many happy childhood memories. Used to love playing these... looking back they were so simple but my God were they fun and addictive. Used to bunk school some mornings to wait for my results in the post. And my dad calling me saying there's some kid on the phone saying he;'s the manager of Barcelona and wants to do a deal :lolol:

Off the top of my head, I played The Gaffa, PFF, KJC Games and In Off The Post. Looking back they were money for nothing really although I've still got a little silver trophy on my bookcase at my mum's house saying 1996 Gaffa Cup winner. As others have said Football Manager games killed them off in the end. Amazing to think I used to be biting my nails for a week or two waiting on my results when you get them at the click of a button now,.

Puppet Master · Jul 3, 2013

Looks like some are still going http://www.iotp.co.uk/ http://www.purefantasyfootball.com/ http://www.kjcgames.com/extra/etf.htm

happyseagull · Jul 3, 2013

A runner up trophy from division three of the Apex Soccer League, I was BHAFC, signed Zola, which led to a late title challenge but then we hit the roof!

HastingsSeagull · Jul 4, 2013

Haha had no idea these things existed. Can see the appeal but wow rather geeky!

Goldstone Rapper · Jul 4, 2013

HastingsSeagull said:
Haha had no idea these things existed. Can see the appeal but wow rather geeky!

When I was at university, I knew someone who played chess-by-mail.

Goldstone Rapper · Jul 4, 2013

I think Play By Mail probably came from the momentum created by Choose Your Own Adventure books of the 1970s and 1980s.

Hatterlovesbrighton · Jul 4, 2013

I played soccer supremos by gad games for 4 ish years. Was great fun

Stumpy Tim · Jul 4, 2013

I played these two, and I'm another who waited for the postie. I remember the owner got ill once & I was waiting three weeks for the results - its was incredibly infuriating. Great days

dougdeep · Jul 4, 2013

Goldstone Rapper said:
When I was at university, I knew someone who played chess-by-mail.

Didn't the pieces fall off of the board in the envelope? :hilton:

Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊

Anyone remember Play By Mail football management games?

Rediffusion PlayerofYear

Well-known member

Well-known member

Global Circumnavigator

New member

New member

Rediffusion PlayerofYear

New member

Back From The Dead

Rediffusion PlayerofYear

Well-known member

non sequitur

non sequitur

New member

Well-known member

Rediffusion PlayerofYear

Rediffusion PlayerofYear

something clever

Well-known member

New member

Share this page