 | About Action Soccer
See below for the history of this magazine
About Action Soccer
Action Soccer was launched in August 1969 from Christopher Marlowe Press,Colonna House,Paradise Ind. Est,Hemel Hempsted.
Quoted in the issue's first editorial "Our aim is simplicity itself:to produce the best football magazine in the world".
It was a wider and glossier format and retailed at 5 shillings.The articles were by players rather than journalists.
It only ran for 8 issues until March 1970.
Bernard Bale contacted the site to fill in some background on Action Soccer. "I was asked to become freelance editor of this proposed new magazine in 1969. For its day the colour was the best around.
I had just been working on Goal magazine at the time. The magazine started quite well but then hit a snag. The owners were printers first and publishers second. They had no idea about advertising revenue and thought only of production. That was not the biggest problem though.
Because of the quality of print they were in demand to print magazines (very adult) for publishers from Germany. When an order came in, the printing of Action Soccer was put back by a day or three and consequently would arrive late at the distributors with the obvious results - no place on the shelves, no sales and end of magazine. You are right, it only lasted for about eight issues.
Shame really because it was good quality for its day and I used my contacts to get exclusive first person stuff with Geoff Hurst, George Best, Alan Ball, Gordon Banks and others of that status.
For the record I was on Soccer Star/World Soccer in mid-1960s with Jack Rollin as editor. Later with Goal/Football Monthly/Shoot etc - also Soccer Star with IPC."
Bernard Bale
About Action Soccer .
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