 | About Raich Carter's Soccer Star
See below for the history of this magazine
Raich Carter's Soccer Star "The National Soccer Weekly "
Britains oldest Football Weekly Magazine is Raich Carter's Soccer Star.
Ran from 20 September 1952 until 19 June 1970: 925 weekly issues in total.
Published by Echo Publications 150 Cheapside, London EC2 Every Saturday price 6d
Printed Wood, Rozelaar and Wilkes Ltd, Chase House,North Acton, London NW10
Editor Raich Carter
Associate Editor Eric Linden
"Raich Carter's Soccer Star" started on the 20th September 1952 but this was more a newspaper with single spot colour rather than a magazine. They experimented with hand tinting the black and white photographs on the front cover at the same time as Charles Buchan's Football Monthly, but they never appeared inside, sticking to the newspaper look. By the late 1960's they managed to include colour photographs on the front and back cover.
The "Sporting Mirror- Soccer Edition" had been running since after the second world war in a similar format but had stopped by 1952 and was not eclusively about football.
From the begining of the 1958/59 season every match played in England and Scotland was recorded with full team sheets,half time scores and full time scores and attendances.This is the first time these statistical details were consistantly kept making it a boon for football historians. Horatio Stratton Carter better known as Raich Carter was born on 21st December 1913, in Hendon, Sunderland, Tyne & wear. Raich Carter was a legend at Sunderland Football Club. He was an obvious winner from the start being awarded four England caps at schoolboy level in the 1926-28 period. By the age of 24 he had won all of the then top honours available in the English game, International caps, Inter-League, League Championship and FA Cup winner's medals. He married a few days before the FA Cup Final, and when the Queen presented him with the Cup she was reported to have said "That will make a fine wedding present".He shone at cricket, too and was awarded his county cap by Durham county cricket club in 1932 when he made three appearances for Derbyshire. Raich was a legend of the game either side of the 2nd World War, with Sunderland, England, Derby County and as player manager of Hull City. His last job in footballwas as manager of Leeds United and here is the contract he signed in 1955:
!!<THE LEEDS UNITED ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED<br><br>
and<br><br>
HORATIO STRATTON CARTER ESQ.<br><br>
Counterpart/AGREEMENT relating to the appointment of Manager<br><br>
Bromley & Walker
Leeds
1st June 1955<br><br>
THIS AGREEMENT made the First day of June One thousand nine hundred and fifty five BETWEEN THE LEEDS UNITED ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED whose Registered Office is situated at Elland Road in the City of Leeds (hereinafter called ''the Company") of the one part and HORATIO STRATTON CARTER of 125 Otley Road in the said City of Leeds (hereinafter called "the Manager") of the other part<br><br>
WHEREBY it is agreed by and between the said parties hereto as follows:-
1. THE Company shall employ the Manager and the Manager shall serve the Company as Manager upon and subject to the following terms and conditions.<br><br>
2. THE engagement shall be for the period of three years commencing on the First day of June One thousand nine hundred and fifty five subject to the provision for determination hereinafter contained.
During the continuance of this agreement the Manager of and on behalf of the Company and he shall do his utmost by lawful and legitimate means to promote develop and extend the interest welfare and business of the Company and he shall not either directly or indirectly engage or be concerned or interested in any other trade occupation or business of any kind whatsoever (except as a shareholder or debenture holder of any limited company not carrying on the business of a similar kind to the business of the Company).<br><br>
3. THE remuneration of the Manager shall be:-
a. A fixed salary at the rate of One thousand eight hundred and fifty pounds per annum payable by equal weekly instalments on the Thursday of each week the first payment to be made on the Second day of June One thousand nine hundred and fifty five;
b. Reasonable motoring hotel travelling and out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Manager in the execution of his duties to be paid weekly.<br><br>
4. THE Manager shall not draw accept or endorse any bill or other security for money on behalf of the Company or in any way pledge the credit of the Company unless he be previously authorised by the Board of Directors in any particular case.<br><br>
5. THE Manager shall at all times faithfully carry out all lawful instructions given to him from time to time by the Board of Directors in and for the conduct of the business of the Company.<br><br>
6. THE Manager shall subject to any orders or directors given to him by the Board of Directors during his employment hereunder be responsible for and have the control of the training and management of all the football players employed engaged or retained by the Company.<br><br>
7. THE Manager shall be responsible for all arrangements necessary for the travelling ofthe players playing in "away matches" and for their fitness on an"ival at the away grounds and for their safe and speedy return to Leeds immediately after all and any such matches unless otherwise instructed by the Board of Directors.<br><br>
8. THE Manager shall not at any time divulge any information respecting the business of the Company to any person whatsoever other than the Board of Directors<br><br>
9. THE Company will require the Manager during the continuance of this agreement and by virtue of his employment as Manager to occupy the dwelling house known as 125 Otley Road in the City of Leeds or such other suitable residence as may be agreed upon between the parties without charge for the use and occupation thereof but nothing in this agreement shall be construed to create a tenancy between the Company and the Manager.<br><br>
10. THE employment of the Manager hereunder may be determined forthwith by the happening of any of the following events that is to say:<br><br>
a. If the Manager shall become insolvent or commit any act of bankruptcy;
b. Be guilty of theft or any gross default in the conduct of his employment under the terms of the
Agreement or misconduct;
c. Be convicted by any Court for any criminal offence;
d. Become negligent or become incapable of performing his duties hereunder by reason of permanent
incapacity lunacy or habitual drunkenness or
e. The breach or non-observance of any of the stipulations herein contained or any lawful and reasonable commands of the Directors of the Company.<br><br>
11. THE Manager shall be entitled to twenty one days holiday during the year or such longer period as the Board of Directors in their absolute discretion may give to him on full salary but all such holidays shall only be taken by the Manager during the period outside the football playing season and then only at such time or times as shall be convenient to the Company and be first mutually agreed upon.<br><br>
12. IN the case of the illness of the Manager or other cause incapacitating him from duly attending to his duties for a period or aggregate period exceeding thirteen weeks in any fifty tow consecutive weeks the Company shall be entitled forthwith to determine the Manager's employment hereunder without notice.<br><br>
13. IN case of any dispute or difference arising between the parties hereto as to the construction of this Agreement or the rights duties or obligations of either party hereunder or any matter arising out of or concerning the same or the Manager's employment hereunder every such dispute and matter in difference shall be referred to a single Arbitrator to be appointed by the President for the time being of the Football Association.<br><br>
IN WITNESS whereof the Manager and the duly authorised Agent of the Company have hereunto set their respective hands the day and year first before written.<br><br>
SIGNED by the said Horatio Stratton Carter in the presence of:-<br><br>
THIS AGREEMENT is made the twenty first day of August One thousand nine hundred and fifty seven BETWEEN the above named THE LEEDS UNITED ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED (hereinafter called "the Company") of the one part and above named HORATIO STRATTON CARTER (hereinafter called "the Manager") of the other part and is supplemental to the above written agreement.<br><br>
WHEREAS the parties hereto desire to extend the provisions of the above written agreement in manner hereinafter appearing.<br><br>
HOW IT IS HEREBY AGREED by and between the patties hereto as follow:-
1. In the event of the football team of the Company holding at the end of the 1957/8 Association football season any of the positions specified in the first column of the Schedule hereto in the Football League First Division Championship Table for 1957/8 the Company shall be pay to the Manager as a bonus and by way of additional remuneration the sum specified in the second column of the said Schedule which is set opposite to the position specified in the said first column thereof which such football team shall hold.<br><br>
2. In the event of the football team of the Company qualifying for and playing in the sixth round of the competition for the Football Association Challenge Cup in the year 1958 and being defeated in such round the Company shall pay to the Manager as a bonus and by way of additional remuneration the sum of Five hundred pounds.<br><br>
3. In the event of the football team of the Company qualifying for and playing in the semi-final of the competition for the Football Association Challenge Cup in the year 1958 and being defeated in such round the Company shall pay to the Manager as a bonus and by way of additional remuneration the sum of Seven hundred and fifty pounds.<br><br>
4. In the event of the football team of the Company qualifying for and playing in the final of the competition for the Football Association Challenge Cup in the year 1958 and being defeated in such round the Company shall pay to the Manager as a bonus and by way of additional remuneration the sum of One thousand pounds.<br><br>
IN WITNESS whereof the Manager and duly authorised Agent of the Company have hereunto set their respective hands the day and year first before written.
THE SCHEDULE above referred to.<br><br>
Position of the Football League First Division
Championship Table
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
Amount Payable (£)
1,000
750
500
250
100<br><br>
SIGNED by the said Horatio Stratton Carter in the presence of:-
<br><br>
Source: Mrs P. Carter
NEIL CARTER
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy
University of Warwick, Centre for Social History
November 2002
<br><br>
David Hamilton the famous radio DJ and broadcaster contacted Soccerbilia to
purchase some Soccer Star magazines. He is now Fulham's match day master of ceromonies and ardent fan but he had a secret career as a football
journalist at Soccer Star.He has very kindly written up his story for the
Soccerbilia website.<br><br>
"As a boy growing up in the Fifties, there were two football magazines I had
to have, both edited by former footballers - Charles Buchan`s Football
Monthly and Raich Carter`s Soccer Star. Soccer Star was delivered every
Thursday and printed 52 weeks of the year, even when football closed down
for three months in the summer and there really was a close season. <br><br>
It was in the summer of 1954, with all the wisdom of a 15 year old schoolboy,
reasoning that the magazine might be short of material, I submitted an
article which, to my surprise and delight, Soccer Star published. Under
the title Personalities Wanted was the by-line `David Pilditch, who
submitted this article, is one of our old and regular readers`. (David
Pilditch was my real name until when I became a broadcaster I changed it to
my mother`s maiden name, Hamilton). I certainly wasn`t old but I was
definitely regular.
Armed with this success I then wrote to the Editor asking if he would be
interested in my writing a weekly column. I was thrilled when he said
`Yes` and offered me the sum of two guineas, more pocket money than a
schoolboy could have imagined. From the start of the 1954-55 season I
travelled from my home in South West London to grounds all over the Capital,
watching matches on a Saturday, tapping out the articles on my father`s
Empire Aristocrat typewriter on Sunday and reading them in print the
following Thursday. I never thought to ask for a press pass but paid to go
through the turnstiles and watch, as most boys did, from behind the goal.
Fulham were my local club and I have supported them throught my life. For
the past two decades I have been their Matchday M.C. <br><br>
But I have a confession to make. As a teenager my football hero was Sam Bartram, the flamboyant Charlton goalkeeper, who was more a showman than a mere player.
It was a labour of love when I penned a two page spread about Sam to
celebrate his 42nd birthday in January, 1956 (the last birthday of his
playing career).<br><br>
I wrote regularly for Soccer Star from 1954 until 1956. Having left school
at 17, I made an appointment to meet Robert Bolle, who was by now the
Editor, to see if there might be a job for me on the staff. When I arrived
at the offices at Cheapside, in the shadow of St. Paul`s Cathedral, I was
amazed at how untidy they were with articles and photographs strewn all over
the desks and even the floor. From this chaos emerged my favourite weekly
magazine. Bolle, when he saw me, was taken aback. "Surely you`re not the
man who`s been writing for me for the last two years", he said. "From the
way you wrote, we thought you were about forty." I assured him I was and
that I wrote with exaggerated authority to make myself sound mature.
Sadly, my visit did not have the desired effect. Not only did I not get
the staff job but it wasn`t long before they stopped using my stuff. Maybe
they were embarrassed anyone would find out that one of their contributors
was a schoolboy, but it was a tough lesson early in life. Instead I got a
job as a post boy at A.T.V., one of the emerging commercial television
companies. My work for Soccer Star, plus an article I wrote for TV Times,
brought me to the attention of the Head of the Script Department who took me
on as a script-writer, paving the way to a career in broadcasting, so I have
a great deal to be grateful to Soccer Star for.<br><br>
Soccer Star ran until 1970 when it was incorporated into World Soccer, but
its sister magazine, Speedway Star, is still published weekly, comes out on
Thursday, and this year (2011) celebrates its 60th anniversary. How
wonderful that Soccerbilia has such a collection of this magazine that was a
bible to us fans in the days when the man on the terraces was earning as
much as those on the pitch, when there was no football on television and we
needed our Thursday `fix` of news of our soccer heroes. It`s great
thumbing through the old editions and re-living my teenage years.<br><br>
Re-reading the edition of August 7, l954 (the one in which I wrote my first
article) I came across this ad in the Swaps column...
TERENCE WOGAN, 18 Elm Park, Ennis Road, Limerick, Eire has boxing and
wrestling magazines, world sports, football monthlies, sport magazine,
SOCCER STARS for any First or Second Division programmes, three programmes
per boxing and wrestling world sport, football monthly, two per sport and
SOCCER STARS.
Terence Wogan... It couldn`t be, could it?"<br><br>
David Hamilton.<br><br>
In the summer of 1955 the Raich Carter logo was dropped and it ran as "Soccer Star" until 19th June 1970.<br>
From 1955 (ish)<br>
Printed by Ludgate Circus Building, London EC4<br>
Editor Jack Rollin<br><br>
It managed to remain independent for 18 years competing with Charles Buchan's Football Monthly and probably only started to struggle when Jimmy Hill's Football weekly started in 1967.<br><br>
Soccer Star launched "World Soccer" in October 1960 and the two ran side by side until 19th June 1970 when "Soccer Star" was incorporated into "World Soccer" and became part of the IPC group.<br><br>
The "Soccer Star" format was by season with each season being a numbered volume-with 52 weekly issues.<br><br>
<b>Click on the magazine cover above to search for Soccer Star magazines.</b>
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