Manchester United and City Fans, 1970s: Photographs by Iain S P Reid

A landmark in documenting British football culture — Iain S. P. Reid’s photographs record the rise of terrace style and the communities that shaped the game long before it went global.

The First Feature

When we first featured Iain S. P. Reid’s photographs, it marked the first time his now-recognised images of football fans had been published outside of his dedicated Facebook page. Shared through our Instagram, the work connected immediately with people — prompting memories and stories from those who lived through a time when the terraces were more than stands. They were a stage for identity and a source of pride.

"We were all from Wythenshawe. I'm the first one from the left. We are all Reds, apart from the lad on the right. He's a lifelong Blue!" - John Williams.

Life on the Terraces

Reid’s work speaks to a moment in British cultural history that remains charged with energy and intent. Made through the late 1970s and early 1980s, the photographs offer a direct view of matchday life before television money and corporate influence reshaped the game. They focus on the supporters who carried its spirit — young lads in their weekend best, crowds moving through turnstiles, and faces marked by anticipation or defiance.

The photographs are a vivid piece of British football history when music and fashion spilt onto the terraces. The late seventies saw Punk and Perry Boys emerge within a couple of years, changing the style and attitude of fans across the North West of England.

The Rise of Terrace Fashion

These were the years when fashion and football began to intersect in ways that felt new. The photographs show a generation moving toward sharper, more restrained looks — a quiet departure from the colour-driven Mod influence of the 1960s. Butcher coats, flat caps, Levi’s, and adidas trainers formed part of a developing visual language on the terraces. The look was practical, but it carried intent and a sense of local pride.

This moment marked the early foundations of what would later be called terrace culture — a movement shaped on British football grounds and carried across the country through away days and street style. What Reid recorded wasn’t fashion in a commercial sense; it was working-class style at its most direct, shaped by limited means, outside influence, and imagination. Many pieces were picked up on European away trips or from local sports shops, often shared between friends or passed down through older brothers.

Belonging and Identity

Beyond the fashion, Reid’s photographs remind us of the atmosphere of those matchdays — the noise, the smoke, the camaraderie. These were years of economic struggle, social change, and political tension, yet football remained a constant. It offered both escape and belonging. On the terraces, you could be part of something bigger than yourself — and that feeling resonates deeply through his images.

A Cultural Time Capsule

Decades later, Reid’s photographs serve as a visual time capsule of working-class Britain in transition. They record not only the aesthetics of a generation but the roots of a cultural movement that continues to inspire contemporary art, photography, and menswear. Long before football became global entertainment, it was local life — and Reid’s lens captured it in all its authenticity.

“What fascinated me most about the whole body of work, was the way Manchester United and Manchester City supporters dressed and approached the match as if it were a kind of carnival. Despite what the press often reported, there was very little violence. In fact, the fans were incredibly helpful with the project — they understood the perspective I was taking. I always carried copies of the photos with me to show them, to make it clear I wasn’t exploiting them or misrepresenting who they were.” — Iain S P Reid.