Here at British Culture Archive we recently discovered an amazing set of photos on Facebook by the late photographer Iain S. P. Reid. The photos date from around 1977 and feature mainly young Manchester United and City fans attending home matches at Old Trafford and Maine Road.

Photo © Iain S P Reid.
When we recently re-shared some of the images on our social media pages they stirred up some magical memories about football culture of previous decades, the fashions, the atmosphere and what is was like to be a match going fan long before big money takeovers.

Photo © Iain S P Reid.
Working Class
The images give us a glimpse into this golden era of attending football matches, when working class kids and families could afford to go and watch their team play each week.

Photo © Iain S P Reid.
Carnival
Reid “The chief interest in the whole body of work was the way in which the football supporters of Manchester United and Manchester City used to dress and treat the whole match as if it were a carnival. Despite all press reports, there was very little violence, and the fans I found most helpful in assisting with the project. They were always aware of the angle I was taking with the work. I carried around copies of the photos I was going to be using to show them I was not exploiting them by misrepresenting them in any way.”
Gallery

Photo © Iain S P Reid.

Photo © Iain S P Reid.

Photo © Iain S P Reid.

Photo © Iain S P Reid.



Photo © Iain S P Reid.

Photo © Iain S P Reid.

Photo © Iain S P Reid.

Photo © Iain S P Reid.

Photo © Iain S P Reid.
All Images © Iain S P Reid. To View the collection and find out more about Iain’s incredible work please visit the Iain S P Reid Facebook page.
