Unseen Treasures: The Leicester City Official Handbook

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Unseen Treasures: The Leicester City Official Handbook

Published in time for the 1964/65 season, this Club handbook was quite an innovation at the time.

2025-05-20T13:00+01:00

by John Hutchinson

Published

20 May, 2025

Unseen Treasures: The Leicester City Official Handbook

Published in time for the 1964/65 season, this Club handbook was quite an innovation at the time.

John Hutchinson

2025-05-20T13:00+01:00

Unseen Treasures: The Leicester City Official Handbook

Published in time for the 1964/65 season, this Club handbook was quite an innovation at the time.

John Hutchinson

2025-05-20T13:00+01:00

Unseen Treasures: The Leicester City Official Handbook

Published in time for the 1964/65 season, this Club handbook was quite an innovation at the time.

John Hutchinson

2025-05-20T13:00+01:00

Unseen Treasures: The Leicester City Official Handbook

Published in time for the 1964/65 season, this Club handbook was quite an innovation at the time.

John Hutchinson

2025-05-20T13:00+01:00

Costing two shillings (10p), it contains 104 pages, which are packed full of information about Leicester City, providing a fascinating insight into the Club 60 years ago.

The introduction, written by the local journalist Billy King, explains the purpose of the book:

“For a long time, Leicester City enthusiasts have urged the preparation of an official book recording as much as possible of the Filbert Street story, especially in the post-war period. The 18 seasons from 1946 have been some of the most eventful in the Club’s entire history, with the 1960s yielding achievements that have established a new tradition.”

The 18 post-war seasons referred to in this introduction included three FA Cup Finals (1949, 1961 and 1963), two second-tier titles (1954 and 1957), playing in European competition for the first time (1961), being realistic First Division and FA Cup double contenders (1963) and winning the League Cup (1964). This latter achievement explains why the League Cup trophy is prominently displayed on the cover.

The handbook starts with an aerial view of Filbert Street, a roll call of the First Team players, (giving their weight, height and place of birth), and the forthcoming season’s fixtures for the seniors, the reserves and the youth team.

This is followed by a 33-page section detailing the Club’s 80-year-old history from its foundation until 1964, including a list of the Leicester players who had won international honours.

The middle section of the booklet deals with the Club’s aims and methods of operating and the results from the 1963/64 season. There is also content on City’s Managers, the runs to the three FA Cup Finals, their 70-year record in the Football League and a complete FA Cup record.

This is followed by a section dealing with the Club’s operations behind the scenes. This includes a feature on the Development Association, which describes how two houses on Grasmere Street (now Burnmoor Street) had recently been purchased by the Club in order to provide offices on the first floor and a corridor through the ground floors to create an entrance to the adjoining Popular side terraces.

Other behind-the-scenes information focuses on the Directors, the non-playing staff and the new 8.5 acre ‘training centre’ at Belvoir Drive, described as ‘one of the best training grounds owned by any league club’.

The next pages provide pen pictures of the players, together with their appearance records, details of tours abroad and of foreign teams visiting Leicester.

Finally, the newly increased prices for fans attending the following season’s matches are detailed. Season Tickets cost between 10 guineas (£10.50) and seven guineas (£7.35). Match day entrance for non-Season Ticket Holders ranged from 11 shillings (55p) for the most expensive seats in the centre of the Main Stand to four shillings (20p) on the terraces. Boys (no mention of girls!) could be admitted to the terraces at half price.

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