Dear Chelsea fan

We don’t often ask you for money but an important football  institution is suffering financial hardship; When Saturday Comes.

Founded back in 1986 WSC has been reporting on the fan’s view of football ever since. Mike Ticher, who co-founded WSC, was instrumental in setting up the Chelsea Independent back in 80s too.

When Saturday Comes covers every aspect of the British game from the Premier League to bucket collections at Berwick Rangers. They covered the Hillsborough disaster and the move to all-seater stadiums. They have articles on floodlight pylons, recent matches, Italian ultras, Roy of the Rovers, important seasons past, floodlight pylons, anything and everything about the culture of football, its history, fans and how it works as a business. They have launched the writing careers of David Conn, Harry Pearson and Barney Ronay among others.

If you haven’t read WSC before, why not? It is available in all good newsagents and some supermarkets as well as from the site. https://www.wsc.co.uk

But they are in trouble. Just as the Chelsea Independent had to move to web only after losing money for years, so the internet is catching up with print magazines. Online content is expensive to produce and host and generates very little revenue. Shops sales and subscriptions only cover so much and while WSC carries advertising they have taken the decision to turn away advertising from bookmakers. Given the ubiquity of gambling ads this has hit their revenue hard.

When Saturday Comes is a distinctive voice in the game. As more and more football websites parrot the same few stories about the glamorous end of the game, WSC covers all of football in depth. And does excellent World Cup wallcharts.

You can help. WSC has always survived by word of mouth, it started as fanzine before moving to a proper magazine format and selling in the shops, if you have never read it you should get a copy on the way to work.

If you haven’t read it for a while or have let your subscription lapse, have another look, take out a new subscription. They make excellent Christmas presents.

Most important, tell your friends. Anyone you know down the pub who loves the game and has a soul will love WSC. You can share news about WSC on twitter and facebook. Email your friends and ask them to pass it on. It is surprising how many football fans have never come across WSC, football fans who would love the magazine.

If you are feeling more committed you can become a patron. It is difficult to find the time to sign up for all the requests you get for money but this one is really important. Patreon.com are hosting a monthly dib, where for as little as £1.55 ($2) per month, you can get access to extra material.

https://www.patreon.com/whensaturdaycomes

Many institutions are disappearing, Thomas Cook, Bury FC, Mothercare, floodlight pylons, the Conservative Party but this one is important to the heart and soul of football. Please give generously.