Programmes
The David France Collection contains over 6,000 programmes covering Everton participation, both home and away, in league games, cup competitions, friendlies and reserve-team fixtures between 1886 and 2002.
It is difficult to calculate the precise number of friendly matches Everton have been involved in during this time, however, experts have estimated that the collection features over 90% of all programmes involving Everton over this period, and is hailed as the most complete compilation of such archival material for any football club.
While the unbroken sequences of programmes is stunning, the actual condition of them is museum quality, with many in excellent condition considering their age.
The collection includes every Everton programme published in the inaugural 1888-9 League season. Another highlight is the 32 programmes from the pre-League era when Everton played at Anfield. The collection can also claim to include the earliest known programmes for a number of today’s top clubs, including Manchester United (then known as Newton Heath), Celtic, Aston Villa, Derby County, West Bromwich Albion, Bolton Wanderers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers.
It is also thought to contain the earliest home programmes for Southampton, Newcastle United, Walsall, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, as well as numerous programmes from the early European tours undertaken by the club during the 1930s.
The earliest programme in the collection is from a match Everton played against Astley Bridge on 4 September 1886 at Anfield, with the earliest away programme being when a local team called Stanley entertained Everton on 21 January 1888.
The David France Collection can also claim that it is possibly the biggest collection of Liverpool programmes held privately as Everton and Liverpool produced a joint programme between 1904 and 1935 — nearly a thousand programmes.
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