Do you remember the football pools?

 

Alan Esdaile… Do you remember the football pools? Having to be very quite on a Saturday when your dad was listening to the results.

Paul James… Ahahahahahahaha my stepdad always played the pools, never won anything

Gerry Powell… Forfar 4, Fife 5 . . . . my dad did them in the 60’s and let me do a line. Still do a line “on-line”. Spot the Ball was also introduced by Littlewoods and at work as a syndicate we did it weekly in the early 70’s and I came away with over £400 which went a long way to pay for my first new car, a Ford Escort Mk1 1300E in Daytona Yellow. I had to do 500 “x’s” in a small square template and around 8 others did the same so we did not duplicate. It worked.

Kevin Burchett… my dad was in a syndicate at British Gypsum when i was a teenager i think there was a bout a dozen in the syndicate and they won dad ended it up with £290 it was quite a lot of money in them days and we all got new bikes from Lappys in queens road and we rode them home to netherfield

Yvonne Cleland… Oh yes! Every Saturday. Didn’t dare speak!

Mick O’Dowd… Yep! Always brings to mind the old Spike Milligan sketch( I think) or it might have been Michael Bentine reading the results.

Helen James… Had to check them with my Dad

Alan Esdaile… Michael Bentine, Mick.

Peter Howard… I used to pick a line for my Gran. She won £100 in about 1969 but my Grandad wouldn’t let her cash the cheque because he didn’t want the bank manager to know his wife did the pools

Dave Nattress… Indeed, my parents did it for years and it was a major operation with several companies holding their own draws. Littlewoods in Liverpool? I think was Mega and another was called “Zetters” – I think – only recall this because it was a strange name/word. Parents won a few quid now and again. Spot the ball I recall also.

Lyn Humphrey… I also recall having to be quiet at 4.50 pm. Just after I started my first job, my Dad won first dividend, & we began dreaming….only to find out that the small pools companies paid out far less. His share was two grand, which was still nice, but not life-changing (& I was so looking forward to life-changing).

Mark Eason… Not “quite” a memory of mine being “quiet” back then.

Karen Sweatman… My dad promised to take us to Disney if he won. I was old enough to realise that 37 and a half pence wasn’t enough. My sister wasn’t and cried for hours

Dave Nattress… Hi Lyn old friend, well, we’re about as old as each other are we not!  My parents won a few small amounts not life-changing for me either.  Still life’s been good enough without riches so far!

Pete Prescott… I remember my dad doing the football pools every week.

Joe Knight… About 1983 i stopped

John Warner… Got 8 draws once received £125, sick.

Lyn Humphrey… Hi Dave — Yes, I too have managed without the riches thus far, but I wouldn’t mind trying some…..though I’m not sure what life-changing would be, now!

Mick O’Dowd… My parents promised me a train set if they won. 10 years of waiting for a train that never arrived (Where’s Sarah Harvey when you need her!) I finally bought my own when I started work.

Pete Prescott… Oh yes. Dad would spend ages on it.

Alan King… but did he let you ‘check the pools; ?

Wendy Weaver… If you listened carefully you could predict the result by the inflections in the announcer’s voice. We use the same numbers we used for the pools on our lottery ticket – not a lot of luck still. I won £30 on the pools and bought a Sega Master System with it. Graham and I used to stay up half the night trying to beat one another at Sonic the Hedgehog

Tony Court-holmes… so would my nan never won a penny

Kevin White… My Mum and Dad used to do the pools every week, Dad used to collect the money from door to door on Wednesday or Thursday night in the Hollington area on behalf of Vernons pools. I used to go with him when I was little. I remember they had, what would have been a massive win one week, i think it was about £125.000 but unfortunately for them, so did half the country, they ended up winning 19/6 when it was shared out between all the other winners, that is Nineteen shillings and sixpence. Or about 97.5 new pence in today’s money.

Andy Guainiere… Yes, always a big night for dad with the pools coupon.

Colin Bell… Having to be quiet after watching Mick McManus and Kendo Nagasaki punch the crap out of the other wrestlers (well pretend to!)

David Francis… I remember waiting for Doctor Who to come on and we couldn’t talk because my dad was reading his pools coupons watching the Scottish third division Forfar 5 Fife 4 etc

Steve Thorpe… I had to get the pink edition of the Evening News which had the results of the football and horse racing in it.

Kev Towner… I was always really disappointed that the scoreline: Forfar 5 – East Fife 4 never came up!!

Yvonne Ellis… Very fond memories of this

Oliver Leonard… I think they still exist do they not?

Mick O’Dowd… Port Vale 1. Coventry lost! Apologies to Spike Milligan!

Chris Pook… I used to do a ‘pools round’ in Ore Village in the eighties. Some people would do one line with the same numbers every week and others would stretch to 4 lines with random numbers. Nice little job once a week for about £3!

Captain C…. Used to do them back in the sixties on a coupon from a local bookies. Did them by post even though the bookies was less than a mile away. Incredibly my whole risk was just one shilling (5p). Years later I realised I shouldn’t have been doing them as I was under 16. Good job I never won anything!