19 Nov 2013

57. MAGAZINE SPOTLIGHT: THE GREEN

Magazine Spotlight #04
The Green Soccer Journal www.thegreensoccerjournal.com



When issue number one arrived back in late 2010, I was so excited – a well-done magazine that addressed lifestyle and design in the context of football, or soccer as they have chosen to call. Recognising the diversity of football fans (which you must remember is without a shadow of a doubt the biggest sport in the country) and that we are not all pub-philic, beer-loving, foul-mouthed hooligans, the magazine presents a modern, mature outlook on the hot sport for a design-conscious audience (and indeed created by design-conscious, well, designers). So it was my perfect magazine and I felt that I represented the perfect readership.

I've purchased the first four issues, each of which highlights a theme to explore and includes valuable, journalistic interviews with some of the biggest names in football and accompanied by beautifully shot photography of unique perspectives away from the matchday furore. And it's very interesting to read, perhaps another good example of nailing an appropriately niche subject and doing it attractively.

However, it's not all good, because the writing and language was rather average, yet the price continued to go up from an initial £4 for Issue One to £8 for Issue Four, before doubling the latter for its current 'revamped' issue Number Five. And that's a bit too much for me and I've refused to purchase it. My intrigue is still very much there, I still want to pick up a copy and spend time with it, but I just think the price hike is too high, and certainly given the quality of what it's been thus far (which I reiterate wasn't at all bad, but fair at 5 or 6 pounds). They claim the magazine has taken a new, progressed direction with higher quality printing and denser issues, but I remain unconvinced. A £16 publication can't make grammatical errors in its own About passage, come on now. (I've underlined the childish error.)

The Green Soccer Journal is a biannual magazine that takes an innovative, cultured and intelligent approach to the worlds most popular sport. The publication includes an eclectic mix of football culture and is built on a passion for the game, something which is shared by all of our contributors.

Displayed in a creative, visually stimulating format, we have worked with some of our favourite photographers, and writers to create a title that offers an alternative view on all things football.


I don't disagree with its cultured and intelligent approach (not sure what innovation it's describing) but the second paragraph is frankly boring, just telling us it's superficially pretty – something I firmly believe, whilst of course important, should fruit naturally from its content and aims rather than an independent consideration point.

To summarise, it's a good magazine and one I would have (and have had) no qualms with, had it not called for higher scrutiny with its new price point, for which I do not think it sufficiently delivers. Shame.

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