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August 2022 £5.99

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MAKING WINNERS SINCE 1923

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CONTENTS LETTER FROM THE CEO ��3 DEREK JOHNSTONE TALKS ABOUT RANGERS � ��4 MICHAEL OWEN BACKS 100 TH SEASON �� 12 IAN CALLAGHAN: LEGEND AND VETERAN AT THE POOLS � �� 14 MICHAEL OWEN SPENDS A DAY BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE POOLS �� 20 POOLS PRIVILEGES � �� 22 LIONESSES DUO TEAM UP TO LAUNCH EURO 2022 JACKPOT �� 24 MORE WINNERS THAN EVER! �� 26

PUBLISHER Hipkiss Media www.hipkissmedia.com

PHOTOGRAPHY John Hipkiss Matthew Carol Al Stirling Mathew Fisher

WHY CHANGES IS COMING TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE �� 32 LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 2022/23 PREMIER LEAGUE �� 34 100 YEARS OF THE FOOTBALL POOLS �� 38 FOOTBALL IN THE COMMUNITY – SILCOX VILLA �� 44 WELCOME TO OUR NEW PANELLISTS �� 46 RACHEL BROWN-FINNIS ON WOMEN’S FOOTBALL �� 50

The Football Pools Walton House 58 Charnock Road Liverpool L67 1AA 0151 525 3677 www.thepools.com/mag

THE FIFA WORLD CUP IN QATAR �� 54 WINNER OF THE ULTIMATE MILLIONAIRE EXPERIENCE! � �� 60 FOOTBALL IS HOME CONGRATULATIONS LIONESSES �� 64 LUCKY CLOVER STREAKS �� 68

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L e t t e r f r om the C EO

hank you for your dedicated support over the last 99 years – not many companies get to celebrate their centenary, so this upcoming year will be a celebration of our successes, as well as the adventures to come here at The Football Pools.

This year has presented many opportunities for memorable celebrations, not least the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee which was a wonderful experience, from community street parties to seeing the sweet interaction between Her Majesty and her greatgrandson Louis on the Buckingham Palace balcony. I’m sure you all have your own special moments to look forward to after the past years of lockdowns and restrictions. Being able to reunite and see family and friends again is certainly one of the best reasons to celebrate. With all the festivities and excitement, there is one thing at the forefront of most people’s minds: the rising cost of living. More and more businesses are having to increase their prices to cover their bills and we are very aware that you, our subscribers, are having to consider your own necessities as well. At The Football Pools, we are proud to guarantee that we won’t be raising our prices as we go into this new 2022/23 season. This isn’t the first turbulent time we’ve witnessed; over the past 99 years we have survived and thrived through World Wars, depressions, recessions, and more, however thanks to your dedicated support we are approaching our milestone 100th year in business. As always, we greatly value your continued loyalty and hopefully we will be making you a winner soon! Kind Regards

Derek Lloyd

August 2022

THE POOL MAGAZINE

FEATURE

DEREK JOHNSTONE TALKS ABOUT RANGERS by Harry George

ast season ended with heartbreak in Seville with that Europa League Final loss in Frankfurt. How did it feel to see Rangers again in a major European final?

Well, it was fantastic. I think most people know that in 1972 I was part of the Rangers team that won the European Cup

THE POOL MAGAZINE

August 2022

FEATURE In front of goal, we were too clever. We took the lead which was fantastic, and most times when we get a lead, we can hang onto that. But sadly, before half time, we made what for me was a defensive mistake and lost that goal to make it 1-1. In the second half both teams had their chances to win it. Frankfurt brought exactly half the ground and Rangers brought the other half so there was an even split of fans. The atmosphere was set up for a European final. The Rangers fans were so confident, but when it went into extra time then you could have tossed a coin to see who was going to win it, and with penalty kicks it’s a lottery. I don’t blame anyone for missing a penalty kick. If you’re brave enough to take one, certainly in a Europa League Final, then you know if you miss it, you could lose the final so I have a lot of respect for the players who said ‘I will take the penalty.’ I am sure Aaron Ramsey got brought on because the manager knew the game was going to go to penalty kicks and of course he was a good penalty taker, he’s missed very few in his time. Unfortunately, he missed this one. Before that, each and every one of those penalties were fantastic, the keeper never had a sniff. When Aaron missed his, it was a huge, huge disappointment.

Winners’ Cup. The Barcelona Bears – as we were called – were invited to Seville to watch the game and I thought it was great of the club to do that. We went over there full of high hopes I would say, as we played two major German clubs along the way, Borussia Dortmund who were second top of the league and we managed to get through there, and Frankfurt who finished in 11th place. I think everyone was on an overall high, confident but not over-confident, and Rangers certainly deserved to get there because we’d had some wonderful performances. On the day it’s always about the 90 minutes. When you play the two-legged affairs, you play home and away, but this was a one off and I just feel on the day that a few of the players let themselves down and didn’t play well. If we were going to win the cup, we had to have at least five or six players on top form playing well. On the day, it just didn’t happen. Whether that was because of the way Frankfurt played, I don’t know, because they worked their socks off and so did we.

I think from the point of view of the Barcelona Bears, we really wanted someone to take over our legacy. I mean, I was the youngest in the team and I’m 68 now! The majority of the players are in their 70s, and couple in their 80s, and I think some were thinking that hopefully there would be another Rangers side that won because we might not get another chance for another 20 years or so. The players were bitterly disappointed as well, especially because of some of the teams they had beaten along the way to get to the final. I don’t think Frankfurt were better than Dortmund, Red Star, or Leipzig, but on the day it’s all about nerves and can you handle it the pressure? I didn’t think Frankfurt played well, they were there to be beaten, but I don’t think Rangers came up to where they needed to be on the day. We all expected them to go at it for 90 minutes and get a result and that just didn’t happen. It’s not as though Rangers were played off the pitch by a better side, I don’t think that was the case at all. It was such an even game, and there was nothing in it. It was down to the quality of penalty kicks, and we didn’t come up to the mark as far as that was concerned.

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FEATURE I think Steven Gerrard came along and was fantastic for the club. He along brought in some quality players, because I don’t think a lot of players would have arrived at the club if he wasn’t the manger. I think he has a lot of respect which is one of the reasons Rangers brought him into Glasgow as he has a lot of pulling power as far as the players are concerned. He did a great job. He was there to win the league, and to stop 10 in a row I would say he did that convincingly. Rangers had their best season, I would say, in 30 or 40 years. They conceded fewer goals and had fewer defeats than they’d ever had, and they scored more goals than they had ever scored before. I think they won the league in the quickest time and by so many points. Domestically we didn’t play well enough last season and that was the problem. I feel that Stevie brought in a dozen players and it worked, so Gio knows exactly what he has to do. He’s taken a look at that Rangers side and knows what’s needed. You have to look at the players that we have lost too: Joe Aribo to Southampton, we got a couple of million for Cedric Itten so he’s the other striker he’s gone, Jake Hastie was a lad we’ve brought, and he’s now gone permanently. Leon Balogun was the centre half; he was tremendous and he played most of the games at centre back, but he’s now gone on a free transfer. Andy Firth, the goalkeeper, never got too many chances so it was expected that he would go. And of course, the man that inspired all the youngsters and certainly the young strikers, Jermaine Defoe, was excellent but he realised his time as up there as well. Is it similar to the Liverpool game against Real Madrid?

No, I don’t think so, Liverpool created so many chances but they were unfortunate that the goalkeeper had the game of his life. I’ve never seen so many fantastic saves. I was there for that game and Liverpool went there and played to win it. They were in top form and on another day, they could have been three up by half time because of the number of chances they had. But like I said, it’s all on the day and it can come down to a wee bit of luck. In front of the goal, you need that break and Liverpool didn’t get it. With Rangers, we never created enough chances to win the game so in the end there was disappointment for the two British sides.

He’s brought is Tom Lawrence, who we know from Derby Country, a good experience player, 28 years of age, a wide man and certainly something Rangers needed. John Souttar, the centre half, we signed from Hearts in January, but obviously we didn’t get him till the end of the season so he’s another new player. Antonio Colak, another striker, we got him for £2 million, he’s just in the door and I think he’ll help Morelos a lot. It’s always good to have somebody else there. When Morelos missed half of last season, on the last day of the last season there wasn’t anyone there to fill his boots. Looking at the final, we had to play Joe Aribo as centre forward when he’s a midfielder, but now with somebody who’s a proven goal scorer that will be a huge help.

One struggle last season for Rangers was losing their manager mid-season, with Steven Gerrard going to Villa. How do you feel Giovanni van Bronckhorst will continue that European push this season – how is he going to lay down his mark and take Rangers to that next level?

Nikola Katic, the centre half, is back from his loan with Hadjuk Split after a serious injury, and the young lad we have high hopes for is Rabbi Matondo, so now we’ve got a wee bit of strength. What we always look for at any club is the spine of the team, if that’s right then you can fill out

THE POOL MAGAZINE

August 2022

FEATURE wasn’t due to Rangers playing poorly, but to Celtic playing well. They hit the ground running and got the results. Defensively Celtic are still a little too clever and they’ll be having it fix that, but when you score three or four goals at the other end does it really matter? I think we’ve been stronger than we’ve been certainly over the past couple of years, and with the players that have been brought in, we’re looking for a really good season. I guess Rangers will want to hold onto Glen Camara especially as they lost Joe Aribo in that midfield. Is there anywhere in the team you see a couple of signings needed? You’ve mentioned having the depth and the spine, but do you feel your midfield options are a bit limited now with the departure of Aribo? We’ve got six or seven midfield players and I think one of the main three for me is Ryan Jack, who’s been outstanding. The problem is Ryan is injury prone a little bit, so there are likely to be times in the season, as we’ve seen in the last couple of seasons, where he’s out for a couple of months with either ankle injuries or knee injuries. I think John Lundstram, coming in has been an absolute brick wall. He’s a good tackler, he keeps hold of the ball, he’s scored a couple of goals and he looks the part. I don’t think we need any more playmakers there. the rest. We have two great goalkeepers - John McLaughlin, I think, will probably be the number one and Allen McGregor signed another contract for another year and a bit so we’re safe as far as goalkeepers are concerned. And now we’ve got four centre backs, Helander, Souttar, Balogun and Katic, so we’re solid there. In the centre of the pack, we’ve got John Lundstram and Ryan Jack, so we’re solid in the middle. Up front we’ve obviously got Colak and Moreles, so the spine of the team is great and when you add on the new lad Lawrence on the right, and most of all Tavernier and Bassey who was the man of the match in the Europa Cup Final, there is a solid side there. What the manager is looking for is competition. So, we’ve got 18–20 players which is fantastic, because you know there is a player for each position in that side, so if you don’t play well, you’ll find yourself out the team and on the bench. That’s what he’s looking for. I think the players he’s brought in so far are pretty solid looking, only time will tell if it’s going to pay off for him, but I think it’s a decent looking squad he’s got with him now. I’m certainly looking forward to Rangers having a better season in the league. We obviously want a challenge again, I think Celtic got their own way too much last season and that

I think he’s got a plethora of midfielders, as we do centre backs as well. People like Kelvin Bassey who was outstanding in Seville, Borna Barisic, the Croatian internationalist who’s a left back as well. We’ve got quality players and at least two players in each position each side, I think everyone is fit so it’s a very strong looking side. We’re never going to get anybody who stays fit for the whole of the nine months, you’re always going to get somebody with injuries and somebody is going to get suspended, you just have to make sure that the players you have in that squad are good enough and I think they are. It’s not as if someone has come in and is inexperienced. They have played games in front of 50,000 at Ibrox, 60,000 at Celtic Park, full houses at Aberdeen and Hearts. I’m happy at this moment in time with the squad he’s got, and I know we’re going to give Celtic a challenge next year, that’s for sure. If Rangers win the final Champions League qualifying round, you have a potential match against Benfica - do you think this Rangers team will be able to make the group stage for the first time in over a decade? Well, I do think so, but again it’s all about the form at the start of the season, how well they are playing. The players

August 2022

THE POOL MAGAZINE

FEATURE Do you think the league is hitting the level we saw in the late 90s early 00s again? I doubt it. The money is so rife, especially in English football, German football, Italian football. With Scottish football, there’s money in it but it’s not the same level of money every other country is getting, and you need money to get better players.

who played last year know exactly what it is all about – we’ve played a few quality sides, the likes of Dortmund, Leipzig and Red Star, they were all great sides. For us to go to Dortmund and beat them 4-2 on their own patch was absolutely incredible, but the one big huge asterisk is Erling Haarland. He was injured for Dortmund’s two games against Rangers, and he’s arguably the best centre forward in the world at the moment. He didn’t play in both games so that obviously gave us some help. But we know we can do it. We’ve been there, we’ve seen it and it’s early on in the season. This is where players need to get their form right from the first whistle in the season, no time for waiting four or five games to get yourself going and in form. If we’re playing games like Benfica in the early stages of our season, then we’ve got to be ready for that. I think that’s why Gio has got the games against West Ham, and good solid sides just to see where we are. I know they’re only preseason games, but I’m sure these English teams are desperate to get themselves on the map very quickly as we all are at the start of the season. They’re good testers and that will stand them in good stead for the European ties which come around quickly. We now know exactly what we have to do. We’ve done it before so why we shouldn’t do it again? The only reason Celtic are going straight into the Champions League is because of what Rangers have done in the last four or five years in Europe. Rangers have been doing well, getting to the last 16s, semi-finals and finals. All the points they’ve scored for that does mean one of the Scottish teams gets to benefit, and unfortunately for us last season we lost the league and Celtic won it so it’s going to them. No other Scottish club really does well in Europe, so it’s down to Rangers to qualify us, but this season Celtic aren’t too unhappy with that!

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August 2022

Yes I know you have to bring your own young players up and Rangers have done that, but there are times where you really need that extra bit of quality. When you’re talking about the Champions League you need five or six really quality players in your side and that costs money, and I don’t think the Old Firm have got that sort of money to bring players to Scotland. First of all, they don’t want to come to Scotland. They look at us as one of the smaller leagues in Europe and I don’t think we’ll ever get away from that. I think we’re punching above our weight when we do go to the Champions League because you’re playing all the top sides. When you get to the Champions League, everyone’s got to up their game. You look at the good sides and their defences are absolutely solid, giving nothing away, and that helps you certainly when you go away from home. Rangers have a good side as far as Scotland is concerned, and it’s probably the best time for Scottish football at this moment. There are more quality players playing in Scotland now, but it’s not the same quality that Liverpool have got or Manchester City, Chelsea or Spurs, we’re way behind clubs like that. Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and teams like that are all mega mega rich. That’s why I think Rangers and Celtic and similar don’t often win these things because they do have far better players than we have. You will get lucky sometimes, of course you will, but that’s as much as you can expect. I think obviously Rangers and Celtic fans want their teams to win, but deep down they know it’s going to be a struggle. Clubs like Ajax, where they have an academy that produces talent by the dozen, are are now becoming places for younger players to get experience with a high expectation of playing in big matches. Do you think, with the extra European spots, that could be a future for Rangers and Celtic, these young players who might not get game time for the likes of Liverpool and Man City? It’s already happening to a certain extent now. I was looking online the other day at the likes of Liverpool, Man United and Chelsea, they’ve got 10 or 12 young lads out now. If

FEATURE It was only 5 or 6 years ago that people said it wouldn’t happen, but how many now are earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a week now? It just keeps going up and up and I don’t know how you can justify it. Look at Pogba – Man United got him for nearly £90 million and three years later he leaves and they get no money back! Chelsea centre forward Lukaku £90 million, and he’s loaned back not even a year after it! With Rangers celebrating 150 years, what were your favourite moments in the different stages of your connection with the club – as a fan, a player, and club legend? you’re under 18 playing against lads your age you don’t really see anything in that. What you need to do is pit your wits against older players – you have to pay against the most experience players. If you’re going down the leagues to do that you’re learning a lot more than you will playing in your own league. I think if young kids can play against more experienced players, they’re going to learn a lot more. That’s why they loan all these youngsters out, to gain experience and to learn very quickly what the game is all about. Ajax, which you mentioned, I played against Ajax four times in Europe and what a side they had, it’s just fantastic. They beat us 3-1, and they won the European Cup in 71/72, and you’re right, they never brought players in. They were all home-based players, all Dutch players, and with this academy they’ve had for many years, they’re putting out these amazing kids and selling them for £20million, £30million and £40million. It’s down to the culture, you’ve got to have the talent and the youngsters to bring in, but it’s how you coach. 90% of the kids that go into these clubs make it and make it big, some of them make it really big. The Dutch players get brought up playing in a certain way – they concentrate all the time, and the coaches are at them and make them better players. We can still do that in Scotland and England, but they seem to have been able to do that for decades and you wonder if their coaching system is far better than anyone else’s. I know for a fact two Rangers managers went to Holland to watch how they coach - Jock Wallace and Willie Waddell went over to see how they do things, certainly at Ajax but also at other teams over there. They take best of the youngsters and they bring them on. Teams are going to have to do that now when you look at paying £60million for a right back and £50million for a goalkeeper – you’re going to run out of money sooner than later.

I was never a Rangers fan growing up. I was born in Dundee, 90 miles from Glasgow. I was down at Aston Villa, Arsenal, and Preston as a boy – they all wanted to sign me. I come from a large family, I’ve got six brothers, we were used to each other’s company and I didn’t want to be away from home – especially down in England! Celtic even went for me, Dundee United my hometown team, and Rangers came in. I enjoyed what Rangers said to me in the house, and everything about them. They were going through a bad period then. Celtic were in the first round of nine in a row, so Rangers were really Toyland and trying to bring in their own kids. Eventually I signed on for Rangers and within a couple of months of being at the club I suddenly became a Rangers fan. It’s not just the size of the club and the fan base they’ve got, it’s everything to do with them. Even to this day I’m still a Rangers fan and will be for the rest of my life. I was fortunate I got a break very early at 16. I made my debut against Cowdenbeath of all teams, which were at the top at that time. Rangers weren’t playing that well, so Willy Waddell, the manager at the time, decided to give a chance and I was the one he gave the chance to at centre forward. We beat them 5-0 that day at Ibrox and I managed to score twice which was great – scoring two goals on your debut as a kiddie! That was fantastic and will always be remembered by me. I know I’ve played the European finals and everything else, but to play your first game as a senior, on your home ground, and score a goal! I can remember more about that game than I can about the actual cup final believe it or not, and I scored the winner! The month after that we played the cup final against Celtic. Now Celtic were winning everything and nobody fancied the Rangers at all, so he stuck me in again and I managed to score after 41 minutes with a header. We won that game 1-0 and 106,000 were in the ground that day, it was absolutely phenomenal, the atmosphere and everything I absolutely

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THE POOL MAGAZINE

FEATURE mark Uli Hoeness, the German international player, because he was the big play maker. I marked him out in Germany, and I did in it Ibrox. I enjoyed all three positions and that’s what gets me nowadays with the youngsters, they say ‘I’m a centre midfield’ and the manger might say ‘will you play right midfield? and they say ‘no, I can’t, I’m a centre mid.’ Just go out and play! The manger picks you because he knows you can go out and do a job. He just wants to play the game and that was the reason I tried all three positions. It gave me three chances to get into a game. If it wasn’t doing well enough up front, and at the back somebody’s injured, then if that’s the case I can play midfield. I enjoyed all three – midfield was a lot tougher especially when it was a man marking job. For me the most viable position was centre half because the game was in front of you at all times so you could see what was going on and being a centre forward too you know the tricks.

loved it. It was something just being there, on the pitch, but to actually score a winning goal against your biggest ever rival, that will never ever be forgotten so that obviously was an important moment. And, of course, 50 years ago the Cup Winners’ Cup in ‘72 in Barcelona against Dynamo Moscow., to win that again, and be in the squad was great but to be told the day before I was playing was absolutely phenomenal. The difference was when I made my debut I was a centre forward, in the cup final I played centre half. Ronnie McKinnon had broken his leg early on in the tournament and Colin Jackson, the two main stay centre halves, both of them done. To win that final 3-2 was fantastic. We were the first Rangers team to win a European trophy, and still to this day to be the only Rangers team to win a European trophy is something a bit special. You mentioned you are a versatile player, which position was your favourite? I played nearly 50 times in midfield as well. In the semi-final against Bayern Munich, I played midfield. My job was to

THE POOL MAGAZINE

August 2022

I was good in the air. In those days, in the 70s, normally the goalkeeper would get the ball and just lump it down the field. Your job as a centre half was to win that ball and 99 times out of 100, I would win it, that was the important thing in those days. We must have been one of the first teams in Scotland that played out the back. Smith was a sweeper, and he would find the ball and run up the park with it. A lot of sweepers nowadays don’t get out of the 18-yard box. He used to go forward and make great passes and go back again. The two of us loved the ball at our feet. We didn’t kick it up the park as much. You learn an awful playing centre half and that helped me at midfield and playing up front as well. Make a 5 aside team of Rangers past and present players I was debating on doing 5 forward players, but that’s an insult to goalkeepers, so my picks are: Goal: Peter McCloy 6ft4, great lad, great shot stopper 2 defenders: Richard Goff, Ronnie McKinnon 2 up front: Ally McCoist, Brian Laudrup

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FEATURE

MICHAEL OWEN BACKS 100 t h SEASON By Paul Knowles

he Football Pools is preparing to celebrate its 100th season in the top flight of football betting by giving away 10,000 games.

Players can test their knowledge of team form and have the chance to join the elite club of Pools millionaires for free!

THE POOL MAGAZINE

August 2022

FEATURE career at Anfield, netting 158 goals for the Reds, and when he made a decade of goalscoring appearances for England. He’s also a keen supporter of The Football Pools, as one of three new members on the Pools Panel. Michael said he was looking forward to helping fans use their passion for the game to become Pools prize winners. “The Football Pools is an institution in this country that generations have grown up with,” he said.

If they use their skill and judgement to correctly predict score draws, they could walk away with one of The Football Pools big cash prizes – including a top weekly jackpot of £3million. With the 2022/23 season marking the start of a historic century, The Football Pools has made a new signing to help kick off its celebrations. Former England, Liverpool and Manchester United star Michael Owen will be the face of the new season Classic Pools coupon 10,000 free game giveaway. The record-breaking striker turned pundit knows all about the power of 10 – he wore the lucky number throughout his

“It’s an incredible achievement to be reaching its 100th season and by giving away these 10,000 games, hopefully it will be an opportunity for lots of people to play for free and make it a really memorable one. We might even get players who win life-changing prizes which would be amazing.” Derek Lloyd CEO of The Football Pools, said the 10,000 free game giveaway was a way to share the anniversary celebrations with players who’ve been loyal over the years, and introduce new ones to a British tradition. “We know how much people love the Pools, matchdays wouldn’t be the same without it for lots of players and families, so as we go into what is a landmark year for our company we want them to have this game on us – and we hope to be handing over some of our famous Pools cheques to them soon!”

Play for Free starts on 25/07/2022 and finishes on 06/08/2022. Full terms and conditions available on www.thefootballpools.com

August 2022

THE POOL MAGAZINE

FEATURE

IAN CALLAGHAN: LEGEND AND VETERAN AT THE POOLS By Paul Knowles

THE POOL MAGAZINE

August 2022

iverpool FC legend Ian Callaghan made an incredible 857 appearances for the Anfield club, a total unlikely to ever be beaten. In an 18-year spell with the Reds, Callaghan won every principal honour and was also part of England’s 1966 World Cup winning squad.

FEATURE

Callaghan joined Liverpool as an apprentice in 1960, making his debut in a 4-0 win against Bristol Rovers on 16th April that year. As a right winger, Callaghan quickly established himself in the first team, playing an important role as the club won the Second Division title in 1962. Following promotion, it took Liverpool just two seasons to capture the First Division title, finishing four points clear of Manchester United in 1963-64. This was the first of five for Callaghan whilst with the club. The following season, Liverpool won the FA Cup, beating Leeds United 2-1 in the final at Wembley. Having taken the lead in extra time and then being quickly pegged back, Callaghan’s cross for Ian St John’s winner ensured a first FA Cup triumph for Liverpool. Ian Callaghan playing in the Liverpool v Everton FA Cup semi-final 1971

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FEATURE Another First Division title came arrived in 1965-66 but this time a runners-up medal in a cup final, as Liverpool lost 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Although Callaghan’s England caps were small in number, he had an interesting international career nonetheless. Having been picked by Alf Ramsey in his squad of 22 for the forthcoming World Cup, Callaghan made his debut versus Finland on 26 June 1966. His second cap came in England’s third group game at the tournament, a 2-0 win against France. Although he didn’t play again, Callaghan can be proud that he was one of only four to appear in the competition for England, outside of the final winning eleven. Remarkably, Callaghan’s third and fourth caps did not arrive until the 1976-77 season, a gap of more than 11 years. He was the final member of the 1966 squad to appear for England.

By the early 1970s, Callaghan had moved into central midfield. Further success came in 1972-73, with a third Division One title and a UEFA Cup Final win against Borussia Monchengladbach. A second FA Cup arrived the following season, as did some personal accolades. Callaghan was named Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year and was awarded the MBE for services to football. In 1975-76, Callaghan was part of a team that achieved a league and UEFA Cup double, his fourth and second respectively. The league was particularly tight that season with victory only coming in the closing minutes of the final match away at Wolves. Callaghan’s crowning glory came in one of his final seasons at the club, 1976-77. After a fifth league title had been achieved, Liverpool met Monchengladbach again in the club’s first ever European Cup Final. A 3-1 victory ensured that Callaghan would add one more significant medal to his already impressive collection. The cup was retained the following year, with Callaghan a non-playing substitute. After leaving Liverpool in 1978, Callaghan went on to play for Swansea City and had loan spells overseas in the US and Australia. His final professional appearance was for Crewe Alexandra away at Halifax Town on 20 March 1982. A multitude of club honours, a record number of appearances and a World Cup to boot, Callaghan was one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history. Clubs: Liverpool, Swansea City, Crewe Alexandra Honours: 1 World Cup, 5 Division One Championships, 2 FA Cups, 2 European Cups, 2 UEFA Cups Caps: 4

Ian Callaghan in August 1967

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August 2022

Irish Lotto betting from

The Pools

Guaranteed £65k pay-out for Pick 5 Match 5 I’m definitely having a holiday now, maybe a Mediterranean cruise!

Mrs Jones

Wonderful news. I’ve not long started playing again, so what a great welcome back!

Mr Hewlett

I’m stunned. It’s just amazing, your call has made my day!

Mr Rouse

CMY

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MICHAEL OWEN SPENDS A DAY BEHIND THE SCENES AT T HE POOLS By Paul Knowles

THE POOL MAGAZINE

hen Michael Owen visited The Pools head office in Liverpool, we put him straight to work!

The first department Michael spent time in our inbound call centre, a close knit, personal, and friendly team that presents The Pools to all our customers. He was

August 2022

FEATURE Next Michael was sent to our Winners Department to call some of our lucky winners. For them, it was hard to tell what was more exciting – winning thousands of pounds or realising it was Michael Owen on the line breaking the good news! Look out for Michael making more appearances on The Pools team - you never know, he might be calling you with your winnings next!

paired up with Customer Service Advisor Chris and assisted unsuspecting players with their account queries. While being part of The Pools Panel means Michael can’t help picking score draws, he did have plenty of advice for our callers.

August 2022

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POOLS PRIVILEGES By Jane Wade

ools Privileges is the loyalty programme we’ve created to say thank you to our players! We know that the reason you place our games is to WIN… So, what better way to say thanks than to give you many more chances to do just that!

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August 2022

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Each month we give players extra opportunities to win with our FREE competitions prize draws, and exclusive voucher giveaway - Creating winners is what we do best and every single month we give away hundreds of pounds worth of shopping vouchers to some of the top high street retailers... and the best part is, you do not have to do ANYTHING! The way it works: As a Pools Privileges member with an online account, you will be automatically entered into the

prize draw. We will contact you when you win and arrange for your vouchers to be sent out in the post. Do not miss your Privileges! STEP 1: Create an online account if you have not already. If you would like to manage your account online email help@ footballpools.com and request your personalised URL to get you started safely. STEP 2: opt in to receive emails and promotions from us - as this is how we will keep you updated on the latest competitions and contact you when you win! get email updates of the latest competitions and draws by agreeing to marketing emails Every month we will email you with the latest competitions Prize draws and giveaways then contact you when you win. There are also other great benefits to managing your entry online: 1. Its Free 2. You can change your selections whenever you want 3. You can check your results

August 2022

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LIONESSES DUO TEAM UP TO LAUNCH EURO 2022 JACKPOT By Paul Knowles

he Pools has launched its first ever game focused on women’s football to celebrate the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship.

With the in form Lionesses flying the flag for England, The Pools is giving fans a chance to test their knowledge of the women’s game and win big with the freeto-enter Footie 5 game.

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August 2022

There’s a £25,000 jackpot to win – all players have to do to be in with a chance of netting a top cash prize is correctly predict the scores from five Euros fixtures. Fans can use a unique fixture swap feature to personalise their Footie 5 selection and increase their chances of winning, and if they’re really confident they can go head-tohead with some of the biggest names in women’s football to try and Beat the Pundit.

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They can even set up their own league with friends to compete against each other and discover who’s the smartest score predictor!

Kelly added: “It’s such an exciting time for women’s football, England have a fantastic squad of players, probably the best squad I’ve ever seen, and I can’t wait to watch them perform.

The new Footie 5 game will be the first time in The Pools’ 100year history that women’s football has been in the spotlight.

“Obviously the game has developed from when I first started playing to where it is now, over the past few years it’s become far more visible, so it’s absolutely brilliant to have The Pools on board.”

Ex-England goalkeeper, now a pundit and Pools Panel expert, Rachel Brown-Finnis and her former national teammate, striker Kelly Smith, are both cheering on the Lionesses as they bid to become Euro champions. They say women’s football being teamed up with The Pools is another major milestone for the game – and a chance for experts, like them, to show what they know. “The Pools is synonymous with football, and I remember watching and waiting every Saturday afternoon to see if I could get the score draws,” said Rachel. “Now women’s football is on the radar, there’s a Pools game around the Women’s Euros and Footie 5 is so easy to win. With such a big jackpot, it’s a great way for women’s football fans to get involved.”

Lee Pinnington, Chief Marketing Officer at The Pools said: “What better way to support the Women’s Euros than by giving our players the opportunity to predict the scores and have the chance of winning the £25,000 Footie 5 jackpot prize. “This is shaping up to be such an amazing tournament, so we’re delighted to be playing our part in that and adding to the excitement for the fans.”

https://footie5.com/predict

August 2022

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MORE WINNERS THAN EVER! By Paul Knowles

W 26

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August 2022

ith over 14,000 winners of The Pools every year we have a fantastic job delivering often life-changing news to men and women of all ages all over the country.

REGULAR Most of the time people are in shock when they hear the news they’ve won, and sometimes they actually hang up thinking it’s a wind-up. They quickly call back when they realise it’s for real!

Mr Pink, who has been picking his favourite numbers on his coupon every week for 17 years, couldn’t believe it when he took a call from the Football Pools to reveal the amount.

There are so many stories to share but here are a few of our most recent winners’ stories that really stood out.

Because the successful line wasn’t one of his own pair, it was a free one given to loyal players, he didn’t even realise he’d won.

If you want to read more head over to www.footballpools. com/winners where you will find the top 60 most recent winners’ stories and videos.

“I honestly thought it must be a joke,” he said. “It really didn’t sink in properly until the big cheque arrived with my name on!”

Mr Gerald Vince, (Coventry) £65,000

Everton striker Richarlison’s dramatic 92nd minute equalizer at Goodison Park in the midweek match against the Foxes wasn’t his only piece of goal-den good fortune. His selections from the Premier League’s Easter Monday fixtures also included the Reading v Swansea match, meaning his chances of winning were looking very slim when Swansea raced into a 4-1 lead. But the Royals roared back and secured an improbable 4-4 draw, putting his allimportant score draw streak back on track.

Mr Pink, (Surrey) £167,417,46

Mr Pink’s massive win was the second six-figure prize paid out on Classic Pools in April, following on from Lee Edwards from Norfolk, who scooped £296,000 at the beginning of the month. After losing his wife Kathleen in May last year, Mr Pink says he now intends to treat the rest of their family with his surprise windfall. He’s already making plans to share it with his daughter and two sons, and his eight grandchildren.

Mr Brian Pink from Surrey became our second big Classic Pools winner in April, securing a massive £167,000 – not bad for a £1 bet!

“This is fantastic, it’s an absolutely life-changing amount and obviously I would have loved my wife to have been here to witness it,” he added. “But now I’m just really looking forward to sharing it with the rest of my family. I can’t wait to spoil them.” Lee Edwards, (Norfolk) £296,000.05

Surrey pensioner Brian Pink has netted a huge win of more than £167,000 on the Football Pools thanks to a last gasp Premier League equalizer from Everton. When the Blues boosted their own relegation battle fortunes with a stoppage time goal from Richarlison against Leicester City, they changed Mr Pink’s in a big way too. Everton’s 1-1 draw with Leicester gave him eight score draws on the Classic Pools and, as the only player to correctly predict the lucky 8, he scooped £167,417.46 in return for his £1 bet.

“I can’t believe I won the rollover on The Football Pools”

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REGULAR Philip Pollard £65,000

“I was planning to go to Burma but then Covid happened, my daughter had to come back from China where she’d been studying and she decided to do a masters here, so I thought I couldn’t go because I’d have to stay to support her. “Winning this money means there’s nothing stopping me. Hopefully I can go somewhere for at least 12 months, maybe 18 months, because it’s given me that extra security blanket to go and do it without having to worry.” Nina has lived and taught in Hull since moving to the city from Manchester for her first job 26 years ago. A single parent to daughter Dervla, now 24, she began experiencing health problems not long after her 30th birthday. “I’d had some very strange symptoms, tingling in my face, I lost the feeling in my eye, I kept losing my balance and I was really tired all the time,” she explains. “My mum and a lot of people who knew me thought I had MS because I was sleeping so much.

Nina Curran, (Hull) £65,001

“I’d had neuralgia diagnosed when I was 18 and when the tingling spread down my face and started getting worse my GP wrote repeatedly to neurologists because he was so concerned about me.” After two years of perseverance, Nina was finally given a brain scan and the results revealed a large benign tumour.

“When I won I thought I’d pay off my mortgage, but then I thought no! I will use it to do something I have always wanted to do which is to work with voluntary services over seas” A Hull teacher who survived two brain tumours is about to fulfil her lifelong dream to work with children in a developing country after scooping £65,000 on the Irish Lottery. Nina Curran started playing the Lucky Clover game after a second brain surgery in July 2019. Now, after matching five numbers, the 48-year-old plans use her windfall to take at least a year off from teaching in Hull to join one of the Voluntary Service Organisation’s education programmes.

“I was told it was the size of a satsuma and they booked me in three days later to have surgery,” she recalls. “I was asked if I’d written a will because they couldn’t guarantee I’d make it through the operation. I’d not long turned 30 and my daughter had just turned 7, so it was a very frightening time.” Surgeons at Hull Royal Infirmary managed to remove the tumour and she was able to return to teaching, moving on to deputy and head teacher roles. When similar symptoms returned just over two years ago, and a scan showed the tumour had grown back, a second operation was also a success. It was while she was recovering from her second surgery that Nina signed up to play the Football Pools and its Lucky Clover game.

She says the win has given her the chance to pursue an ambition she’s had since starting her career: to give youngsters in some of the world’s poorest countries access to learning.

“At the time my daughter was studying in China and I was stuck at home not being able to do anything so I thought, I’ve got nothing to lose and it would be nice if I actually won something,” she says.

“VSO is something I’ve always wanted to do, I remember when I was 26 looking into it and speaking to them,” she explains.

Nina took out a monthly subscription and in August this year got her first win.

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August 2022

REGULAR “I got a message saying ‘congratulations, you’ve won on Lucky Clover - you’ve won £1.50’,” she laughs.

Mr P Blazier (London) £2,153

“But that turned out to be just the warm-up because on September 16 I got another message and this time it said I’d won £65,000! “I’d only just turned my phone on because I’d been at work all day, so I went on the site to double check it wasn’t a mistake. I phoned up to confirm because I felt like I wanted to know it was true before I got too excited. “They rang me about 30 minutes later and said ‘yes, it’s true’.” Nina initially thought about buying a new car with her winnings, but soon realised her dream of teaching with the VSO meant more to her. “I looked at several, but then I thought I can live with my old car, I really want to go away,” she says. “I need to go and live my life and do something I’ve always wanted to do, and this is the money that allows me to do that.

“What a brilliant surprise! Thank you so much The Football Pools” Mr J Green, (Buckinghamshire) £5,958.71

“Having the two brain tumours definitely changed my perspective and when my daughter was away, she travelled all over and I thought I’ve never been to half the countries she’s been to, I haven’t seen as much of the world as I’d love to. “I’ve always wanted to do VSO and go out and give that bit more in places in the world where they’re not as lucky as we are here. That’s always been my motive in teaching, to give children the opportunities that they deserve because life is about opportunities.”

Thank you, Football Pools, this is amazing. This is going to just go on a holiday, everything!”

Mrs Burnett (Lanarkshire) £8047

Mr Ashworth, £105,148

“I got a text through from The Football Pools, but I just ignored it. When I checked my bank account, it was there! £8000 I’m so happy! Thank you everybody”

“So pleased, thank you The Football Pools!” To see all our winners, go to www.footballpools.com/winners

August 2022

THE POOL MAGAZINE

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WHY CHANGE IS COMING TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE By Reggie Owens

THE POOL MAGAZINE

August 2022

he winter break in the English Premier League is a bit special this year. Firstly, there is going to be one, and secondly, this is because we are having a World Cup in December. And not just any old World Cup, this is one in one of the hottest, most inhospitable places on Earth. Even though the games

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themselves will be played in giant, newly-built and airconditioned stadiums, the impact on the players who are taking part will be significant. What will this do to the league? The EPL is the greatest footballing league in the world, and attracts the world’s best players. Looking at the top teams, almost all players will be heading over to Qatar at the end of November. Playing for your country in a World Cup is a massive honour, and no player is going to be risking their place in the tournament. This creates and interesting dynamic in the second half of October and all of November. Saturday, 15th October has ten games, involving almost all of the teams in the league. This is the first of the weeks that the smaller teams will be looking to push hard on the top teams. The top game of the weekend is Liverpool versus Manchester City at Anfield. The expectation is that this is not going to be a classic game as the players will be starting to get into the World Cup preparation. While City and Liverpool can’t help but score, the prediction is for them to share the points with a brace each. On the flip side there will be Fulham against Bournemouth at Craven Cottage. Both teams are newly promoted, and by now will have quite a few games under their collective belts. These teams know each other, and they have ambition. Bournemouth’s manager is Scott Parker, who was the manager for Fulham in 2019, their last season in the Premiership. The team hasn’t spent big so far in the transfer window. They rely heavily on one up top, with Dominic Solanke earning his shot at a full Premier League season as a starter and Kieffer Moore as a great Plan B, particularly away from home. They have lost a number of top players from last season. Loanees Nat Philips and Freddy Woodman have returned to their parent clubs while Gary Carhill, Leif Davis and Todd Cantwell have all been dropped from the line-up. The latter three all played a part in the promotion season last year. Fulham have had their share of players leaving. The biggest was, of course, Jean Michael Seri, who was signed in

2018 from Nice for £30million, a club record. He is now leaving for nothing. Fulham have let another 13 players go, including big ticket players such as Alfie Mawson. He also joined on 2018 from Swansea for £20million. Alfie struggled for games, making just 44 appearances. At this point of the season, and with the top team players being careful regarding injuries, expect this game to be a ding-dong match, and the start of a six-week streak of high-pressure football. Both Fulham and Bournemouth will be looking for at least 15 points over end of October and November. Another team who will be looking to make hay in November will be Leeds. They have games against Leicester, Fulham and Bournemouth which should be tough but winnable, and big games against Liverpool, Spurs and Man City. All three of those teams will have players who are playing in the World Cup and will be second-thinking how they play. This is a perfect time for Leeds to take some surprise scalps. Leeds changed their head coach last year from the mercurial talisman that is Marcelo Bielsa to Jesse Marsch. Jesse is an American, but let’s not hold that against him! He is bright, fresh and very intelligent. He has introduced a more interesting, adventurous form of football that is built upon the stubborn bedrock created by Bielsa. Biesla ran the players ragged with his high intensity football that required peak physical condition and full commitment which Leeds struggled with last season. Jesse earned plaudits at Red Bull Salzburg but then failed at the sister club Red Bull Leipzig. Jesse has won some fans over after securing Premier League safety, but his job is to now improve the squad whilst winning the fans over who are still mourning the loss of club legend Bielsa. The smart money is for Leeds to pick up points against at least two of the big three clubs, giving them a very useful 14-18 points in the run up to the winter break. Overall, the pre-World Cup period in the EPL is shaping up to be a very exciting six weeks and will set the stage for an outstanding start to the New Year.

August 2022

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LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 2022/23 PREMIER LEAGUE By Reggie Owens

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August 2022

he 2022/23 English Premier League season is going to be a bit odd. Starting early, on Friday, 5th August, it will break after the games on 12th November for the World Cup in Qatar. Once over, there is a mini new season starting on a mega Boxing Day special. Plenty of juicy football to help digest all that turkey!

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The opener for the season is Crystal Palace versus Arsenal. Patrick Vieira, one of the new breed of coaches, was one of the great midfielders of the 90s, playing for his beloved Arsenal under the great Arsène Wenger. The faithful of Arsenal still hold Patrick in high regard and fondness, but the defeats his team inflicted on their team last season still hurt. Arsenal will most definitely be entering this game and the season bearing a grudge. Arsenal had a mini renaissance at the end of last season, so they are tipped for a win.

have lost two key players in Bryce Samba and Djed Spence. Samba left as a free agent rejecting a contract and Spence was on loan from Middlesbrough and is likely to go to Spurs. To replace Samba, Forest are signing Dean Henderson on loan

The season launches into full flight the next day on the 6th. There are seven games, the pick being Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park. The Toffees only escaped by the skin of their teeth last season, taking their relegation fight down to the wire. Their manager, Frank Lampard, is another of the new generation of coaches, moving up from being a top player of the noughties. One could say Lampard’s style of midfield was the Ying to Vieira’s Yang with Patrick being a midfield stalwart and Lampard bringing the new era of midfielders becoming goalscoring threats. Lampard, of course, was a hero of Chelsea but he definitely has something to prove this season. Everton have been through eight managers in as many years, and there is only so much their fanatical fans can take. The other stand-out game of the first Saturday is Newcastle versus Nottingham Forest. Both clubs have a big history, with newly-promoted Forest being twice winners of the European Cup. Of course, it’s been a long time since those glory days, mostly spent languishing in lower leagues. Forest

August 2022

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from United, Spence is much harder to replace as he ran the game from right back, Trent-style. Newcastle, on the other hand, pulled off an amazing second half of the season last year, being the only club ever to come back from just one win in the first 20 games to 12 wins in the second 20 games. They are the first team to survive after not winning any of their first 14 games. This coincided with the appointment of Eddie Howe as coach and the purchase of the club by big-money Saudis. To be fair, they have managed the 2021/22 winter and this summer’s transfer windows well, not splurging money on dubious, big-name signings. Eddie Howe was a massive presence at Bournemouth, and really should have won Manager of the Year for what he has done at Newcastle. I’m tipping them for a top 7 finish this year. Another new team starting with a baptism of fire is Fulham in facing Liverpool. Fortunately, they will be at home, so the Craven Cottage faithful will be providing much encouragement. For Fulham the question is can Mitrovic carry on his record-breaking form of 43 championship goals into the Premier League where he has formerly struggle? Also, can Fulham secure the permanent signing of Neco Williams after Liverpool confirmed Calvin Ramsey’s signing?

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August 2022

When Neco went on loan to Fulham he revitalised their attack and improved his overall game. With a Wales World Cup campaign coming up he’ll want to get regular game time to secure his spot in the first 11. The weekend rounds off with two games on the Sunday, both Manchester teams being in action. Manchester City and their arch-rivals Liverpool both play London teams on the first week. While both teams should win, City, on paper, has the more difficult challenge with West Ham. United, on the other hand, are a mess, a team in a downward spiral since the loss of their genius manager Sir Alex Ferguson. A new manager this season, Erik ten Hag, is expected to ring the changes on a team filled with ageing individuals with questionable levels of fitness. Of course, ten Hag doesn’t have the truly stellar career of a José Mourinho, who failed spectacularly at United just a few seasons ago. United face Brighton, who finished ninth in the league last year. The first weekend of games looks good for setting the teams up for the season. Coming out, the expectation is that we should have Manchester City and Liverpool on top, followed by Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal making up the top five.

18+. UK Only. Full terms and conditions apply

FEATURE

100 YEARS OF THE FOOTBALL POOLS By Paul Knowles

n 2023, The Football Pools will be celebrating its 100th birthday. There is a whirlwind of events planned to accommodate such an iconic date which only a handful of mark companies have achieved.

The first thank you, as nod of appreciation, goes to our loyal customers. A century for our game is a family tradition to yours. The enduring support of players, syndicates, and

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groups has taken our company from a local triumph to a national legacy.

1930s - War support: the war years brought major change for the Pools.

1923 - Game Begins

The war years brought huge transformation. Within days, hours, weeks of the start of World War 2 the Government’s censorship department moved into the new Littlewoods Pools building in Edge Lane, Liverpool. The coupon printers switched to printing 17 million call-up papers for the armed services and Pools employees started cutting, sewing, rigging, and packing parachutes. Within three months, the first 20,000 parachutes were delivered to the Air Ministry and by the summer of 1940 Littlewoods had been turned into a 24-hours-a-day parachute-making operation.

In a small office in Liverpool, The Football Pools was born (Littlewoods Football Pools as it was originally called). Three friends each invested £50 of their own money, printed the very first 4,000 coupons and distributed these outside Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground. But it was the entrepreneurial flair of one, John Moores, which determined the venture’s evolution into the biggest football pools business the world has ever seen. At its height, up to 14 million people played the Pools every week, staking more than £50 million.

August 2022

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1940s - Doom and boom It survived the Depression, the Blitz, paper rationing, court cases and government taxes. Nothing could halt the rise and rise of Littlewoods Pools. The company opened offices in Glasgow and Cardiff to cope with the flood of new Pools players, but it was on Merseyside where Littlewoods had made its home – and it was here that it also made a significant contribution to the city’s economic and social survival. 1950s and 1960s - Computer Age pioneers Images of hundreds of women working in neat rows of desks to check every coupon are synonymous with the Pools and by the early 50s more than 10,000 staff were checking up to five million coupons weekly. It’s no wonder

THE POOL MAGAZINE

August 2022

the Pools was a pioneer in the technology age, designing and commissioning the first high speed optical scanners for its checking centres in 1961 and then in 1966 being one of the first businesses in the UK to install an IBM 360 system. A year later, Littlewoods became the first company in the UK to install an optical character reading machine that allowed client coupons to be identified through a special code printed on each envelope. 1970s and 1980s - Millionaire maker Publicity was at its height throughout the next decades as new players were encouraged by photographs in the papers of punters with their big cheques. An A-to-Z of stars of the stage and screen announced jackpot winners. Hollywood hero Tyrone Power, screen goddess Joan Collins and the

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legendary Bob Hope were all on hand as the cameras rolled, the flashguns popped, and another life changed forever. Over the years, more than 60 million people have been congratulated by the Pools, with thousands enjoying lifechanging financial success through the correct placement of the traditional ‘x’! 1990s - Football Trust No company has supported football more – or for longer. For decades proceeds from the Pools put millions of pounds into football at all levels and helped improve safety at football grounds via the Football Trust. During the 1990s £240 million was pledged by the Pools alone, with a focus on installing all-seater football stadia following the

Hillsborough tragedy. Many of the magnificent new football grounds we see around Britain today were part-funded by the Football Trust. 2000s – Sportech and Zetters In 2000 Littlewoods sold The Football Pools to Sportech – who helped bring The Pools back into the forefront by uniting the internet and coupon players with an increased jackpot win of £2M. The Football Pools also went on to purchase fellow northern Pools company Zetters in 2002 and launched The New Football Pools. This helped stabilize the company and secure a new future. In 2017, OpCapita bought The Football Pools.

August 2022

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2010s – New Games With new management came a new era. A series of new online-based gambling games were introduced, as well as Lucky Clover, the Irish Lottery betting game with a £65,000 jackpot available weekly. 2020s – 100 years of The Football Pools For nearly 100 years, playing The Football Pools has been a tradition for generations of families. So many remember their Nan or Grandad, Mum, or Dad, waiting for the Saturday teatime scores, clutching their coupons and marking off their score draws, hoping to win big.

THE POOL MAGAZINE

August 2022

The Football Pools has paid out billions of pounds to lucky players regardless of whether they were a football fanatic with a statistical mind or a ‘play-for-the-fun-of-it’ kind. The old paper coupons have now been joined by online games, but one thing has stayed the same… we’re still making winners and changing lives every single week. Celebrations are going to be held in Liverpool. There will be new records set for the first indoor game of football in a church. The star-studded event will feature legendary footballers, such as Pools Panellists Michael Owen, Rachel Brown-Finnis, Derek Johnstone, and Ian Callaghan, as well as employees of The Pools, and dedicated players.

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FOOTBALL IN THE COMMUNITY – SILCOX VILLA By Paul Knowles

n underdog Merseyside Under 14s football team managed to go unbeaten to the national final in its first year in the Junior Premier League.

And it had support from an icon of the game, The Football Pools, which funded free travel to the match for all the players. 44

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August 2022

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“It helped us in allowing all the playing squad to travel for free which was a welcome relief as the cost of the transport was a worry and obviously it would have been an extra expense for the families which we really wanted to avoid.” Silcox Villa Under 14s only made the move into the Nerf JPL at the start of this season after being undefeated for three years in the Hightown League. “We warned the lads that they should expect to lose at this level because most of the other teams are linked to top-end non-league clubs and a lot of the players have been at clubs previously and gone through the Academy system,” said Stephen. Silcox Villa Under 14s, which is based in Litherland, was undefeated in eight out of eight North West division games, and in the Nerf JPL quarter-finals and semi-finals, despite facing opposition from much bigger clubs. The team – which doesn’t have a permanent home pitch – then made its next giant step up when it faced Bromley FC from Kent in the 4,000-capacity £4million ground of Gloucester AFC. Manager and coach Stephen Boardman from Waterloo said the lads exceeded all expectations and he was delighted that their efforts in getting to the final had been rewarded. He said: “We’ve been amazed at how well the boys have done in reaching this stage of what is a high-class junior football competition, and even more amazed by The Football Pools’ generosity in making a donation towards our transport.

“But then we kept on winning and in the semi-final we beat Team 780 from Scunthorpe, which has links to Sheffield Wednesday, 8-1 which was the best we’ve played all year.” The majority of Silcox Villa Under 14s team come from north Liverpool - from Bootle, Waterloo, Crosby and Maghull – and Stephen says they’re a close-knit squad. “I’ve had two players since they were seven, including my own son, and about eight of them have been with me since Under 10s. They go to about eight different schools, but they’re a really tight group when it comes to the football. “At no stage did we think we would advance to the national pathway and then continue by progressing to the national final so as far as I was concerned they did themselves proud just getting to the final. We’re just really grateful to the Football Pools for supporting us.”

August 2022

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WELCOME TO OUR NEW PANELLISTS By Paul Knowles

ew Pools Panel members are joining the existing panel.

Michael Owen, ranked as one of England and Liverpool FC’s greatest ever strikers, will team up with Scotland and Rangers goalscoring hero Derek

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Johnstone and the panel’s first ever woman expert, former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis. The three new panel members will join the existing panel of Ian Callaghan, Tony Green and David Sadler all using their expertise, and some strong opinions, to decide the all-important score draws and wins which could help make Pools fortunes. The new line-up was announced at a VIP event held at the National Football Museum in Manchester to celebrate 60 years of the Pools Panel. Michael, who has gone on to become a successful football pundit since retiring from the game in 2013, said he was delighted to become part of an institution which means so much to fans. He said: “Football Pools has been a tradition for generations of families and mine is no different. My dad used to do the Pools and he would even let me get involved in picking some of the games.

He believes his second career in the game post-retirement has given him a different perspective to bring to the Pools Panel. “As a pundit I watch and cover more football nowadays so I am more aware. As a player, you only really look ahead to the next game and your role. “I will probably have to do a bit more homework on teams outside of the Premier League for form and trends, but when I do have a strong opinion about something I’ll definitely be happy to speak up! “The Football Pools has had some footballing greats who’ve sat on the Pools Panel over the years and this year is no different. I’m looking forward to working alongside the team and I’m most looking forward to helping create some winners.” https://www.footballpools.com/blog/welcome-to-our-newpanellists

“Now I can no longer affect results as a player, I’m delighted to have been asked to sit on the panel to hopefully put my knowledge of the game to use to help others.”

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RACHEL BROWN-FINNIS ON WOMEN’S FOOTBALL By Paul Knowles

THE POOL MAGAZINE

August 2022

achel Brown-Finnis, a name found in the National Museum of Football’s Hall of Fame, is increasingly becoming a household name to fans. She is a top pundit, a football talk show host, as well as the latest member of The Pools Panel.

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August 2022

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At 15 years old, Rachel was playing goalkeeper for Liverpool in a cup final penalty shoot-out against Croydon. “I feel really proud of what I did in my career, all pretty much as an amateur,” she exclusively told the Liverpool ECHO at a VIP event celebrating 60 years of the Football Pools panel. “I played in the FA Cup Final for Liverpool at 15, that’s still very much a highlight. “I remember going to school on the Monday after being down at the FA Cup Final on the Sunday and no-one really knew about it.” The growth of women’s football over the past few years has been exponential. Viewing figures reached 15.1million in the first months of 2022, with almost half of those never having watched any women’s sport before. England are hosting the European Championships this summer, having finished fourth in the World Cup under the management of former Everton captain Phil Neville in 2019. 52

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Brown-Finnis, who won 82 caps for England and represented Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, is welcoming the new popularity, and has great expectations for the England team. “I’m proud of all of it and how much women’s football has grown and how many more women and young girls are involved in football,” she said. “It’s real proof and testament that it is a sport for everyone. “It’s unbelievable. To think that during the last World Cup, people went down to the pub to watch the football and follow their national team. That puts goosebumps on my arm because that’s a big sociological, generational shift. “It’s a big difference and for that to happen, we know we’re here and that we’re here to stay. It’s not one or the other, it’s not men’s football or women’s football. It’s just football. “That’s what is changing in people’s minds. They see a national team and they want to follow it; they want to get behind them. It’s the Euros this summer, in this country, north, south, east, and west.

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“Fans will come out, families will come out to watch and it should be an amazing occasion with Sarina Wiegman, the new manager at the helm.

Maintaining a keen eye on the game, Rachel is still involved with women’s football, and regularly features on BT Sport talk show.

“She’s done it before with the Netherlands, they went on to win the European Championships within six months of her becoming manager. You never know, that could happen to England.”

“Liverpool have gone down a division but are certainly looking good for promotion,” she predicted. “Everton have had a turbulent time, similar to the men’s team really.

Rachel started her football career at Liverpool then moved over to America to play within their university set-up in the late 90s, before returning to home turf in an Everton kit. “Moving from Liverpool to Everton was bridged by a fiveyear stint in America and it’s a different landscape now,” she said. “Going off to America, that was the best-case scenario for me going to play in the University set-up over there. “Coming back to Everton and then spending 11 years with them, winning an FA Cup and winning the League Cup a couple of times was amazing.”

“They’ve sacked two managers and are on their third manager this season. A big overhaul, load of players brought over the summer. The manager at the time then didn’t have long to work with them before he got sacked. “Jean-Luc Vasseurwas brought in, he’s a Champions League winner and was expected to turn things around and produce results but didn’t so has been sacked. It’s a tough time for Everton at the moment. They were hoping to fight for a Champions League spot, the top three, this season but that is not going to happen. It’s as simple as that. I think they’ll be looking at how they’re going to restructure things in the summer and how to move forward.”

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THE FIFA WORLD CUP IN QATAR By Harry George

ollowing in the trailblazing footsteps of the first Asian World Cup hosts, Japan and South Korea in 2002, then the first African hosts South Africa in 2010, Qatar is making history this winter by being the first Middle Eastern nation to host the FIFA World Cup. Whilst traditionally being held during northern hemisphere

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summer, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is being played from November 21st to December 18th to avoid the harsh summer heat of the Arabian sun. History isn’t only being made by the hosts, there’s also some first time qualifiers and other unfamiliar faces taking part this year, as well as some previous winners not even making the tournament itself. As of the date of writing, these are the groups for the FIFA World Cup:

Alphonso Davies, Lille’s Johnathon David, and managed by Englishman John Herdman, they have the potential to cause upsets with a level of squad belief that is familiar to previous World Cup dark horses like 2010’s Uruguay, 2014’s Costa Rica and 2018’s Croatia who beat all odds to make the final before falling to a French team speared on by world class talent Mbappe. Despite this level of squad belief in the

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Qatar

England

Argentina

France

Spain

Belgium

Brazil

Portugal

Ecuador

Iran

Saudi Arabia

TBA

Canada

Serbia

Ghana

Senegal

U.S.A

Mexico

Denmark

Germany

Morocco

Switzerland

Uruguay

Netherlands

Wales

Poland

Tunisia

Japan

Croatia

Cameroon

South Korea

Qatar are making their debut in the tournament with their opening match being played on November 21st at 19:00 GMT (16:00 in Qatar.) This is the second match of the tournament, with the opening match being played the same day at 13:00 between fellow group A competitors Netherlands facing off against Senegal in what will be a close match between footballing superstars, and former teammates Virgil Van Dijk and Sadio Mane. Among the nations making their long-awaited returns to the prestigious contest are Canada. Led by Bayern Munich’s

Canadian team, they have been thrust into this tournament group of death having to face Belgium, whose golden generation is looking for their last dance, Croatia looking to prove 2018 wasn’t also the last outing of their golden generation, and Morocco a side coming off a disappointing 2022 AFCON and looking to utilise the talent of PSG’s Achraf Hakimi. Another side making their much-awaited return at the end of a golden generation (sensing a theme in this World Cup) is Wales. Getting through a turbulent time off the pitch with

August 2022

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FEATURE managerial changes, who else but Gareth Bale would score the free kick to send Wales past a resolute Ukraine and into their first World Cup since John Charles led them to the tournament in 1958. Wales though, despite their chance at international stardom will be facing a very familiar foe in their group, Group B. Wales were drawn into a group with Euro 2020 finalists England, along with the U.S.A making their return after missing 2018, and Iran making their

third World Cup in a row for the first time in their history. Group B kicks off on the November 21st at 16:00 with England facing Iran. Wales make their World Cup return kicking off at 22:00 against the U.S.A. All eyes will be on the final matchday of Group B with England facing Wales with the potential of the winner moving onto the knockout stages and the losers getting the next flight out of Doha International Airport.

Group stage - all kick-off times in GMT

Tuesday November 22

Monday November 21

Group C: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 10am)

Group A: Senegal vs Netherlands (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 10am)

Group D: Denmark vs Tunisia (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group B: England vs Iran (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group C: Mexico vs Poland (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 4pm)

Group A: Qatar vs Ecuador (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 4pm)

Group D: France vs UAE/Australia/Peru (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 7pm)

Group B: USA vs Wales (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 7pm)

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FEATURE Wednesday November 23

Thursday November 24

Group F: Morocco vs Croatia (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 10am)

Group G: Switzerland vs Cameroon (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 10am)

Group E: Germany vs Japan (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group H: Uruguay vs South Korea (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group E: Spain vs Costa Rica/New Zealand (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 4pm)

Group H: Portugal vs Ghana (Stadium 974, Doha; kickoff 4pm)

Group F: Belgium vs Canada (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 7pm)

Group G: Brazil vs Serbia (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Friday November 25

Saturday November 26

Group B: Wales vs Iran (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 10am)

Group C: Tunisia vs UAE/Australia/Peru (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 10am)

Group A: Qatar vs Senegal (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 1pm)

Group C: Poland vs Saudi Arabia (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group A: Netherlands vs Ecuador (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 4pm)

Group D: France vs Denmark (Stadium 974, Doha; kickoff 4pm)

Group B: England vs USA (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Group C: Argentina vs Mexico (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Sunday November 27

Monday November 28

Group E: Japan vs Costa Rica/New Zealand (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 10am)

Group G: Cameroon vs Serbia (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 10am)

Group F: Belgium vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 1pm)

Group G: South Korea vs Ghana (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 1pm)

Group F: Croatia vs Canada (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 4pm)

Group H: Brazil vs Switzerland (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 4pm)

Group E: Spain vs Germany (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Group H: Portugal vs Uruguay (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Tuesday November 29

Wednesday November 30

Group A: Netherlands vs Qatar (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 3pm)

Group D: UAE/Australia/Peru vs Denmark (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 3pm)

Group A: Ecuador vs Senegal (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

Group D: Tunisia vs France (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

Group B: Wales vs England (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 7pm)

Group C: Poland vs Argentina (Stadium 974, Doha; kickoff 7pm)

Group B: Iran vs USA (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Group C: Saudi Arabia vs Mexico (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

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FEATURE Thursday December 1

Friday, December 2

Group F: Croatia vs Belgium (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

Group G: South Korea vs Portugal (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm)

Group F: Canada vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 3pm)

Group G: Ghana vs Uruguay (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 3pm)

Group E: Costa Rica/New Zealand vs Germany (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm)

Group H: Serbia vs Switzerland (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 7pm)

Group E: Japan vs Spain (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 7pm)

Group H: Cameroon vs Brazil (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm)

Round of 16 Saturday December 3 49 - Winners of Group A vs. Runners-up of Group B (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm) 50 - Winners of Group C vs. Runners-up of Group D (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick- off 7pm) Sunday December 4 52 - Winners of Group D vs. Runners-up of Group C (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha; kick-off 3pm) 51 - Winners of Group B vs. Runners-up of Group A (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm) Monday December 5 53 - Winners of Group E vs. Runners-up of Group F (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah; kick-off 3pm) 54 - Winners of Group G vs. Runners-up of Group H (Stadium 974, Doha; kick-off 7pm) Tuesday December 6 55 - Winners of Group F vs. Runners-up of Group E (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick- off 3pm) 56 - Winners of Group H vs. Runners-up of Group G (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm) Quarter-finals Friday December 9 58 - Winners of 53 vs. Winners of 54 (Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm 57 - Winners of 49 vs. Winners of 50 (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; 3pm Saturday December 10 60 - Winners of 55 vs. Winners of 56 (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha; kick-off 3pm 59 - Winners of 51 vs. Winners of 52 (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm Semi-finals Tuesday December 13 61 - Winners of 57 vs. Winners of 58 (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 7pm Wednesday December 14 62 - Winners of 59 vs. Winners of 60 (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor; kick-off 7pm Saturday December 17 63 - Third place play-off (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan; kick-off 3pm Final Sunday December 18 64 - The World Cup final (Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail; kick-off 3pm)

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WIN 2 TICKETS TO QATAR

PLAY HERE WWW.THEPOOLS.COM/WORLDCUP

THE POOLS LUXURY HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE E L P O E P 2 R O F R QATA O T Y A D I L O H Y R HOTEL) LUXU (INCLUDING FLIGHTS AND SIGNED SHIRTS T S R U H F F O E G • 10 X BOOTS D E N IG S T S R U H F • 10 X GEOF GRAPHS O T O H P D E N IG S URST • 100 X GEOFF H

The Win The Pools Football Tournament Experience Terms & Conditions: Chance to win a Luxury Holiday to Qatar for 2 people hereinafter referred to as ‘the experience’. Win a top prize of a luxury holiday to Qatar that includes economy flights and hotel accommodation included. Runner up prizes include signed merchandise from Sir Geoffrey Hurst. Merchandise includes 100 signed pictures, 20 individual signed boots, and 10 signed football shirts. This free prize draw is only available to UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland (see below) customers aged 21 or over who play any of our Football Pools, Lucky Clover and Casino games by online and full terms and conditions are available at www.footballpools.com/win. A maximum of one entry may be made per person. A winner can gift the experience to a loved one subject to availability. The experience is for 2 people. No pets allowed. This competition is not available to employees of the Promoter (or any member of its group of companies). Northern Ireland residents only – to enter a customer must write their name and address on plain paper and send it to The Pools Football Tournament Experience, Prize Draw, The Football Pools, Walton House, Liverpool L67 1AA. Large print is available by calling 0800 500 000 or writing to The Pools Football Tournament Experience, Prize Draw, The Football Pools, Walton House, Liverpool L67 1AA. The prize draw will take place on 3rd October 2022 and the prize is valid for the duration of the Qatar 2022 World Cup (21st November 2022 – 18th December 2022) subject to availability. The winner will be selected at random and notified within 7 days of the draw date via telephone and then by post. The prize will be available to the winner within 28 days of contacting the winner. If the winner cannot be contacted within 28 days of the date of the draw or are unable to claim the prize within 60 days of the date of the draw, he/she shall be disqualified and the prize shall be awarded to the reserve winner selected at random at the same time as the original draw. Other than death or personal injury arising from acts or omissions of The Football Pools or its employees, the Promoter will not be liable for any loss, damage or liabilities arising out of the winner’s enjoyment of the Prize. No responsibility is taken for entries that are lost, delayed, misdirected or incomplete or cannot be delivered or entered for any technical or other reason. Proof of delivery of the entry is not proof of receipt. The Promoter’s decision is final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the outcome of the prize draw. The Promoter reserves the right to check the validity and identity of any entrant and to refuse entry or refuse giving the prize if the Promoter reasonably considers the entry and/or winners to be in breach of the terms and conditions or that any entrant has acted contrary to the requirement of good faith. The Promoter reserves the right at any time in its sole discretion to cancel, modify or August 2022 THE POOL MAGAZINE supersede the prize draw if it believes, in its sole discretion, that the prize draw is not capable or is likely not to be capable of being conducted fairly or as specified within these terms and conditions due to events beyond its control (including, without limitation, a virus, a computer bug or unauthorised human intervention or any other cause beyond the reasonable control of the Promoter that could corrupt or affect the administration, security, impartiality or normal course of the prize draw). This promotion applies to customers who play our Football Pools, Lucky Clover or Casino games offline or online at www.footballpools.com and you acknowledge that all participating players from such channels will be included in the same prize draw and have the same chance to win. This promotion is only applicable to your offline account with The Football Pools Limited or your account on www.footballpools.com, which is operated by The Football Pools Limited. The prize draw will be governed by English law and entrants to the prize draw submit to the jurisdiction of the English courts. Promoter: THE FOOTBALL POOLS LIMITED, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 10573569) whose registered office is at Walton House, 55 Charnock Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L67 1AA. The Football Pools Limited is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission with licence numbers 048727-N-326340 & 048272-R-326339. For further information please contact 0800 500 000 or email help@footballpools.com. Please note: Dates and times of competitions may vary due to changes to fixtures and printing.

FEATURE

Yo u c o uld live like a mu lt i-million aire!

WINNER OF THE ULTIMATE MILLIONAIRE EXPERIENCE By Paul Knowles

laying The Pools gives you a chance to win £3 Million on every game but also in our latest competition a chance to taste a millionaire lifestyle with a fantastic opportunity to experience living life like a multi-millionaire for the weekend. This competition included a luxury stay in a multi-millionpound mansion, VIP chauffeur service, styling by a celebrity stylist, pampering by top therapists, and dinner cooked by a Michelin star chef.

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From the minute you arrive at the mansion you will feel like a winner. This could be your chance to sample a millionaire’s lifestyle before winning big on The Pools. Paul Edwards from the West Midlands was our latest winner of the ultimate millionaire experience. “I could not believe it when they called to say I had won the ultimate millionaire experience. It was the best phone call, it is exactly what me and my wife need. It’s been a long time

FEATURE

since we’ve experienced a luxury getaway and we are both so excited to spend the weekend in this mansion.” Paul added, “I pass through a lot of places as a delivery driver, but I could never have imagined living like a millionaire in these huge mansions. I am going to treat my wife for her birthday as this will make it extra special.” “Thank you so much to The Pools I never thought I would be experiencing the life of a millionaire for just £10 a month”

August 2022

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FOOTBALL IS HOME CONGRATULATIONS LIONESSES By Paul Knowles

t’s not just coming home – now football has come home at last, thanks to England’s inspirational victory over Germany in the Women’s Euros 2022 final.

The Lionesses capped off an incredible tournament to secure England’s first major football title in 56 years, sealing

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their historic 2-1 win with a dramatic goal in extra time from Chloe Kelly. A record-breaking sell-out Wembley crowd of 87,192 fans watched the action live, with millions more tuning in at home or in front of big screens across the country. It was a nail-biting 120 minutes, but with the atmosphere in the stadium off the scale, the team dug deep and secured their place in the history books. This was a game-changing night, not just for women’s football but for everyone who loves sport. Since England captain Leah Williamson lifted the trophy at Wembley, and the entire team celebrated in Trafalgar Square with a massive fan party less than 24 hours later, the team has had praise from everyone including HM The Queen who was quick to congratulate them on their achievement. The Queen went on to say that the victory “set an example that will be an inspiration for girls and women today, and for future generations.”

That’s a message that everyone at The Pools echoes – this wasn’t just about one win, huge though that was, it means far than that. As a business which has been closely linked to football for almost 100 years, The Pools is keen to be at the forefront of supporting change in the game. That’s why we launched our first ever game focused on women’s football, Footie 5, this summer to coincide with the Euros and why the first female expert, ex-England goalie

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Rachel Brown-Finnis, joined our famous Pools Panel this year. “With the Lionesses’ historic victory over Germany, the future of the women’s game has never looked stronger and we’re very proud to be playing our own part in that,” said Pools CMO Lee Pinnington. “We are working closely with two respected former England players, Rachel and striker Kelly Smith, to make sure the women’s game is reflected in what we do going forward. “And, like the rest of the nation, we send our congratulations to the team for everything they’ve achieved and will no doubt go on to achieve.” Rachel said the Euros win was hopefully a pivotal moment for women’s football in this country.

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August 2022

“The team were absolutely amazing all the way through the tournament. The game against Spain was a real turning point, and after that 2-1 win – coming back from being a goal behind - I think the whole country started to really believe that we had a chance of becoming champions.

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“The way they pulled together after Germany equalized in the final was phenomenal, not just in terms of the football talent they showed but the determination and incredible team spirit. “It was fantastic to see Wembley full to capacity, with so many young girls and boys wearing their England shirts and cheering the Lionesses on. “To them it’s not about women’s football or men’s football, they just love watching the game and seeing an England team be the best. That’s how it should be, that’s what we as players have been working towards all these years.” Kelly, who won more than 100 caps for the national team over a decade from the mid-90s, added: “I really hope that this victory and the reaction we saw from fans paves the way for more investment at the grassroots and professional

levels of the game so more young players have the chance to show their skills and make a top career on the biggest world stages.”

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LUCKY CLOVER STREAKS By Paul Knowles

L 68

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ucky Clover Streaks is a brand-new exciting benefit, exclusive to Lucky Clover subscription players, that offers the chance to win additional cash prizes when you successfully complete a Streak.

FEATURE Even if you don’t win a prize in the main draw, you can still win big with Lucky Clover Streaks! To start a Streak you must get at least 1 number correct in a Lucky Clover draw. If you can keep your Streak going for 4 consecutive Lucky Clover draws you will be guaranteed a cash prize. The longer the Streak the more cash you can win! There are chances to win up to £500. All Lucky Clover prizes remain the same, so if you are lucky enough to correctly predict 5 main numbers you will win £65,000 and your Streak count will increase by 1. It couldn’t be easier to play Lucky Clover Streaks! We will automatically start the process. This is a new and exclusive benefit of playing Lucky Clover with the Football Pools – and there is no additional cost as this is all part of your subscription.

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