AMA_SHOWCASE_v4

AMA SPORTS PHOTO AGENCY

PRESENTS

ISSUE ONE · APRIL / MAY 2020

Magazine

Orlando

Ultra’s on the march

Robbie's first FIFA World Cup

- Russia 2018

The boys of Hout Bay

Kemari

ancient Japanese football

amasportsphotoagency.com

Magazine

Welcome

Opening Shot

Published by

AMA Sports Photo Agency

All material

© Copyright 2020

Written and Photography by:

Matthew Ashton, Robbie Jay Barratt,

James Baylis, Sam Bagnall, James

Williamson, Adam Fradgley, Nicola

Sua and Ben Early

Design & Layout

James Baylis & Matthew Ashton

jamesb@amasportsphotoagency.com

Telephone: 07977 481186

Front cover picture

Robbie Jay Barratt

Introducing...

AMA SPORTS

PHOTO AGENCY

AMA Sports Photo Agency is based in the United Kingdom providing

commercial and editorial picture content for professional picture

buyers and clients.

International competitions including the FIFA World Cup, FIFA

Confederations Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup are covered by

AMA photographers as is the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA

Europa League supplying live content to global clients and building

up the impressive AMA online archive for professional picture buyers

and registered users to browse and download.

The views expressed in this magazine are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily the views of the

publisers, AMA Sports Photo Agency or the football clubs associated with the articles.

02



03

ONTENTS

INSIDE ISSUE ONE OF SHOWCASE

Magazine

12



THE FOOTBALL LANDSCAPE

Sheffield, England - 14th March 2020

Coronavirus locks down football - A general view of the exterior of a

locked Bramall Lane stadium home of Sheffield United

Picture Ben Early / AMA 605043

04 amasportsphotoagency.com amasportsphotoagency.com 05


Toyko, Japan - 12th December 2008

The Adidas Football Park Shibuya, on the roof of the Tokyu Toyoko - Futsal pitch

on the roof of a department store building next to Shibuya crossing in Tokyo. Futsal

became an ideal alternative for fans who, inspired by the World Cup, were looking

for a casual way to play soccer in smaller numbers.

Picture Matthew Ashton / AMA 046853

06 amasportsphotoagency.com


07


Molineux Stadium -7th November 2019

An ariel view of Molineux Stadium, the home stadium of Wolverhampton

Wanderers prior to the UEFAnEuropa League fixture

against - Slovan Bratislava

Picture Sam Bagnall / AMA 580860




Zell am Zillerm, Austria - 12th July 2017

Pre-season friendly - Werder Bremen v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolverhampton Wanderers players huddle before kick off

Picture James Baylis / AMA 414905

08 amasportsphotoagency.com


09










Papa Murphy’s Park - 22nd July 2014

Sacramento Republic host West Bromwich Albion on a pre-season

tour with the California State Fair in the background

Picture Adam Fradgley / AMA 269502











“It is tougher than just

being paid to watch

football which I think

is what people assume

we do”

Magazine

talks to

It starts the night before

prepping my gear,

getting everything in

place for the game eg

templates.

Then I plan my routes

because I do alot of

London games I check

for any issues with the

amasportsphotoagency.com amasportsphotoagency.com

JAMES

WILLIAMSON

tube.

I always aim to get there three hours before mainly

to allow for problems.

My worst experience with that was for Chelsea in

the Europa League last year where I was stuck on the

M1 for four hours and ended up getting to the game

around 7.30pm it throws you off but again always

aim to get there early because once your there you

can sit around waiting.

“I can work myself up through

overthinking which can then cause

panic and a worse shoot than if

you can remain calm”

I was lucky enough to goto

Finland for a game when they

were going to qualify for the

Euro Championships and they

wouldn’t let me in till 90 minutes

before kick off.

Was bad as i got to the ground

around 4 hours early so i think I

did 20 laps of the stadium that

night.

Going back to prep you need to

check what the preview stories

have been while also checking

teamsheets for any changes or

new names.

Then its just about looking for

the action looking for people

pointing, emoting again as you do

this more you don’t think about it

you just do it instinctively.

I can work myself up through

overthinking which can then

cause panic and a worse shoot

than if you remain calm.

I find if I can avoid that then

everything flows naturally of

course you again can get a feel

on if you’re having a good shoot

or not but sometimes nothings

happening and then the story

unfurls right in front of you and

its about being the hero in that

moment and getting the shots.

It is tougher than just being

paid to watch football which I

think is what people assume we

do.



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10

11 12

14

18 19

17

20 21

13

23 24

Continued on page 71

25 26

22

15

16

Page 66

JAMES WILLIAMSON/AMA/GETTY

Continued on page 68

BREATHLESS M I NK

O Y O V T I O

ETHER I SE A L LOUT

A C N T L G

ATTACK T R I N I D A D

O D E O S T

DR I V I NGRANGE

Y A O E C S

NUTSANDBOL TS

S C E M N A

L I FESPAN FEDORA

M M A E E K

S I ZEUP S I DESTEP

A N E I U K R

KNOT REAPPRA I SE

Check today’s answers by ringing 0905 757

0141 by midnight. Calls cost £1 per minute

plus your telephone company’s network

access charge. SP: Spoke 0333 202 3390.

GETTY

***

Bravo, Telegraph Fifa chief backs our Girls, Inspired campaign Page 11

Sport

telegraph.co.uk/sport

Super Sane Striker helps City

leapfrog Liverpool at the top

MAN CITY 2-0 CARDIFF

Page 6

The pressure to get images out

and at the same time catching

the main moments is a difficult

balance but then as you do it

more you don’t think about it too

much.

Sure you can always think oh iI

should have done this and that

but there’s always the next game.

When I started at AMA we used

our CINDYKATE system.

I would upload images cropped

and captioned from my laptop

to one of the AMA servers which

would then automatically

syndicate images to our clients

around the world.

Now we use something we call

PD - Picture Desk - I connect my

camera to the stadium wifi or

through an ethernet cable and

send my pictures back to one of

the other AMA team.

CHELSEA 3-0 BRIGHTON

SPURS 2-0 CRYSTAL PALACE

Son’s happy

homecoming

South Korean scores first goal at

Tottenham’s new £1bn stadium

Rhapsody in blue Giroud

sparks Chelsea goal spree

Page 8

Thursday 4 April 2019

Pictures go to another server in

real time and the editor normally

back at home watching the game

on TV, selects suitable images

to crop and caption and send

pictures out to clients.

To be fair it is very fast and I

get much pleasure in beating the

oppositon and being someone

who also edits others images, it

is an exciting, exillerating and

intense thing to do.

“The pressure

to get images

out and at the

same time

catching the

main moment

is a difficult

balance”

Sport

Everton sack

Silva and turn

to Ferguson

Paul Joyce

Northern Football Correspondent

Marco Silva was sacked by Everton

yesterday after face-to-face talks with

the owner Farhad Moshiri.

Duncan Ferguson, the first-team

coach, has been put in temporary

charge for tomorrow’s game at home

to Chelsea. Everton plan to appoint a

permanent successor to Silva as soon

as possible, with candidates having

already been targeted as Moshiri

looks to make his fifth managerial

appointment since May 2016.

Vítor Pereira, the 51-year-old

Portuguese coach of Shanghai SIPG

in China, who has won trophies with

Porto and Olympiacos, was last night

emerging as a potential candidate for

the position. He is also of interest to

managerless Arsenal. David Moyes is

among those under consideration by

Everton, although not turning to their

former manager immediately indicates

that they are looking elsewhere.

The move to sack Silva has meant

that four top-flight managers have lost

their jobs in the past 17 days, a turnover

that is unprecendented in the Premier

League era. This latest exit follows

those of Mauricio Pochettino from

Tottenham Hotspur, Unai Emery from

Arsenal and Quique Sanchéz Flores

at Watford.

Silva was dismissed after Everton’s

5-2 defeat by Liverpool on Wednesday,

which condemned them to a ninth

league defeat of the season and left the

club in the relegation zone.

1GM Friday December 6 2019 | the times

Combative former striker appointed caretaker

Moshiri, the British-Iranian billionaire

businessman who took control of

the club in February 2016, had sought

to be loyal to Silva despite a clear

downturn in results, but decided to

travel to the club’s training base, Finch

Farm, from London yesterday, arriving

shortly after 2pm, with Silva having

overseen training.

It was there after discussions with

other members of the board, including

chairman Bill Kenwright, director of

football Marcel Brands, chief executive

Denise Barrett-Baxendale and chief

commercial officer Sasha Ryazantsev,

that the decision was taken to dismiss

the 42-year-old.

Moshiri had earlier called a meeting

with Everton’s ramshackle squad,

which was also attended by Brands.

However, it is understood that Silva

was not mentioned. The players were

also asked, bizarrely, if they needed

anything from the club to help them to

improve performances. The majority of

the squad left the meeting considering

it a waste of time.

Silva remained popular with

Everton’s players, who liked his

coaching sessions, but he had become

an increasingly isolated figure due to a

downturn in results that raised the

spectre of relegation.

The prospect of him standing on the

sidelines against Chelsea, with support

for his tenure have drained from the

stands, made for a potentially toxic

atmosphere. His assistant, Luis Boa

Morte, and other members of staff are

Brighton rock sorry Arsenal

Neal Maupay, left, celebrates his winning goal with team-mate Aaron Mooy

as managerless London club lose 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, pages 72-73

Times Crossword 27,527 across down Yesterday’s solution 27,526

1 Source of cutting gear and

machinery (5)

4 On paper, maintain shortcut (4-5)

9 Blackmail English team hosting

wrong side at Lord’s (9)

10 Unseats judge avoiding historic

conflicts (5)

11 Records describing campaign

returned to lounge (6)

12 Traditional requirements for

roasting shrew? (8)

14 Not too good east of prairies for a

picnic (5,7)

17 Overact badly, receiving worried

member’s standard warning (6,6)

20 Last of shade still protecting

excessively hot canine (3,5)

21 Niche product ultimately diverted

folk (6)

23 Cultivated bush sheltering rook

perhaps? (5)

24 Eg Clydesdale press first to show

revolutionary engine (4,5)

25 Knock over empty potty;

headstrong toddler may get it (5,4)

26 Try case of larceny hesitantly (5)

1 Part of training regime on ship has

youngsters boxing (5-3)

2 Main channel’s receiver concealing

coating of rust (8)

3 Gain worth cryptically having a fit

(8,1,6)

4 Last few batsmen lie, so they say (4)

5 Engineer chappie on island turned

up dead (10)

6 Arguments from rivals after quiet

jaunt (8,7)

7 Tacky individual originally in very

small plainclothes unit (6)

8 Coarse stuff from contrary girl

booked after game? (6)

13 Composer’s lightest note in rising

melody (10)

15 Artist with tight clothing

threatening swimmer (8)

16 China, third-rate location for

alpines (8)

18 Conclude sappers like working (6)

19 Lash out, taking extremely

lucrative journey (3,3)

22 Brass section’s top piercing note (4)

Joshua’s bogeyman

Andy Ruiz Jr plans to upset

British heavyweight again

Players urge

United: Don’t

axe Solskjaer

Paul Hirst

Manchester United’s players told the

club’s hierarchy before their key victory

against Tottenham Hotspur that they

should not sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Solskjaer’s position as United manager

had come under scrutiny after

winning only four of his opening 14

league games this season. The squad,

though, remain convinced that the

former Norway striker is still the right

man to take the club forward and

conveyed that message to senior

figures before Wednesday’s match

against Tottenham.

United spoilt José Mourinho’s return

to Old Trafford by defeating his Spurs

side 2-1 to move up to sixth in the table,

albeit eight points adrift of fourth place.

However, the fact that a number of his

senior players told the hierarchy that

he still has their support is a boost for

Solskjaer before tomorrow’s derby

against Manchester City at the Etihad

Stadium.

Privately, the club’s board are still

supportive of Solskjaer despite United’s

disappointing start. They accept that

more setbacks could occur in the

coming weeks but have seen enough

from Solskjaer to suggest that he can

turn things around.

Solskjaer, 46, is overseeing what has

been described as a “cultural reboot”,

which focuses on instilling better discipline

and giving more opportunities

to young, hungry players, particularly

those from the academy. There is an

acceptance that rebuilding the team

will require huge investment and the

board will make funds available to

Solskjaer next month.

Scott McTominay, the United

midfielder who excelled against Spurs,

has given his backing to Solskjaer

despite speculation that he could be

close to the sack.

“I don’t read too much into what gets

said,” McTominay said. “Obviously it’s

After I left school at 17, I got an

office job and basically didn’t

have a plan for many many years.

Photograaphy was never on

my radar at this time. It wasn’t

something I could do in school

and really when I was young I

had no idea what I wanted to do.

It started off by one day

photographing Mansfield

Youth Team v Matlock! My

first published picture was in

the Nottingham Evening Post

when Mansfield Town played at

Braintree.

This was my biggest break and

really what started me thinking

maybe I could do this.

I then went on to cover

Section:GDN 1N PaGe:40 Edition Date:180919 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 18/9/2018 21:13 cYanmaGentaYellowb

40 Sport

Football Champions League

• The Guardian Wednesday 19 September 2018

Spurs capitulate at the last after

Vecino seals Inter’s fightback

Internazionale 2

Icardi 86, Vecino 90

Tottenham 1

Eriksen 53

Possession

Inter Milan

Tottenham Hotspur

42% 58%

Shots on target

5 9

Total attempts

10 11

David Hytner

San Siro

Another game, another set-piece concession

for Tottenham and another

morale-shuddering setback, which

will only intensify questions about

the team’s mentality.

After the defeats by Watford and

Liverpool that shadowed Spurs to

Milan, this breakdown cut them to

the core. A draw might not have been

the worst result in the world and that

was what Tottenham looked to have

within their grasp as a slow-burning

match entered stoppage time.

Mauricio Pochettino had made two

defensive-minded substitutions but

his players could not close out a result.

When Miranda headed back a corner

into the danger area, Matías Vecino

got in front of Harry Winks, one of the

Pochettino changes, to loop a header

into the far corner.

Cue Internazionale delirium. They

had already pinched themselves

minutes earlier when Mauro Icardi

chose some moment to score his

first goal of the season. What a goal it

was. Addressing Kwadwo Asamoah’s

floated cut-back, he exploded a rightfooted

volley beyond Michel Vorm

from the fringes of the penalty area.

At full time Pochettino wore a

beleaguered expression and some of

his players crumpled to the ground.

This was supposed to be the night they

stopped the recent rot. Instead, there

was only heartbreak.

Christian Eriksen will say he made

his own luck in the 53rd minute but

when it came, it looked to be transformative

for Tottenham. Up until that

point, it had been a disjointed performance

marked by some pondering in

defence and a missed chance from

Harry Kane .

Eriksen fired the upturn, stepping

away from two Inter players and banging

in a sweet shot Samir Handanovic

beat clear. Érik Lamela got a toe to the

loose ball and that was when fortune

favoured Eriksen. He unloaded once

more for goal and it spun off Miranda

to loop over Handanovic.

Tottenham belatedly began to play

with a bit of purpose but they would

be humbled at the end. With Barcelona

lying in wait in Group B, the

significance of this result was lost on

nobody. Rather abruptly, Spurs have

it all to do.

Pochettino was hoping his players

would put the troubles of the past

couple of domestic matches behind

them. The manager said his defenders

had been “scared” to play out from

the back in the home defeat against

Liverpool on Saturday but he believes

that is the only way for his team to

construct their game. Doggedly, those

in white shirts carried out the order

and moments of discomfort followed.

Inter knew what was coming – who

does not? – and they sprinted forward

en masse to press and harry . It felt as

though Spurs were playing with fire.

They were frequently asked to thread

Vecino

gives

Pochettino

a headache

The Spurs

defence can

only watch as

Matías Vecino

(No 8)heads

home Inter’s

injury-time

winner

JAMES

WILLIAMSON/AMA /

GETTY IMAGES

difficult passes, with the movement

ahead of the ball static, and it was inevitable

there would be breakdowns.

The effect was to invite Inter on;

they were able to get their tails up in

the early going and the home support

responded. It feels wrong to want an

English team to be more direct but the

urge was there.

It has been some time since Inter

heard the Champions League aria.

Their previous appearance in the

competition had been in 2011-12 and,

having qualified in dramatic style on

the final day of last season, their fans

were determined to create a fierce

atmosphere. One of the great things

about San Siro is how the steeply

banked stands keep in the noise . It

was spine-tingling at times.

The first-half was low on quality,

with Inter unable to profit when they

won the ball high up the pitch. Vorm

had to dive and punch clear following

a flick off Davison Sánchez but he was

not truly extended.

The big chance – the only real

chance before the interval – fell to

Kane on 37 minutes. Eriksen’s floated

pass was made to measure and Kane’s

first touch was true. Unnerved, perhaps,

by Handanovic’s charge from

his line, Kane chose not to shoot,

rather attempt to take it round the

goalkeeper. He did not have the room

to do so. His touch was marginally too

heavy; it had needed to be perfect, and

he ran into the by-line.

Spurs started the second-half with

more energy, with Kane dropping off

from his spot up front but Eriksen’s

goal had scarcely been advertised.

When he is in the team, there is always

the possibility of a flash of quality and

the travelling fans could delight in this

moment.

Tottenham came to look more

proactive, more polished, with Serge

Aurier marauding forward from rightback.

He teed up Lamela, who worked

Handanovic and, when the ball came

out, Kane was offside. Pochettino’s

introduction of Lucas Moura also made

a difference. His pace worried a tiring

Inter backline and twice he created

openings for Lamela.

Inter had seen Ivan Perisic work

Vorm but Tottenham looked to have

all three points in the bag going into

the final five minutes. How wrong that

feeling would prove.

Internazionale

4-2-3-1

Handanovic; Skriniar•,

De Vrij, Miranda,

Asamoah; Vecino,

Brozovic; Politano

(Baldé 72), Nainggolan

(Valero 88), Perisic•

(Candreva

64); Icardi

Subs not used

Padelli, Ranocchia,

D’Ambrosio, Berni

Tottenham

4-2-3-1

Vorm•; Aurier, Sánchez•,

Vertonghen•, Davies;

Dier, Dembélé; Eriksen,

Lamela (Winks 72), Son

(Lucas 63); Kane (Rose

89)

Subs not used

Gazzaniga, Wanyama,

Walker-Peters, Llorente

Referee Clément Turpin (Fr) Attendance 64,123

Chesterfield for two years.

I met Matthew Ashton

when Chesterfield defeated

Shrewsbury Town 7-1 and I got

a chance covering Shrewsbury

v Morecombe and it went from

there.

Now I want to do a major

tournament. Its a fun job where

you get to see quite abit of the

world if you’re lucky and also get

access to some major sporting

events and while your working

and not cheering and enjoying a

beer.

Its weird going back to say 2011

before all this began for me and

going yeah you’ll be going to

Baku to shoot an UEFA European

Final - I’d of said NO CHANCE!

Its always nice to see work

published, especially a big

backpage of a national

newspaper, but I’d say getting

images in The Sun when I was

doing Chesterfield meant more

to me.

Away from work, I love F1 so

watch alot of that and it is by far

my favourite sport. Video games

have always been a thing in my

life too.

“It’s always nice to see work published, especially

a big backpage of a national newspaper”



KEMARI • ケマリ

白峯神宮

Shiramine Jingu Shrine



Matthew Ashton travels to Japan to cover the traditional game

of Kemari in Kyoto


The first evidence of Kemari is from 644 AD during the Asuka period

The game was influenced by the Chinese sport of Cuju (the very earliest form of

football).




of Kemari in Kyoto


The traditional game of Kemari is played in Heian Period dress (794-1185)

This Kemari was played at the Shiramine Jingu, a shrine to the God Seidai Myojin who

is popularly known as the god of sports, and especially soccer and the day is celebration

of the Emperor Junnin who is buried at the shrine.

It is a non-competitive sport.The object of Kemari is to keep one ball in the air, with all players cooperating

to do so. Players may use any body part with the exception of arms and hands – their head, feet, knees,

back, and depending on the rules, elbows to keep the ball aloft. The ball, known as a mari, is made of

deerskin with the hair facing inside and the hide on the outside. The ball is stuffed with barley grains to

give it shape. When the hide has set in this shape, the grains are removed from the ball, and it is then

sewn together using the skin of a horse.


The one who kicks the ball is called a mariashi. A good mariashi makes it easy for the receiver to

control the mari, and serves it with a soft touch to make it easy to keep the mari in the air.



of Kemari in Kyoto

19




THE BIG PICTURE


18


BEHIND THE SCENES

BEHIND THE SCENES

SHREWSBURY TOWN v LIVERPOOL

SHREWSBURY TOWN v LIVERPOOL

Emirates FA Cup

Fourth Round

Sunday 26 January 2020

AAA

Emirates FA Cup

Fourth Round

Sunday 26 January 2020

AAA

ACCESS ALL AREAS

ACCESS ALL AREAS


GAMES FOR LEAGUE ONE CLUBS

DON’T COME MUCH BIGGER THAN

HOSTING THE CURRENT WORLD AND

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS ON YOUR

OWN PATCH IN THE GREATEST CUP

COMPETITION IN THE WORLD.

Shrewsbury Town had

been drawn out of the

hat against Jurgen

Klopp’s Liverpool and

for club photographers

AMA Sports Photo Agency it was

an opportunity to capture some

unique and exclusive pictures that

would tell the story for years to

come. The occasion was made

all the more exciting when a

call from The Times newspaper

requested some exclusive ‘behind

the scenes’ pictures.

Words and pictures by

James Baylis

// The Times exclusive behind the scenes feature

was to go deeper into a football club than

ever heard of before //

With the extra commission on

top of the usual matchday tasks

it was decided that AMA would

increase the photographers at

the game from the usual solitary

snapper to four. Joining me at

the Meadow on that Sunday

afternoon were Matthew Ashton,

Nicola Sua and James Williamson.

Matthew, the owner of the

agency had taken the call from

The Times picture editor during

the week and plans were made

to embellish our behind the


scenes set of pictures with some

exclusive content. Ideas included

Jurgen Klopp and co. entering

the stadium - walking down the

tunnel past mural images of

every previous Shrewsbury Town

logo. Shrewsbury manager Sam

Ricketts talking to BBC Match of

the Day pundits before kick off.

FA Cup branded shirts hanging up

in the dressing rooms, souvenir

matchday programmes and so the

list of ideas went on…

With our plans laid out and

instructions shared out amongst

the four of us we believed to be

well prepared for the task that

lay ahead. That is until the day

took a very unexpected turn

when The Times feature football

reporter Tom Roddy turned up

and confirmed that with the

permission of manager Sam

Ricketts and Head of Performance

Jon Pitts we had been granted

nn Manager Sam Ricketts

deliveres some final

pre-match instructions

unprecedented access to the

dressing rooms.

The Times exclusive behind the

scenes feature was to go deeper

into a football club than ever

heard of before. Reporting on

and photographing a manager

delivering his pre-match, half-time

and post-match talk, win, lose or

draw.

It’s not very often if at all that

photographers and journalists

are granted unlimited access to

a football clubs dressing room.

The dressing room is regarded

as the inner sanctum of the

football stadium where players

and managers feel safe and at

ease away from the glare of long

camera lenses and countless

requests for selfies.

Tom had dared to ask the

unthinkable question and despite

the magnitude of the game

and financial importance of the

occasion Town’s management

had the foresight to realise that it

would do no great harm and serve

as a fantastic public relations

exercise for the club.

Photographing the players in

the dressing room when young

mascots get to meet their heroes

an hour or so before kick off is

something that we do on a regular

matchday and when Town beat

Bristol City in the previous round

some post match celebratory

dressing room pics were also

allowed.

As a photographer working

for a club it’s important to build

up a strong bond of trust with

the manager, coaches and the

players. I believe that part of

achieving that relationship is

being conscious of their space and

knowing when it’s time to make

yourself scarce.

The approach on the day of

nn Fitness Coach Andy Johnson

hangs up the players’ match

shirts in the dressing room

// The

dressing

room

didn’t hide

too many

secrets //

the big game needed to be no

different than any other despite

the unprecedented access. We

were made to feel welcome

and nothing seemed to be off

limits, Jon wanted to check a

few pictures before print but the

dressing room didn’t hide too

many secrets. Tom had already

spent some time with Ricketts and

the players at the training ground

in the build-up to the game and

much of his feature-length article

was prepared before matchday.

Additional material was to be

added from our behind the scenes

experience.

I was fortunate enough to

have the opportunity to go into

the dressing room in the early

afternoon before the players

arrived at the ground. I wanted to

get some scene setting pictures,

Matt and Nicola joined me and

between us we photographed just

about everything we could from

every conceivable angle.

This was the perfect opportunity

to tweak camera settings and nail

the exposure. I decided to set up

two camera bodies, one with a 70-

200mm lens and the other with a

shorter 24-70mm lens. I also put a

14mm prime in my jacket pocket

but for obvious reasons I had to

leave the flash in the camera bag.

Preparing the dressing room

for the game was kitman Rory

McVicar, first team sports

therapist Gregg Jones and fitness

coach Andy Johnson. I needed to

do some preparation of my own

and what I really needed to know

was where would manager Sam

Ricketts stand to deliver his teamtalk?

Taking advice from the lads

as they hung shirts on hangers

and neatly placed boots together

under benches I decided that the

entrance by the shower block was

going to be the best place to work

from.

It was going to be a tight

squeeze and unfortunately slightly

obstructed by a large cabinet in

the middle of the dressing room

floor but it was the only place

where I was going to get a clean

picture of Ricketts delivering his

instructions.

The items on the cabinet

featured heavily in Tom’s article.

nn Medical supplies and food is

laid out ready for the players



“There wasn’t any ranting or raving, any blame

proportioned for mistakes made or coffee cups

thrown, everyone remained calm and focussed and

the game-plan remained very much the same”

Well stocked with a lot of what

you would expect to see in a

sports dressing room, bottles

of water, caffeine pouches,

beetroot juice and wellsqueezed

tubes of Deep Heat.

When it was time to get into

position, Jon ushered us in to

listen to Ricketts pre-match

talk. Standing together in the

corner of the dressing room by

the entrance to the showers

Tom scribbled down his notes

whilst I tried my best to click

away as discretely as possible.

I took some wide angle

pictures of the dressing room

to illustrate where we were

and then some tighter frames

focussing on just Ricketts using

the longer lens.

With the help of a white

board and TV monitor Ricketts

delivered his final pre-match

instructions. It was evident that

most of the tactical work was

done on the training ground

in the days leading up to the

game. All that remained for

the coaching staff to do was

to deliver a few final pointers,

some subtle reminders

followed by some rousing

words of encouragement.



The referee rang the buzzer

and it was time for the players to

line up in the tunnel which was

our cue for a hasty exit out of

the dressing room. Whilst I took

up a position pitchside ready to

photograph the match, Tom found

somewhere quiet to sit and write

up his notes. It wasn’t Tom’s role

to watch the game and produce

a match report, The Times chief

football writer Henry Winter was

in the stadium to do that.

The feature was to be published

in the following day’s edition of

‘The Game’ the Times’ football

pull-out so we were both working

to a tight deadline and would

have to file our copy and pictures

soon after the final whistle.

The half-time whistle blew and

although Shrewsbury had played

well against their Premier League

opponents they found themselves

a goal down and facing an FA Cup

exit live on the BBC.

Tom and I dashed back from

our vantage points to listen to

Ricketts delivering his thoughts

on a first-half performance that

he felt deserved better, Town had

created plenty of good chances

but couldn’t find the leveller.

There wasn’t any ranting or

raving, any blame proportioned

for mistakes made or coffee cups

thrown, everyone remained calm

and focussed and the game-plan

remained much the same.

Just like before I was trying to

be as inconspicuous as possible

the last thing I wanted was to

be noticeable to the players

when Ricketts or his assistant

Graham Barrow were delivering

their words of wisdom. I didn’t

want anyone to be able to

say afterwards that they were

distracted by what I was doing

there.



// The

players just

wanted to

go to

Anfield //

When you are sat working at

the side of a football pitch, half

time can be an important time

for the photographer. Time to

move position - gather up all your

equipment in a rush and race your

colleagues to the other end of the

ground or time to download and

wire pictures from your laptop.

Time to sort out any technical

problems with WIFI or time to get

warm with a hot drink on a cold

afternoon.

Inside the Shrewsbury Town

dressing room 15 minutes seemed

like a long time. Ricketts and

Barrow spoke for no-more than a

matter of a few minutes at most.

The players were then left to

their own devices. Their manager

moving amongst them speaking

to some individually, whilst others

spoke words of encouragement

to each other, some used the time

to take on energy supplements.

Others sat quietly reflecting on a

second half that could define so

much for their season.

The final whistle blew and

Shrewsbury Town substitute

Jason Cummings returned to

the dressing room the ‘hero of

the hour’, the stuff of FA Cup

dreams, a second-half substitute

appearance and a brace of goals

to earn Shrewsbury a lucrative

replay at Anfield.

For a photographer or journalist

it couldn’t off been a better end

to the first chapter of the story…

for those who don’t know Jason,

he’s a footballer who loves a

prank or too - just ask Sky Sports!

Cummings willingly posed for the

numerous post-match picture

requests and selfies swiftly

nn The Joker! Super-sub Jason Cummings

with his trademark goal celebration

followed by TV, radio and written

press interviews and he seemed

to be enjoying his moment in

the spotlight. The likeable Town

striker was going to be on the

back pages of all tomorrow’s

newspapers.

Cummings didn’t disappoint in

the dressing room either, grabbing

team-mate and best friend Shaun

Whalley by the head and landing

him a big kiss to Shaun’s delight

and then producing his infamous

‘Joker’ tattoo smile for the

camera!

The celebrations in the dressing

room weren’t over-the-top by

any means, everybody showed

obvious pleasure with the

prospect of a trip to the home of

the Premier League champions

elect. Ricketts joked that the

game was there to be won but

that the players just wanted to go

to Anfield and accepted the draw!

Food for the players soon

arrived, a few more pictures were

taken but the players were keen

to hit the showers and it was time

to leave them alone.

It was an unforgettable

experience and a privilege

to be trusted by the club and

management to have been

granted such unprecedented

access.



amasportsphotoagency



The

BOYS

of Hout Bay

A photographic study


Matthew Ashton



Hout Bay is a costal suburb of Cape Town with a mix

of neighbourhoods from the very rich to the very

poor.

It lies in a valley on the Atlantic Seaboard of the Cape

Peninsula and is 20km south of the Central Business

District of Cape Town.

GPS -34.028611 / 18.361944

Hout Bay is the Afrikaans Houtbaai from the Dutch for

“Wood Bay”

The 18 hectre site supports 20,000 people living in

cramped and squalid conditions with no plumbing, roads

or any discernible infrastructure for sustainable living.





My first FIFA World Cup - Russia 2018

ROBBIE JAY BARRATT



Russia was different t'Yorkshire

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In sit amet egestas magna. Nunc et convallis enim.

Vestibulum interdum lobortis lacus, in imperdiet tellus volutpat et. Nunc nulla enim, tincidunt quis hendrerit

eu, sodales vitae augue. Phasellus non magna ac lectus varius imperdiet. Donec aliquet cursus lacinia. Integer

at nulla laoreet erat pretium venenatis.

Donec eget volutpat diam. In id mollis libero. Praesent sed est venenatis ipsum commodo rhoncus. Aenean

ut bibendum ex, et elementum eros. Nam malesuada interdum mi non faucibus. Nunc in sapien fermentum,

placerat enim eget, pharetra sapien. Donec a quam maximus, lobortis augue pretium, varius ex. Ut interdum

urna at neque suscipit cursus ut et nibh.

Aliquam elementum efficitur eros, in vulputate leo tristique eu. Duis efficitur risus ut odio tincidunt volutpat.

Nulla facilisi. Vivamus fringilla lectus a libero volutpat mattis. Cras ac venenatis purus. In sed volutpat ipsum.

Phasellus id justo at risus dignissim maximus. Mauris tristique nunc non tincidunt posuere. Cras diam ex,

tempus sit amet pharetra non, semper euismod sem. Maecenas et ornare massa. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,

consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin malesuada porttitor mi a suscipit. Aliquam at congue nisi. Cras et consectetur

augue.

Proin egestas posuere mauris non dictum. Donec quis faucibus nisl. Phasellus sollicitudin sapien vel aliquet

cursus. Nunc at posuere elit. Morbi tellus neque, vulputate at auctor sed, porttitor eget massa. Praesent euismod,

leo id rutrum sollicitudin, sapien mauris commodo purus, quis eleifend nunc massa at urna. Pellentesque

at tellus sit amet metus varius maximus ut eu purus. Morbi pretium magna eget luctus sollicitudin. Phasellus

dapibus posuere viverra. Nullam consequat pellentesque laoreet. Nunc condimentum mi volutpat mauris sollicitudin

condimentum. Suspendisse tempus ante elit, a condimentum ex dictum non. Vestibulum tempus

gravida dictum.

Suspendisse potenti. Fusce sollicitudin, enim in elementum porttitor, nunc purus maximus lectus, vel porttitor

lectus ligula id enim. Aenean egestas risus vel nibh fermentum, vitae venenatis eros varius. Maecenas id pellentesque

nibh. Sed tortor justo, tincidunt non vulputate nec, finibus et nulla. Nullam non augue sit amet ante

sagittis posuere sit amet sit amet enim. Vivamus tempus urna ipsum. Donec eu lectus ante. Morbi maximus

pellentesque augue nec cursus. Nam vel volutpat diam, eget bibendum ex. Proin vel egestas ligula, id elementum

enim.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In sit amet egestas magna. Nunc et convallis enim.

Vestibulum interdum lobortis lacus, in imperdiet tellus volutpat et. Nunc nulla enim, tincidunt quis hendrerit

eu, sodales vitae augue. Phasellus non magna ac lectus varius imperdiet. Donec aliquet cursus lacinia. Integer

at nulla laoreet erat pretium venenatis.

Donec eget volutpat diam. In id mollis libero. Praesent sed est venenatis ipsum commodo rhoncus. Aenean

ut bibendum ex, et el Proin egestas posuere mauris non dictum. Donec quis faucibus nisl. Phasellus sollicitudin

sapien vel aliquet cursus. Nunc at posuere elit. Morbi tellus neque, vulputate at auctor sed, porttitor eget

massa. Praesent euismod, leo id rutrum sollicitudin, sapien mauris commodo purus, quis eleifend nunc massa

at urna. Pellentesque at tellus sit amet metus varius maximus ut eu purus. Morbi pretium magna eget luctus

sollicitudin. Phasellus dapibus posuere viverra. Nullam consequat pellentesque laoreet. Nunc condimentum

mi volutpat mauris sollicitudin condimentum. Suspendisse tempus ante elit, a condimentum ex dictum non.

Vestibulum tempus gravida dictum.






enim. ementum eros. Nam malesuada interdum mi non faucibus. Nunc in sapien fermentum, placerat

enim eget, pharetra sapien. Donec a quam maximus, lobortis augue pretium, varius ex. Ut interdum urna at

neque suscipit cursus ut et nibh.

Aliquam elementum efficitur eros, in vulputate leo tristique eu. Duis efficitur risus ut odio tincidunt volutpat.

Nulla facilisi. Vivamus fringilla lectus a libero volutpat mattis. Cras ac venenatis purus. In sed volutpat ipsum.

Phasellus id justo at risus dignissim maximus. Mauris tristique nunc non tincidunt posuere. Cras diam ex,

tempus sit amet pharetra non, semper euismod sem. Maecenas et ornare massa. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,

consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin malesuada porttitor mi a suscipit. Aliquam at congue nisi. Cras et consectetur

augue.

Proin egestas posuere mauris non dictum. Donec quis faucibus nisl. Phasellus sollicitudin sapien vel aliquet

cursus. Nunc at posuere elit. Morbi tellus neque, vulputate at auctor sed, porttitor eget massa. Praesent euismod,

leo id rutrum sollicitudin, sapien mauris commodo purus, quis eleifend nunc massa at urna. Pellentesque

at tellus sit amet metus varius maximus ut eu purus. Morbi pretium magna eget luctus sollicitudin. Phasellus

dapibus posuere viverra. Nullam consequat pellentesque laoreet. Nunc condimentum mi volutpat mauris sollicitudin

condimentum. Suspendisse tempus ante elit, a condimentum ex dictum non. Vestibulum tempus

gravida dictum.






enim.

ROBBIE JAY BARRATT



19 May 2013


Adam Fradgley

5WEST

BROMWICH

ALBION

5MANCHESTER

UNITED


ergie’s


Farewell

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

IN NUMBERS

13

Premier League

titles

5

FA Cup wins

1

European Super Cup win

10

Community Shield wins

1500

GAMES


2

Champions

League titles

1

European Cup

Winners cup win

4

League Cup wins

1

FIFA Club World

Cup wins

1

Intercontinental

Cup win

Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United lifts the FA Barclays Premier League Trophy on 22 May 2011 / picture by Matthew Ashton

LET’S REWIND THE CLOCK BACK

TO THE 2012/13 SEASON. IT’S LATE

AT NIGHTS AND I’M SAT IN A CAR

WITH SOME OF THE ALBION MEDIA

TEAM. WE ARE DRIVING HOME FROM

A MID-WEEK AWAY FIXTURE AT

MANCHESTER CITY.

The laptop is out and the usual

process of editing, captioning and

filing images is well underway.

We had lost the match 1-0,

but were more than safe in

the league and the end of

another long season traveling

the motorways of England was

drawing to a close - when it

happened…

The news broke. Phones started

beeping as texts and news alerts

started coming in. Then updates

on the car radio confirmed what

had been rumours just moments

earlier. Yes, the mighty Sir Alex

Ferguson, Manchester United’s

most successful manager was set

to retire at the end of the season.

Chatter was all about do you

remember when Sir Alex did this

or Manchester United did that?

It was all about romancing the

past and full of anecdotes we all


shared in. When, I changed the

mood for everyone, especially the

then head of communications.

All I said was,

“…guys have you remembered

who United play last game of the

season, and where..?”

The thought of hosting the

last ever match of the greatest

manager of the most successful

team in Premier League history

was dawning on us all. It was

going to be a busy, or more like

frenetic, last game of the season.

Media enquiries and photo-pass

requests were set to be on an

immense global scale.

The reality was sinking in –

just imagining managing the

media, TV, radio, photographers,

journalists etc. was quickly

becoming the stuff of nightmares!

Plus, what was the match day

programme going to be like,

surely a special edition required,

a tribute to the great man,

historical facts and features, the

content needed, the deadline to

do it in, as there were literally

two weeks of the season left.

Demand for Albion News (the

club match-day programme)

on the day was unprecedented

with sales of them selling faster

than the proverbial hotcakes,

sometimes a box at a time!

So the big day arrived and

after 26 years as manager of

Manchester United Sir Alex was

bowing out on his 1500th game in

charge.

What happened next, was the

stuff of a film plot….

After 90 minutes the final score

was 5-5.

Just shooting the match action,

goals and celebrations pitchside

had made for a crazily busy

period.

Sir Alex in his tenure at United

had never given up a three goal

lead in a match. United get three

ahead and they win, period. But in

this Fergie’s farewell match twice

the Red’s had been three goals

up and twice the Baggies pegged

them back. (0-3 & 2-5 ending 5-5)

That alone was a headline,

a West Brom hat-trick from a

youngster on loan to us from

Chelsea, a certain Romelu Lukaku

was another. It was Paul Scholes

last game too as he was also

retiring, so there was yet another.

Media enquiries and photo-pass

requests were set to be on an

immense global scale.

For me on the day there had

been the match to shoot, the ten

goals and celebrations with an

Albion hat-trick against United

thrown in for good measure, plus

the retirement of managerial

legend Sir Alex, as he ended his

illustrious career, farewell of

another United legend as Scholes

stepped down from playing, plus

an on pitch guard of honour

for Fergie, records broken, plus

football fans all over the stadium

only too glad to have managed

to get one of the season’s hottest

tickets - so pick your image from

those opportunities and get them

on the wire ASAP was all that was

going around my head.

The farewell was nearly over.

But for me there was one more

image that I desperately wanted

to capture. All day it had been on

my mind.

In fact, ever since the

announcement of Sir Alex’s

retirement, whilst travelling south

on the M6 late at night, it had

been on my mind.


The image I wanted was the

last moment of Sir Alex as United

boss – I had imagined it to be

Sir Alex Ferguson walking down

the corridor alone, away from

the dressing room one last time

heading out of the stadium and

“SIR ALEX IN HIS TENURE

AT UNITED HAD NEVER

GIVEN UP A THREE GOAL

LEAD IN A MATCH”


getting onto the team coach,

waving goodbye, as the patient

fans that had gathered were

chanting his name. All as I had

dreamed it would be, making for

that one special image.

However, it was not to be quite

that straight forward.

Sir Alex was not leaving the

ground from the dressing room

as, after the match, he had

been with some of the VIPs

directors and family members in

the boardroom. The shot from

leaving there wasn’t going to

make a solitary figure walking

down a corridor. Next option was

at the team bus.

So after rushing through the

first edits, captioning and filing

my images of events so far during

the day, I headed over to the

player’s entrance. Where I waited

“IT WAS OBVIOUS

HE HAD REALLY

ENJOYED THE

RED WINE AND

HOSPITALITY IN THE

BOARDROOM, AND

RIGHTLY SO”

next to the United team coach for

what seemed like an eternity.

Slowly it seemed I was not the

only one with the idea. Before

security could make the area

sterile and get it cordoned off

a few other media operatives,

mainly a Sky TV camera and

reporter along with a couple of

fellow photographers gathered,

all of them with the same

ambition, to get the last shot

of Ferguson as he left both the

stadium and the role of a football

club manager all at the same

time.

Eventually a rather rosy

and jolly Sir Alex appeared,

accompanied by MUFC head of

media.

Personally I had not captured

the moment as I imagined it to

be, of a solitary figure walking

alone away from a dressing room,

or of a manager stepping onto

the coach as he turned to wave

at the gathered masses. (Most

of the United fans had left the

area and were now on their way

to the pubs to celebrate another

successful season or on a train

back to their homes).

But I had captured Fergie’s

last moment as manager of

Manchester United Football

Club. It was obvious he had

really enjoyed the red wine and

hospitality in the boardroom,

and rightly so. He alone achieved

more than many if not most of his

contemporaries combined.

The guard of honour was the

start of the day’s proceedings and

this shot of a jolly Fergie was the

end. Then in the middle was the

90 minutes and 10 goals.



THE STORY BEHIND

THE PICTURE

“I had a couple of lovely American

photographers come up to me and say they

recognised my name from covering

Premier League games etc, which

blew my mind”

My first ever visit

over the pond to

the States. Myself

and Matt were off

to cover a few pre

seasons games out there and a

few MLS games too ....cause...why

the hell not?

I love the MLS, don’t know why...

just do.

We had just landed back from

being in Russia for a month

after covering my first ever

tournament - the Confederations

Cup and Huddersfield Town

had just been promoted to the

Premier League, so I was in pretty

good spirits.

I think I was back on English soil

for maybe a few days before we

jetted back off. Much to Soph’s

disappointment (I’m a joy to have

around so she misses me when

I’m gone)

But I did get chance to spend

my 23rd birthday at home.

This was my second MLS game

of the trip, I had previously

covered NYC v Toronto, which

was a joy to see the likes of Pirlo,

Villa and Vieira as gaffer.

From the world of knowledge

who was Matt, he had an idea of

where to go and collect my pass

for the game, which always takes

a bit of stress out of going to a

new stadium.

Upon this I fondly recall not

being on the list for the game,

but the lovely people at Orlando

were very helpful and sorted this

out as quickly as they could.

Whilst this was getting sorted I

had a couple of lovely American

photographers come up to me

and say they recognised my

name from covering Premier

League games etc, which blew

my mind.

Anyhow, they informed me

that it was a common thing for

the Orlando fans to march down

the street prior to the game

and I quote ‘its something quite

spectacular’ - that it was.

As I turned the corner from the

stadium the whole street was just

a bloom of purple smoke....so I

went and got in the mixer.

Still to this day it’s one of my

favourites.

ROBBIE JAY BARRATT

ORLANDO, USA

2017


Robbie Jay Barratt



My first overseas assignment following

the team I support so a really

exciting adventure to a beautiful

location in Austria, everything was

set up for a great time. Nuno was the new

Wolves manager and big changes were starting

to happen at the club.

The trip was overshadowed with the

devastating news that Wolves keeper Carl

Ikeme had been diagnosed with acute

leukaemia in July prior to the start of preseason.

This picture was taken on the training ground

near the Wolves hotel just outside Innsbruck.

The players and staff were keen to show their

support for Carl and this picture was sent back

to his Wolverhampton home.

I climbed up the rickety gantry where the

analysts had been filming training to take this

picture of the whole club staff on the trip.

I’ve bent the rules and added a second picture

which is from the same trip.

I think it was day two of seven and after a

hard morning session the players were sent to

the hotel rooftop to cool down in the outdoor

swimming pool. I followed with a new Canon

EOS 1DX MKII with a short lens attached and

wearing my trunks.

Despite a warning from Wolves coach Joao

Lapa that this probably wasn’t a good idea I

proceeded to follow the players into the pool

and found a ledge with a nice vantage point to

THE STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE

Splashes with

Wolves

photograph from.

This was the last photo I took

before the inevitable happened and

I fell head first into the pool, fully

submerged with kit in hand.

All was not lost…. the compact flash

card was OK, I managed to salvage

the pictures, surprisingly the lens too,

but the body was nothing more than

a paper-weight for the rest of the

tour.

Embarrassed and devastated I

spent the rest of the tour with one

working camera body and the butt of

everyone’s jokes a group meal times.

It was an ice-breaker though and a

few of the players and staff members

still like to tease me about three

years on!


James Baylis

40



41

ROBBIE JAY BARRATT

LILLE FRANCE

2015

THE STORY

BEHIND THE

PICTURE


Robbie Jay Barratt

I

think this was the start to a

48 hour day (TWO games in a

day!)

After travelling down to

London on a delayed Grand

Central train to nearly miss my

Eurostar train to Lille.

Straight to the match I was tired

after already a looooong old day,

a three hour plus train journey to

London for me as it is.

Knowing this game was only

a friendly match it allowed to

have a bit more freedom to sit

somewhere a bit different and

produce the pictures that was

required from the game.

As it was Brazil v Japan we had

clients who were requiring a top

standard from us.

Luckily Neymar was being his

usual self right in front of where I

decided to plonk myself.

Following this game I jumped

back on the train to head to Paris

to cover France v Wales.

42



43

MATTHEW ASHTON

Birmingham, 2007

Story

The

BEHIND THE PICTURE

“some think footballers are stupid”


I

had been photographing

Simple Minds on tour in

Europe. My approcach to gigs

was the same as my football

- if I see it, shoot it and work

in an instinctive fashion.

However I was walking around

during a concert and saw Jim

Kerr singing Chelsea girl and saw

a picture.

At the next gig I waited until

the said song but my results were

quite not what I wanted.

I worked hard for seven

concerts repeating and trying

different way to achieve the


in my head and eventually in

London I got it!

I returned to my normal

football work and went to

Aston Villa v Arsenal. Every

photographers approach is so

different.

Some think deeply about what

they want to do prior to a game,

others like myself just do and

work instincively with an open

mind as I do not do hope and like

to avoid disappointment.

However on this day for some

reason I decided that I would get

a great action picture to cement

my belief that I should carry on

with football and not work with

Simple Minds!

Before then my favorite action

shot took place in Itay - Bologna

v Fiorentina but with football you

can only get a great picture of say

a player doing an over head kick,

if he does an overhead kick and

then the picture has to be sharp,

well framed and importantly

not blocked by anything or

have anything annoying in the

backgrond.

Well at Villa Park, the planets

aligned and two players went for

a high ball.

Many frequently ask, how did

I get such and such a picture

but the answer is always I do

not know! But to me that is the

perfect answer.

Some think footballers are

stupid and when asked after

a game how they scored a

wonderful goal simply reply so

and so crossed it and I just hit it.

The reply has no depth or

meaning to it but as they train

every day, repetitive instinct kicks

in and indeed they just hit the

ball - but with weeks, months and

years of practice and experience

behind them.

The

Story

BEHIND THE PICTURE

“THE BIG BUZZ OFF”

There’s plenty of

unseen preparation

that goes into a

football club’s

photo call day and

the Shrewsbury

Town event is no exception.

A lot of it is done by the clubs

Communications department led

by Media Manager Ian Whitfield.

He draws up the plans of who is

going to sit where and helps the

day run that bit more smoothly.

This allows us to concentrate

on the technical details. But

no matter the amount of

preparation, nothing can account

for an unwanted intrusion

holding up proceedings.

Time is usually of the essence

on occasions such as these,

the players and management

are keen to run through the

proceedings as quickly as

possible without hesitation or too

much patience. Quite often if it’s

an early start they will be training

in the afternoon or they will have

other media duties to attend to.

With the playing and

management staff picture

complete, which is the one

that you normally see in the

programme and local press

its time for the VIP’s to join

the group. Usually this picture

doesn’t see the light of day but

it often hangs proudly framed

in the club’s boardroom. Club

directors, senior members of

staff and most importantly the

chairman are invited to take a

seat on the front row.

One last quick check to make

sure that the set up is OK, then

out of the corner of my eye as

I’m peeking into the viewfinder I

see that that the players standing

on the back and middle rows

are suddenly ducking and diving

around, their arms flailing around

their heads as they swat away a

rogue wasp that is intent upon

spoiling the party!

I could see those on the front

row, mostly the club’s hierarchy

starting to stare impatiently

at me, wondering why I hadn’t

clicked a frame yet, completely

unaware of what was going on

behind them. The wasp wasn’t

in a hurry to buzz off and as the

seconds passed away it felt like a

lot longer as we waited for things

to calm down before taking the

picture.

JAMES BAYLIS

Shrewsbury, 2018

“suddenly ducking and diving around”



Super Fury

ANIMALS

Mascots are a colourful and fun addition

to any football match and are great to

photograph.





AMA_SHOWCASE_v4

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?