Gunflash (Arsenal)

Gunflash has everything an Arsenal fan needs, a good balance of word and photo also some cool trivia.

Arsenal Football Supporters Club Gunflash Issue 500

Worlds Oldest Football Fanzine?

The Arsenal Supporters' Club was founded at the beginning of the 1949-50 season, on the 1st September 1949, a seven-page A4 newsletter was circulated amongst its members. Further newsletters were then sent out on a monthly basis, and the fourth newsletter was published in the form of a magazine, but without an official title.

In the December issue, members were invited to give the magazine a name, and in January 1950, (issue 5) the name GUNFLASH was born. The name was picked by the executive committee from what was described as an "overwhelming response from club members."

Fanzines are quite commonplace these days, with virtually every club having at least one, but in the forties and fifties, they were unheard of, Arsenal Football Supporters' Club feels that it has a genuine claim to owning England's oldest football fanzine, probably the world's oldest. This has been researched to the best of our ability and we are still waiting to find another fanzine that is can get anywhere near this feat.

After 56 years, Gunflash has now reached a remarkable landmark of Issue No 500 which is on sale from Saturday 5th March for the home fixture against Portsmouth. It is a special edition and we are reproducing extracts from the very first edition, looking back through the years and previous copies as well as making it a bumper edition all for its usual price of £2.00.

Gunflash is sold all around the world via subscription to Arsenal fans who usually cannot attend the matches themselves, or to fans who do attend who just like to read it for its opinions and wish to be kept up to date with all of the news and views that are topical, they get to read all of the match reports as well as a way of expressing your own point of view via the letters pages. Most of the pictures used are supplied by Arsenal Football Club official photographers so their quality is truly superb.

Copies of this edition (and any other edition) can be obtained by visiting Arsenal Football Supporters' Club. or from the sellers on the street on matchdays, Alternatively, you can apply by writing to:

Gunflash, C/O AFSC, 154, St. Thomas' Road, London N4 2QP. Cheques / Postal orders (for £2.50 / U.K., 3 Eire & Euro, 3.50 R.O.W. incl. p&p) should be made payable to AFSC. Or visiting www.arsenal.org.uk