Before The Game Was Gone launches on CounterPress aiming to become the home of retro football coverage

Miss the football of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s? You’re in luck! A new site dedicated entirely to retro football is coming soon to CounterPress.

Before The Game Was Gone is set to launch on CounterPress next month, and aims to become the home of the very best retro football coverage.

The site is fronted by Rich Chamberlain, a journalist with 20 years of experience and, more importantly, a retro football fanatic.

As a journalist, Rich has written for the likes of FourFourTwo and These Football Times. He also published Euro 96: The Full Story, a Kickstarter book which smashed its funding target within two hours of launch.

Having spent almost two decades writing about sport and popular culture, Rich has launched Before The Game Was Gone to celebrate football's golden age, with a particular focus on the 1980s and 1990s.

Combining exclusive interviews with former players, managers and the people behind football's most memorable television programmes and video games, the publication aims to tell the stories behind an era that continues to hold a special place in supporters' hearts.

Rich said: “I grew up watching Renford Rejects and checking Ceefax while eating my breakfast. I would watch Football Italia, Super Sunday and Monday Night Football without fail before tuning into Fantasy Football League.

“When I wasn’t watching football, I would be playing Sensible Soccer and Championship Manager before heading out to swap Merlin football stickers with friends.

“If any of this sounds familiar – Before The Game Was Gone is the perfect site for you.”

Before The Game Was Gone’s early interest waiting list is now open ahead of a full launch in the coming weeks.

Retro football fans keen to explore the platform can secure an exclusive discount on membership by adding their details to the mailing list today.

The site joins a growing number of football titles on CounterPress, which includes another outlet founded by Rich - The Phoenix - which covers Coventry City.

Other prominent titles include The Moonraker (Swindon Town), Full Throstle (West Bromwich Albion), From Bromley With Love (Bromley FC), Forever Blues (Birmingham City), Leyton Orientear (Leyton Orient) Saturday White Fever (Fulham), The Wanderers Post (Wolves) and The 1878 (Manchester United).

More than 50 outlets have now signed up to CounterPress, covering a range of sports including football, cricket, rugby union, badminton, motorsports, futsal and esports.

CounterPress offers the technical infrastructure and industry knowledge and support that journalists and creators need to build their own media brand.

Co-founder Sam Morshead said: “Before The Game Was Gone promises to be a goldmine of retro royalty. Rich has the knowledge, and perhaps more importantly, the nerdiness needed to bring football’s glorious past to life.

“BTGWG promises plenty for a niche audience who know the value of the way things were. They will be wholly served by Rich. This is going to be a lot of fun.”