Watford Personalised Gifts
Our Watford Gifts are unofficial products, and are in no way affiliated with Watford FC, unless specifically stated in the product information.
Watford Memorabilia and Gift Ideas
GoneDigging has a fabulous range of personalised Watford merchandise, including unique memorabilia and great gift ideas. Below you will find a selection of our most popular Watford gifts and a few interesting facts about the Hornets.
Brief History of Watford FC
Watford FC was formed in 1881 and the club turned professional in 1887. After competing in the Southern Division for many years, the Hornets became founder members of the southern section of the Third Division in 1920. Watford began to show real signs of progress in the late 1960s, reaching the Second Division for the first time in 1969 and contesting the FA Cup semi-final one year later. The success made the Hornets even more ambitious for First Division football. Pop superstar Sir Elton John was also hoping for great things for his boyhood club and he joined the Hornets as president in 1973, switching to chairman in 1976. Graham Taylor was soon appointed the Watford manager. He formed a terrific partnership with his chairman and together they led Watford to the top flight. The Hornets joined the First Division in 1982 and finished their first season as runners-up to Liverpool. This fantastic result led to qualification for the UEFA Cup. Watford competed in Europe for the first time during the following season and the team also reached the FA Cup final. Sir Elton John and Graham Taylor stepped down from their respective positions in the late 1980s and the team was soon relegated. However, the duo returned in 1997 and led the club back to the top flight. Since the beginning of the new millennium, Watford has reached various domestic cup semi-finals.
Did you know…
Watford FC is nicknamed “The Hornets" due to the team’s yellow and black home strip. In earlier years, the club was known as “The Brewers", as Watford used to be sponsored by the Wells and Benskins breweries. This sponsorship was essential to the purchase of Vicarage Road Stadium.
The Hornets have played at Vicarage Road since 1922. They moved here from Casino Road and the inaugural match was contested against Millwall. Vicarage Road has a current capacity of almost 20,000 spectators and the stadium also hosts the Saracens rugby club. Watford FC was forced to sell the ground in 2003 due to financial problems. However, fans began a ‘Let’s buy back the Vic’ campaign, which led to donations from match-goers and support from high profile fans, such as Sir Elton John. Watford repurchased Vicarage Road Stadium in 2005 for €8.99.6 million.
Watford Memorabilia
We offer an exciting range of Personalised Watford Gifts, which includes various items of club memorabilia. These presents can be kept for years to come and they are a terrific idea for any fan of the Hornets.
Our Personalised Watford Football Book incorporates a variety of match reports written by journalists who were there at the time. This reproduced newspaper coverage forms a fascinating record of some of the biggest games in the club’s history.
The Football Book features a selection of classic league matches such as play-off finals, relegation escapes and Second Division title wins. Other league highlights include high-scoring games and impressive performances against some of the top teams in the country. A few examples of these matches are the 8-0 trouncing of Sunderland and the 4-2 win against Arsenal in 1982, the 5-1 mauling of Manchester United in 1985, the 1-5 triumph over Chelsea in 1986 and the 1-0 win against Liverpool in 2006. The Watford Book features historic runs to the latter stages of the domestic cup competitions and we also include some key matches from earlier rounds. You can read about the 1-2 win against Manchester United in the 1978 League Cup third round, the 7-1 thrashing of Southampton in the 1980 League Cup second round, the 1-3 defeat of Arsenal in the 1987 FA Cup quarter-final and the dramatic tie against Sheffield Wednesday in the 1998 FA Cup third round, which went to penalties. We also incorporate the Hornets’ first ever match in Europe, which was played against Kaiserslautern and took place in 1983.
Twelve of the best match reports are also featured in our Personalised Watford Diary and Personalised Watford Calendar. Games include the 0-2 victory against Bolton in 1999 and the 3-0 defeat of Leeds United in 2006, which guaranteed promotion to the Premiership. We also incorporate an article on the appointment of Dave Bassett in 1987 and feature impressive wins against teams such as Liverpool, Southampton and Kaiserslautern. Both gifts can start from the month of your choice and they are a fantastic way to keep track of future events, whilst reminiscing upon former glory days.
More Gift Ideas
Fans of the Hornets can have a say in the future of the club by purchasing a genuine Watford Share. This unique gift includes a shareholders registration sheet and a certificate of authenticity. Recipients will also receive annual reports on the team and invitations to attend AGMs.
Our Personalised Watford Commentaries make unusual and entertaining presents for fans of the Hornets. A professional radio commentator will record an original commentary, based upon your choice of match highlights. Your recipient could become the hero of Vicarage Road by saving a crucial penalty, providing a great assist or scoring a stunning last-minute goal. In doing so, they could also be nominated as Man of the Match.
Another fun gift idea is a Spoof Newspaper Headline. Recipients can become Player of the Year or a famous Watford Old-Timer. Alternatively, they could be the Star Performer in a convincing win for the Hornets against a team of your choice.