And You’ll Never Know, a photo series by Conrad Tracy, Course Leader on BA (Hons) Commercial Photography at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), has been published by Lower Block, a publisher that curates the best photography celebrating football culture and lifestyle from around the world.
Following Port Vale FC from Burslem, in Stoke-on-Trent North Staffordshire, at both home and away matches from 1993–95, the series is "a perfect mix of match days on the terraces, celebrations and pitch invasions, pints down the pub, football grub and intimate portraits of fans that celebrate the wide demographic of Vale’s fanbase."
Conrad’s documentary series developed from a passion project while he was studying for his MA in Visual Communication (Photography) at Birmingham City University (then University of Central England).
“I had gone to see Vale play at York City on New Year’s Day 1994 and just shot a few rolls of film, just documenting the day," Conrad explains. "This led to a conversation with my MA tutor, a change of project plan, and that was it, I ended up documenting Vale fans, home and away, for two seasons, 1993/94 and '94/95, attending over 75 games.
“I have photographed in all sorts of situations, covering a real breadth of socio-cultural backgrounds, but football grounds, to me, are the richest environments when making work, for many reasons, especially when the ground, like Vale Park, is based in the heart of, what is now, a post-industrial working class town, as the club becomes the heart of that community. A place that allows a sense of belonging and focus, a collective sense of home.
“It’s easy to find negatives, especially for those who aren’t from football or working class backgrounds. But what people often don’t realise when making sweeping statements about bad behaviour, racism and sexism, is that, yes these things do exist, as in life outside of football stadia, but so do those who would openly stand up against inequality of all forms, and would be quick to let those know that their behaviour is unacceptable.”
And You’ll Never Know is Conrad’s second book of published photographs following It's Nice to Know You're Here, published by Out of Place Books, which sold out its first and second prints.
“The '90s resurgence has come as a bit of a surprise," Conrad says. "I think people look back on that time with nostalgia-tinted glasses on. In many ways it was a simpler time, life was less curated and more honest, which I think is reflected in this series. The photos are very much of the moment, shot on film with a simple flash held off camera.
“There’s lots about football that has changed in the last 30 or so years, just in the same way society’s changed, and not all for the better. The Premier League is outpricing the traditional working-class fanbase and the whole game is more commodified and commercial.
“But, there are lots of positive changes too. There’s less anti-social behaviour, more diverse crowds, and more women’s teams. There’s still more that can be improved of course; in Germany, they have a certain amount of affordable seating at every game so it’s as inclusive as possible – it would be nice to see that here.
“There’s also lots that’s stayed the same. The good bits. It’s still about connecting with your hometown, in some ways it’s more about community than football, it’s what knits us together. Even though I live in Bournemouth now, when I go back to see Vale play, I can go into my favourite pub near the ground, and without any prearranged meetings, bump into dozens of people I know by name. I would have easily lost touch with these people if it wasn’t for the love of the game bringing us together.
“When I go and see a team play, Vale or otherwise, I love looking around and seeing the comradeship, the families, the mix of generations, the mix of people from all walks of life, this doesn’t happen that often, and I think it’s really important. It’s known as the people’s game, and this series, And You’ll Never Know, aims to capture this, the essence of football.”
