The Big Match theme music 1974-1980

[@Bromley68]

Snow drifts, waterlogged pitches that blokes on the Somme would probably describe as "a bit muddy", short-sleeved shirts in the middle of sub-Arctic British winters, two-footed, studs-up tackles that barely got you a caution. Different game back then.

[@anthonybamford4260]

Sunday Afternoon memories of watching The BiG Match while eating your roast dinner

[@rustypiece2549]

Childhood wrapped up in a theme tune. I know it’s bloody dated, but I don’t care.

[@Sydneyslotsking]

Spot on 🎉🎉

[@sally-annharris8035]

Absolutely right 🎉

[@markjenkins5974]

Brings back childhood memories of Sunday afternoons with my dad . Football seemed so much different then . Better times .

[@TOSILENCE77]

How I long for the days when football was a sport not a business.

[@merseydave1]

Do Not Kid Yourself ... It Has Always Been a Business, however it was not so Obvious Then.

[@bwlboy123]

Back in the days when you didn't need to remortgage your home for a season ticket.

[@davidmorton2630]

And how it should be too… it was called the working man’s game for a reason.

[@teddybrownlegend]

My first season ticket at Chelsea 1974. The new East Stand had just opened and it cost £22 for the season!

[@paulcavanagh4688]

Whoever made this,please take a bow Sir, it's the best thing i've ever seen on KZbin. It made me laugh,cry,cheer,& wallow in nostalgia about past happier, carefree & wonderful times. My Sincere Thanks.🙂

[@merseydave1]

I want to echo every word you said mate.

[@timw6928]

When the game was played with no imports, proper football

[@niconumberfour]

This is one of the best theme tunes around. Reminds me of many a Sunday afternoon in front of the telly (after excusing myself from lunch early!) Remember, Modern Football is Rubbish!

[@pplpaul4747]

‘Bobby Stokes hits it and Bobby Stokes scores for Southampton’ … Brian Moore 1976

[@baddowhammerirons1653]

Brings back so many happy Sunday's sat on the sofa with my dinner watching Brian Moore introducing and commentating on so many great games.RIP Brian. COYI

[@gingerladyaubern]

Sunday afternoon,s - Brian Moore - Best theme - Just wonderfully

[@redd605]

Yes before that jack Hargreaves and Shaw Taylor ,I used to be impatience for those programs to finish to watch the big match and high chaparral with Sunday dinner

[@tsrgoinc]

When police 5 came on it started the countdown for me to The Big Match and Sunday dinner, mum hated football but knew dad and I loved it so she always timed dinner to be served up just as it ended and then sit down to watch the film that invariably followed. Happy Days, miss you mum RIP! 🙂

[@iainclark5964]

We go over to Molyneux for Wolves vs Man United. Pictures are from ATV and your commentator is Hugh Johns, a different world sadly missed.

[@sally-annharris8035]

Happy days who's listening in December 24🎉

[@joham34]

Nostalgia!! back in 77, I was 13. In Greece "big match" was broadcasted every saturday , 2 matches every time. Then, after watching both, full of spirit I would take my ball and out to the field to meet my friends in another sunny afternoon. I remember, in a match the ball hit a pigeon and Brian Moore commented on that. What memories! Thanks for the upload

[@Davidudka]

Apologies for not replying to your post sooner! Back in 1977 I was 10 and living in very rural North Wales. I used to wactch The Big Match andseem to recall it was shown on Sundays. Happy Days watching football on TV particularly when it was cold, wet and windy! Anyway I wish you well!

[@EdmundJohnson]

Does anyone know the match in which the ball hit a pigeon? I need to know.

[@kennylowe7701]

The FA Cup final when that was the highlight of the football season, not many live matches back then so BBC and ITV had a morning and afternoon of back to back football before the game, it was absolute bliss.

[@Jellybeantiger]

I watched these shows from Oz when I came home from school,how good are the anthems? When English football had a soul.70’s best! I loved Jimmy Hill. The only thing that makes me excited about football these days is the Glasgow Rangers,they still have that ole fashioned passion.

[@brandnewdan]

Still in shock after finding out this was composed by Jeff Wayne. Yes, that one, the guy that wrote the war of the worlds! My jaw is slack!

[@danielsellers8707]

No that would be the 1980s theme after this one!

[@holydiver73]

No it wasn’t.

[@bobbyo7822]

This was the game I fell in love with. Where did it all go wrong?

[@Willsey]

I know. Its too greedy and serious and woke now.

[@leemorris2924]

@@Willsey Well done dickhead, you've manage to shoehorn "woke" into the conversation.

[@Willsey]

@@leemorris2924 well is that the best you can do? The word woke really does upset you snowflakes doesnt it. Get back to uni or your left wing newspaper.

[@cuck1ngfunt]

@@WillseyBetter woke than racist like it was back in those days

[@peterkehoe481]

​@@cuck1ngfuntUser name checks out.

[@alijamal5179]

Typical 1970s. Great football great music and grest characters. Those were the days.

[@liam17582]

Brian Moore, what a guy.

[@bumble1612]

The ice,frost,snow covered pitches and the orange ball, what memories.

[@hugh.g.reckshon1252]

Brings a tear to the eye this song.

[@tag1989]

i was watching the big match on it4. i cant believe how entertaining football was in the 70's and 80's i was surprised.

[@dublinhammer]

when as a 7 year old boy the music of the big match came on and i came running hoping to see west ham or qpr on the tv. proper football memories

[@johnt7630]

Yes, used to love the QPR side of the 70s - Stan Bowles, Gerry Francis, Phil Parkes, Dave Thomas and Don Mason.

[@tsrgoinc]

Yep actually prefer this to the MOTD theme tune!

[@brianthornton6182]

Theme tune brings childhood memories of watching the Big Match every Sunday afternoon on UTV when my father would point our old TV aerial north.

[@sarahgould7296]

Hadn't heard this tune for years! My granddad used to watch all the sports programmes on a Saturday, and I grew up with the theme tunes. I loved this one, and had forgotten about it until I saw the end of a Benny Hill Show the other day. Great to hear it again!

[@dwshbag]

Good point, Could you imagine what would happen if the likes of Drogba dived in front of Tommy Smith and won a penalty! Drogba's knackers would have been strung from the goalposts.

[@bradley3487]

Good old days

[@converse91970]

What a beautiful montage, well done. To be honest, I read somewhere that this theme came out in 1974 so I think you have got the dates more or less right. A newer version came out around 1978 and last about 2-3 years. Undoubtedly the best tune ITV have ever used for football coverage, and this was about my earliest memories of watching football.

[@TripleMulti]

Nostalgic theme tune, easy to remember and very refreshing. A main match with 2 others. Brian Boore's voice will come after the tune. Glad to hear it again after so many years.

[@f0urstr1ng]

Loved Stuart Pearson's goal celebration when I was a kid. Strutting away stiff legged, teeth bared in something somewhere between a grin and a grimace, arm in the shape of a letter 'L' with a clenched fist at the end. Actually everything appeared clenched now I think of it. Great theme tune this. Didn’t hear it too often because I lived in the north west where Granada TV subjected us to all kinds of horrific musical crimes as excuses for themes. Can’t remember how they went and I’m not going searching. The Kick Off Match the show was called if you’re curious. Always preferred Gerald Sinstadt over Brian Moore (preferred Hugh Johns and Keith Macklin too) but the London show wiped the floor with the opposition when it came to themes.

[@michaeldavison604]

Remember playing drums to this with my Mum's knitting needles. I was 4

[@The.Last.Guitar.Hero.]

Playing in the snow with am orange ball...ahh that's when football was great

[@davidsanderson5918]

The Last Guitar Hero I remember very weil being on the terraces for such snow-strewn games in the biting, bitter cold. Loved it. Made getting home to a warm fire all the better.

[@scraggi]

Aaaah ,what memories ! sunday lunch and the big match ,then out in the back garden to put my football through my dads greenhouse window for the umpteenth time ,the local glazier had more of my pocket money than I did !!

[@indianscout1974]

As a “Yank” growing up and visiting family in the UK I always enjoyed “The Big Match” and English Premier Football….this brings back memories; thanks dear Sir.

[@eddisonfoncette9103]

Happy childhood memories, heart breaking to realise we've lost so many of players shown in the intro.

[@ktpuss]

Brilliant theme, I used to sing this one and ‘match of the day’ tunes in my pushchair as a baby, Mum said people used to assume it’d be a little boy in there - nope, just a baby of a footie mad family 😁

[@manmountain108]

Fabulous piece of music.

[@ninjaradish]

RIP Sir Bobby Robson. I am no West Ham fan, in fact I am a Barnsley fan, but does anyone agree that if it was possible, that Bobby Moore deserves a posthumous knighthood? Probably the best English defender, definitely in the same mould of a gentleman as Sir Bobby Robson and a sportsman to the extreme. The shot of him in the '75 FA Cup Final where he is talking to a Fulham colleague and basically saying, 'Suck it up, mate! We gave it a good shot! There's next year!' No poncy paddy fits!

[@peterkehoe1984]

The entire 1966 team deserves/deserved knighthoods. Scandalous only a few were awarded them.

[@ewanodoherty2545]

For those who’d like to know, this is called ‘La Soirée’ by David Ordini 👍

[@CIMAmotor]

2 West Ham cup final wins on there, must be the best video on youtube!

[@neilmartin1117]

Big in Australia 🇦🇺 too has a kid try to watch ever match I could

[@warrenmilford1329]

I remember this great theme music was played when it was shown in my country in the '70's. I had some friends who were children of British immigrants to my land, who followed English football, called the First Division in those days. Their teams were Stoke City and Q.P.R. so I chose one at random, to be part of it, West Bromwich Albion. Never really got into it like they did, but I do remember West Brom had three black players, quite rare at the time, who the coach knick named after the all girl black singing group 'The Three Degrees'. I remember seeing on one of 'The Big Match' telecasts that the real 'Three Degrees', went out on the pitch once to welcome the West Brom team as they run on, particularly the black, 'Three Degrees' on the team. Does anyone else remember this? P.S. Still have a soft spot for W.B.A. and hope they do well.

[@tomthomassony8607]

Warren, I remember the match you are talking about - when the 3 Degrees welcomed the players on to the pitch at West Brom. It’s great to know you, and children all over the World, were also enjoying the ‘Big Match’. I was a teenager in South London in the 1970s so often went to watch Chelsea, QPR, Wimbledon etc. Happy days!

[@karencee8405]

I remember this theme tune from my childhood,I’m in Australia,it was on ABC TV (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)in the 70s.

[@pattheslut]

Me too,it was compulsive viewing in Australia.

[@Robv93]

Was spontaneously humming this at work for ages...took me a while to track this tune down. God knows why I was humming it, i didn't even grow up in this era! lol

[@johnathanryan2117]

There might be more well known football theme tunes, but there are certainly no better. It actually matches the up and down flow of a game. Superbly done

[@cedricbaker1603]

Mistakes ITV has made: 1. Losing regional identities 2. Dropping the News At Ten 3. Dropping this theme from The Big Match

[@GriefTourist]

In the Granada area for Sunday afternoon football we had another theme tune, I'd love to hear that again.

[@merseydave1]

Great signature tune, but The Big Match only covered London and the surrounding area's Living in Liverpool (the Granada region) we had our programme called "Kick Off". The only time we heard that signature tune was when I.T.V. screened the League Cup Final highlights on the following Sunday afternoon and of-course "The Big Match" would screen it!

[@Rentaghost76]

What have we thrown away...everything of value

[@Geewalt1]

Can't imagine the overpaid ponces of today's game playing on a snow covered pitch like that at 1.40.

[@astralplainer]

🤣

[@sarahgould7296]

Yes, the snow-covered pitch, so 1970's. Not like today with heated artificial turf and health and safety regs!

[@RW-nr6bh]

​@@sarahgould7296Sweeping the lines and getting the orange or yellow ball out rarely happens now because matches simply get called off now, but I did see a match last season with swept lines and yellow ball in December last season (2022/23 for anyone reading this in the future).

[@althomas3168]

Great days.. was watching it this week, and a Spurs fan was sitting on the roof.. as the camera panned, Brian Moore said ‘and there’s the best view in the house’.. and that was it.. 😀

[@GazTheKitman]

Chopper Harris?! Tommy Smith was the hardest of the hard. Proper football, proper grounds, proper fans, how I wish I was alive during those times.

[@iangraham871]

1:45 i was there for that match. FA Cup 5th Round in the snow with the orange ball, February 1978. That was Bristol Rovers (my team) scoring the goal against Ipswich to level it at 2-2. Rovers then went on to score a third which was disallowed for offside. The replays on telly showed what we all saw live on the Saturday afternoon that the ball had ricocheted off an Ipswich defender, thereby playing all the Rovers players onside. Should have been allowed. Finished 2-2 and they thumped us 3-0 in the replay to stop us getting to the quarter-finals for the first time.

[@ga-ow7yf]

HEAVEN!

[@alanattfield7174]

My Sunday afternoon. Brian Moore what a commentator.so knowledgeable.

[@ninjaradish]

This was the theme tune on Yorkshire TV, when Keith Macklin was commentator before Martin Tyler took over from him. We followed LWT on the music front.

[@johnrobertson8263]

wonderful days

[@josephmcloughlin4517]

Beautiful 🥰

[@miles-178]

MrSmelly1977 .... :DDDD uses this intro for his fragrance reviews, sooooo funny medieval trumpets .... i´ve turned it on at our work afterparty and started to dance (in a funny retro way) ... everybody was laughing out loud .... life has to be fun !!!!!!

[@ozzy0907]

This music is available on iTunes. It is La Soiree by David Ordini. Quality.

[@StuartVallantine]

Now lovingly used by Stalybridge Celtic AFC at every home match as the pre-match theme.

[@spanishpeaches2930]

Back to a time when, as a young teenager I absolutely loved football. Don't watch it at all now. Totally ruined by greed now. There was something special about Sundays in the 70's.

[@Bromley68]

LOL @ Ray Wilkins at 0:26..he even manages to injure himself sideways

[@yesireallyam]

+Bromley68 the 1st thing i thought of when seeing that was...ah, the crab lol

[@iankemp1131]

Interesting to hear the whole of the theme tune rather than just the clip used to introduce and close the TV coverage. Lots of footage to bring back memories!

[@converse91970]

OK, many thanks and all the best!

[@protalukoriginal4560]

1:10 that part is BEATIFUL

[@converse91970]

As a postscript, the updated version of La Soiree is featured on ITV4's Big Match Revisited programmes which are currently showing re-runs of LWT and Granada TV coverage from season 1978-79. Just as catchy as the original!

[@fodsaks]

Good for them! Bet it's a cracking atmosphere.

[@kevincassidy2008]

I remember my teacher at primary school getting me to stand on a chair and sing (do do do d’d’d’do do) this and others like Grandstand and MOTD.

[@Duncan1974]

Brian Moore presenting. Saw one of these Big Match programmes repeated on BT Sport recently, they had a segment where Moore reads out viewers letters and gives out their full name and address...different times!

[@markcallaghan369]

Remember us all trying the Cruyff turn

[@otk999]

I think you're right. I'd forgotten about his brief spell in management.

[@stevejames2103]

The Bristol Rovers/Ipswich game, with al the snow. If I remember correctly, a FA cup tie, would never be played now days. This was a time when football was proper football. None of the premier league pounces

[@marksims68]

It was indeed, 2-2 draw and we won the replay. Then liffted the cup in May beating Arsenal 1-0, one of the all-time treasured memories for me.

[@stephendraffin5775]

Stephen James You could hardly call soccer players real virile men

[@robfuller7841]

Exactly, clear lines from snow, orange ball and off you go!

[@gsf67]

What memories, Sunday at 12pm, we were allowed to have lunch in the living room, so we could watch "TBM"

[@ianmcgregorhart9354]

A great football sports theme from ITV.

[@DuderinoDeux]

Lovely stuff

[@ArcanePath360]

I was born at the same time as this show. Might be why I love the music so much. Even though I hate football

[@Farerets]

Thank you for posting this beautiful melody... However, it started as the cover for The Big Match in 1971 og 1972 already... At least I own several original footages from early 1972 with with theme.

[@TheApesonline]

Brian Moore was a legend and a Hammer,RIP⚒

[@coniferclose]

Gillingham fan you fcukin iron.

[@davidspear9790]

Brian Moore was a lifelong supporter and director of Gillingham. Maybe you're thinking of Bobby?

[@timtebowsleftarm5368]

Either this song ripped off the Hartford Whalers NHL theme “Brass Bonanza,” or that song ripped this one off. Either way, someone musically stole something.

[@wleon4068]

Bloody Stuart Pearson and McArie stopping my beloved Liverpool from winning the treble in 1977 Cup Final Still hurts to this day. The clips them celebrating bloody hurts still. Lol.

[@yesireallyam]

+W Leon lou macari

[@wleon4068]

Yeah, that's it, Macari.

[@derekthesec]

Lovely theme tune

[@rationalroman3705]

The best theme music for any sporting show, period......

[@GeeMood]

I never would have known about this theme song were it not for @MrSmelly1977 the best fragrance reviewer on KZbin!

[@TheWhip1984]

Blinding! When footballers properly celebrated scoring instead of those stupid rehearsed dance moves.

[@bruce5799]

I loved the Spurs 78/79/80 Admiral kit,my step mum threw mine away aaaggghhh

[@GazTheKitman]

what a team that was as well. I'm a Watford fan but Ipswich had a great team then.

[@denisespencer6550]

I remember this theme

[@valvlog4665]

GOLD!!!

[@jamesconnolly9480]

I loved soccer in the 90s. The British Isles were the best place in the world to live in. The BBC and Rte did a great job of presenting soccer.

[@WAYNE1977100]

You would not get them playing football in the snow thesedays, To soft nowadays.

[@markallgood550]

memories....

[@juliancrittall3291]

Watching Spurs in the old Div 2 '77/78.

[@mark1968]

Classic theme. 😎

[@devanwhitston7966]

70's football was sexy 🤘

[@boydegg]

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yessss. Yes. Goooooooaaaaallllllll!!!!

[@sarahgould7296]

Yes, of course 'The Big Match' was on a Sunday, not a Saturday - sorry, got my programmes (and theme tunes) muddled up!

[@2100Rose]

Far better piece of music than Match Of The Day

[@AglishWD]

Good knowledge. I reckon it was 74, as a different tune was used from 72 to 74 according to the ITV regional highlights page. The newer version of the tune was used on the end titles, wasn't it?

[@11carbuff19572011]

Yeah. The Big Match theme tune in 1972-3 was titled "Cheekybird" written by Don Harper who also wrote the familiar World Of Sport march which came out as a single release on the Columbia label, catalogue #DB 8519.