The words that follow are by photographer Clive Lawrence. Earlier this year, Lower Block published Clive’s work in our edition Protest to Promotion, which documented Burnley between 1989 and 1992 through his photographs. At the same time, our Catania exhibition with 2Lab was already taking shape – with a section dedicated to celebrating British football culture and heritage through selected images from Lower Block’s printed editions and archive.

Clive’s journey from Burnley to Catania – to visit the exhibition, meet the people behind it, explore the city and see his own work on display – is a reminder of how football and photography can connect people and take them in unexpected directions. For Lower Block, being part of moments like this is a real privilege, and it’s very much at the heart of why we do what we do.

From 1990s Burnley to today’s Catania – a shared, rising-club energy and an overwhelming welcome that shows how football and photography turn simple memories into connections that travel.

When the message from Lower Block to create a zine with them appeared on my Instagram account late in the summer last year, I had no idea where the journey would take me. Producing the edition with them at the time was all about making a record of my time at Burnley in the early 1990s – something physical that fans of that era could keep on a bookshelf and enjoy. It would also provide a record of times when, for me anyway, football seemed better and more real.

But even before the ‘Protest to Promotion’ edition was released, the No Fair Play exhibition in Catania was being mentioned. Of course I would allow my pictures to be available; having my work – even just one or two images – alongside some great photographers from across Europe would be an honour.

And even if none of my images were selected, I wanted to be there to meet and hear the stories from other like-minded creatives. Carmelo Stompo, a fine photographer in his own right and gallery owner and founder at 2Lab, has done a brilliant job, blending classic black-and-white images of British football culture with the full, in-your-face colour of the current Italian scene. The core of the exhibition is based on the special relationship between the Catania Ultras, brilliantly captured by Emiliano Zingale, and Boogie’s stunning work with Napoli’s Ultras, which had been also brought to life in a Lower Block Edition. Their work captures the fans’ passion and love of the game, and that’s what I wanted to hear about. Spending time with Emiliano, hearing his story first-hand, the way he works and his love for his club made the trip unforgettable. And for me, it was just amazing to see how images taken while I was still at college and then working at Burnley FC could still be appreciated and resonate with people all these years on.

Being able to witness an Italian football game was also a first for me. And going there reminded me so much of how Burnley used to be. Having the freedom to wander around the stand and sit or stand pretty much anywhere was just how I used to work. With the Catania team sitting joint top of the third tier but with ambitions of returning to Serie A, it was another echo of my time with the Clarets when we were in the old Fourth Division of the English Football League, about to make our way back towards the promised land of the top flight again. As the game drew to a conclusion, Catania’s pressure finally told, and with two late goals the dream of promotion is very much alive. Everywhere you go in the city, the football club is evident – whether it’s murals or messages of defiance scrawled on walls, stickers on motorbike visors, or even the club badge on uniforms around the markets. Catania exists alongside its club.

The journey from Burnley to Catania wasn’t easy in a practical sense, but the welcome and experience were overwhelming. And even though I was a long way from home, it was clear that football, photography and art can really bring people together. Thank you, Catania.

Selected Lower Block Editions below that helped shape the No Fair Play exhibition…