PAGE 302 - BBC SPORT
Right, for football fans of a certain generation, three digits are burned into memory: 3-0-2. This was the gateway to football scores on Ceefax, and on Saturday afternoons, it was essential viewing. I dunno if younger fans can truly understand it, but for those of us who lived through it? Sacred stuff.
THE SACRED NUMBERS
PAGE 302 was technically the BBC Sport index page, but more importantly, it was where you'd find live football scores. Sub-pages, 302/1, 302/2, and so on, cycled through different competitions. First Division, FA Cup, Scottish football, all sorts. You just knew those numbers by heart.
THE RITUAL
Every Saturday at 3pm, fans would tune in. The page would refresh every few minutes, and when a goal was scored, the scoreline would update. The excitement of seeing your team's score change was electric, it really was. No notifications, no apps; just patience and hope. For me, that anticipation was part of what made it special.
HALF-TIME ROUTINE
At half-time, you'd cycle through all the sub-pages to check other scores. The classified football results would appear, showing FT for full-time, HT for half-time, or the iconic "LIVE" marker next to ongoing matches. Everybody did it. It was just what you did on a Saturday, wasn't it?
MORE THAN SCORES
PAGE 302 also linked to league tables, fixtures, and match reports. It was a one-stop shop for football information, obviously limited by the 40-character width and 7 available colours. But you know what? Those constraints didn't matter. It gave you everything you needed.
RELIVE THE NOSTALGIA
QFAX brings back the teletext experience for modern football fans. Live scores on PAGE 316, Vidiprinter on PAGE 350, and On This Day on PAGE 381. Download now and step back in time.
