Matthew Ashton, who has died at the age of 53, was a much-admired football photographer whose love of Shrewsbury Town was legendary in the industry; here, his colleague and friend Catherine Ivill remembers whose guidance helped to open doors for others and who leaves a legacy via his AMA Sports Photo Agency…
By Catherine Ivill
It is with great sadness that we share the news photographer and founder of AMA Sports Photo Agency, Matthew Ashton, passed away on 17th January following a 14-month battle with a brain tumour. He was 53.
A popular and well-known face to photographers, journalists, broadcasters and fans at stadiums in the UK and around the world, Matt was known for his passion for football and in particular, Shrewsbury Town FC.
A desire to work in television as a camera operator kickstarted his career path, but it was during his A-Level photography course at the age of 17 that he combined stills with football and a chance to photograph Oldham Athletic v Shrewsbury Town changed the course of his life.
He continued to follow and photograph Shrewsbury Town, his eye for detail and capturing moments both on and off the pitch, led him to the NCTJ Photojournalism course in Sheffield, soon followed by working at the Shropshire Star before joining EMPICS in 1995.
As well as his beloved Shrewsbury Town, Matt was also well known for his passion for Simple Minds and Japan. He made friends across the world and was never short of a story, whether it was the time he drove to Jim Kerr’s villa in Sicily or meeting up with Shrewsbury Town fans in Tokyo before heading off to photograph Urawa Reds.
In 2006, Matt founded his own football photography agency, AMA Sports Photo Agency.
AMA soon became established within the industry and Matt was able to continue following his passions.
It was never a surprise to see Matt pitchside at a lower league game one night followed by a long drive across Europe to photograph Dortmund the next night. He was equally happy wherever he was.
Shrewsbury Town was never far from his mind and when their old stadium was demolished, he self-published the book ‘Goodbye Gay Meadow’, going on to win ‘Best Illustrated Title’ in the British Book Awards in 2008.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club paid tribute to Matt, saying: “Everyone at Shrewsbury Town would like to pay their respects to Matt Ashton, a sports photographer and passionate Salop fan who sadly passed away on Friday.”
It added: “A huge Shrewsbury fan, he began taking pictures of Town when he was just 17, with those images the start of an extraordinary career that took him across the globe.
“Matt’s journey saw him cover eight World Cups as well as 25 Champions League finals. He also covered seven Gold Cups, four Asian Cups and two African Cup of Nations.
“Despite his career taking him around the world, Matt’s first love was always Shrewsbury Town, and he came back to take pictures at the Croud Meadow whenever he could.”
Tributes also came from West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and BBC Radio 5 Live’s Ian Dennis, who described Matt as a “top bloke” on air during a recent commentary.
From the very start of AMA, Matt wanted to use his experiences and knowledge to help new photographers and whilst ultimately it was up to them to do the hard graft to make sure they stuck out above the rest, it was with his guidance that a good few went on to work at major agencies and Premier League football clubs.
He was always very proud of those who became successful in their own careers. Catherine Ivill, who went on to become an SJA Award winner, was one of those photographers, and she has returned to AMA to take the agency forward.
She said: “Photography was everything to Matt and we are very honoured at AMA that he has entrusted us to carry on his legacy.”
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