Like you Trev, always collected programmes as a kid. Habit I can’t break. Now have the added pleasure of writing for the Littlehampton programme. Best of both worlds
I like the fact Littlehampton have revamped their offering this year and I bought the first one when they played Whitehawk earlier in the season, great effort I think. I broke my habit when I started finding I was paying to read adverts and nothing to stimulate the mind or learn from reading, it has made be more conscious when I go to visit other clubs as to what I'm getting for my money.
My only advice to clubs doing that is no way can you charge the same amount as for those who entertain you with whats inside.
I agree Matt, I think it does and I feel clubs need to think it doesn't have to a huge magazine to read, just enough to keep people abreast of things and provide a little history and info on the opposition as a basic offering.
I have been to a few clubs who have an online programme. Like you, they tend to be unread or a quick glance and forgotten, and left buried in my phone’s memory.
Printed programmes can survive, but they do need to have good content of more are to be sold and read. Advertising is important but needs to be balanced. If programmes had a way of attracting more purchasers that would be good. Perhaps, each programme has unique number that went into a draw for a prize could be one way.
The big problem is getting content added. Clubs are struggling for volunteers and writing, editing and compiling a programme might be the least of their worries.
I say - keep the printed programme, but make it worth buying.
Absolutely Roland. I can see the benefits of both sides here, but as you say with the online version it's forgotten about, not that I've even read that many.
I had some input from an editor on Twitter, they lost £750 one year on programmes yet it won awards! Getting the balance right is the key as you say and also getting contributions as well, there are some simple quick wins such as a kids feature or football questions or a wordsearch, quick to find for use and light hearted entertainment.
Think for older supporters like me we have lost something from the match day experience which younger ones and the ones coming down the line will not recognize. When I came back for the Wealdstone game my son-laws dad said to me as we left did we get a programme so I had to explain they were now on line and the paper version was a thing of the past. I was a keen programme collector when I was young, you could even send away for a Cup Final programme which arrived in the post and I could sit in front of the TV almost as if I was at the game in the days when the Cup Final was the only TV match there was was to watch. My pride and joy is a 1937 Arsenal programme passed down from my Dad and that is what cannot be replaced in the modern way of thinking. I accept we have to move on and things will change but as with many changes in our modern way of life not all for the better.
Quite agree David, it's a tough one to balance with the cost implications as well. I have a 1966 England World Cup Final programme handed down by my late father, I have numerous memories from others in my collection, I think as well it doesn't have to be a massive production but when I visit clubs it's nice to read club history and other little bits that you would otherwise never know about.
Interested you have a 1966 World Cup programme, so have I mainly because I was there and actually also at all the other England games. I also have all the tickets including the final guess how much that was,10 shillings behind the goal where the players tunnel was at the old Wembley.. Suppose it just shows how old I am, as the Sarga advert says 'Thoes were the days'. The thing is without the paper version you do not have the memories.
Like you Trev, always collected programmes as a kid. Habit I can’t break. Now have the added pleasure of writing for the Littlehampton programme. Best of both worlds
I like the fact Littlehampton have revamped their offering this year and I bought the first one when they played Whitehawk earlier in the season, great effort I think. I broke my habit when I started finding I was paying to read adverts and nothing to stimulate the mind or learn from reading, it has made be more conscious when I go to visit other clubs as to what I'm getting for my money.
My only advice to clubs doing that is no way can you charge the same amount as for those who entertain you with whats inside.
Definitely has a place… it’s part of the match experience and as a kid it was one of the ways I loved to read.
I agree Matt, I think it does and I feel clubs need to think it doesn't have to a huge magazine to read, just enough to keep people abreast of things and provide a little history and info on the opposition as a basic offering.
I have been to a few clubs who have an online programme. Like you, they tend to be unread or a quick glance and forgotten, and left buried in my phone’s memory.
Printed programmes can survive, but they do need to have good content of more are to be sold and read. Advertising is important but needs to be balanced. If programmes had a way of attracting more purchasers that would be good. Perhaps, each programme has unique number that went into a draw for a prize could be one way.
The big problem is getting content added. Clubs are struggling for volunteers and writing, editing and compiling a programme might be the least of their worries.
I say - keep the printed programme, but make it worth buying.
Absolutely Roland. I can see the benefits of both sides here, but as you say with the online version it's forgotten about, not that I've even read that many.
I had some input from an editor on Twitter, they lost £750 one year on programmes yet it won awards! Getting the balance right is the key as you say and also getting contributions as well, there are some simple quick wins such as a kids feature or football questions or a wordsearch, quick to find for use and light hearted entertainment.
Think for older supporters like me we have lost something from the match day experience which younger ones and the ones coming down the line will not recognize. When I came back for the Wealdstone game my son-laws dad said to me as we left did we get a programme so I had to explain they were now on line and the paper version was a thing of the past. I was a keen programme collector when I was young, you could even send away for a Cup Final programme which arrived in the post and I could sit in front of the TV almost as if I was at the game in the days when the Cup Final was the only TV match there was was to watch. My pride and joy is a 1937 Arsenal programme passed down from my Dad and that is what cannot be replaced in the modern way of thinking. I accept we have to move on and things will change but as with many changes in our modern way of life not all for the better.
Quite agree David, it's a tough one to balance with the cost implications as well. I have a 1966 England World Cup Final programme handed down by my late father, I have numerous memories from others in my collection, I think as well it doesn't have to be a massive production but when I visit clubs it's nice to read club history and other little bits that you would otherwise never know about.
Interested you have a 1966 World Cup programme, so have I mainly because I was there and actually also at all the other England games. I also have all the tickets including the final guess how much that was,10 shillings behind the goal where the players tunnel was at the old Wembley.. Suppose it just shows how old I am, as the Sarga advert says 'Thoes were the days'. The thing is without the paper version you do not have the memories.