Football programmes, are they outdated?

[Giraffe]

Always used to buy one and read it cover to cover.

Get one free with 1901 membership but rarely read it. My dad does though.

Tend to skim through the Barber Bollocks for more gems but that's about it.

But yes like newspapers they have had their day.

Sad in a way as with no ticket either there is no real match day souvenir.

 

[Murray 17]

Barber Bollocks

Brilliant!

Stopped buying programmes 10 years ago. Like most people, don't have the space to store them. Interesting flicking back through them and realising how much things have changed - makes me feel even more distant from the club now.

 

[Diablo]

Never buy one. Son does for most prem opposition games...but agree at £3.50 poor value..

 

[Hampster Gull]

Leing question M'Lord! I buy out of habit, not sure why really. Dont keep them. I suspect they may not last into the next generetion, at least like they are

 

[NooBHA]

For the most part YES I agree they are outdated. I do think they serve a purpose though for people taking their kids to a match. It gets them reading something and may help them to improve their reading but this is by no means a given

 

[BN9 BHA]

I only buy one at the start of the season now, I think £3.50 is very expensive for a small glossy magazine.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Does anyone know how many the Albion sell per game?

 

[rouseytastic]

Programmes largely yes (unless it's a special event type of game, cup final etc or possibly for people who go once in a blue moon) fanzines, no. Throughly enjoyed TSLR of recent years especially

 

[Garage_Doors]

Does anyone know how many the Albion sell per game?

Yes, we have a log of the exact number sold each game but not sure I'm allowed to disclose it.

 

[Giraffe]

Yes, we have a log of the exact number sold each game but not sure I'm allowed to disclose it.

Number bought or number read (see pretendance thread )

 

[DumLum]

Pity the Greens haven't banned them for environmental reasons.I'm a long way from being a green but seems such a waste of paper these days.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Voted yes, because I don't buy them as an adult, too expensive for what they are - but I can see that kids love them, I think it's something to do with having a physical souvenir from the game that they like.

True, but the free Hertha pamphlet is also a physical souvenir.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Number bought or number read (see pretendance thread )

Those figures are very different due to those actually paid for on the day and those put into hospitality etc.

 

[Knotty]

I choose to buy a programme because I want to. If it were simply a matter of what I perceive to be 'good value', I wouldn't buy one, but that goes for many things we buy. Is a pint of water slightly flavoured with hops or barley good value at £3+? Not at all, but I still buy plenty of it!

The problem with the match programme is, firstly, as others have said, we can get so much information now on social media and the the internet.

And that leads on to printing in general - printing costs per unit get higher as demand dwindles. The set-up and origination costs of a printed programme or brochure are the same whether you sell 10 or 10,000 copies. I no longer have a printed brochure for what I do, although I'd like to. The brochure is on-line and if I printed one just for the few people who don't have access to the internet, it would cost me around £50 a copy! On the face of it, appalling value ... but harsh reality.

I can see a time when the lack of demand for a matchday programme dictates that it's simply not worth clubs printing them.

 

[essbee]

Waste of time and money. Haven't bought a programme in 10 years. Full of cr*p.

 

[southstandandy]

I used to buy them but now they've become too expensive. It's hard enough for many people to afford to pay the price of a match ticket let alone paying for a programme and over priced food.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Where's Hiney ?

I collect Albion programmes and was a bit of an anorak once upon a time. I have all of Albion's League Cup programmes, and every home and away programme from 1957/58 to 1982/3, plus an attic full of nineties and noughties programmes that I acquired from somebody who was going to bin them.

At times when the Albion aren't playing so well, or when football on the telly begins to pall, I read through them. And the earlier you go, the easier it is, because programmes did only have 4 ,6, maybe 8 pages, and not have the gloss and dross that today's programmes have. You used to be able to get a complete season's set home and away in an A4 ringbinder. When we got promoted with Gus Poyet I collected every programme home and away (and read them all) but they took 3 x A4 binders to store.

So I'd revert to a four page (which is only one A4 sheet folded in half after all) ,print the line-ups tables and stats, manager notes, have a front page which I'd keep simple - a stylised footballer perhaps, or a shot of the Amex, whatever, and a back page advertising the greyhound stadium, and charge thirty pence for it, or give it away as part of the matchday package.

Is that Germanic, or retro ?

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

the programmes in the 60's & 70's were great espcially the one's with the Football League Review inside

I still buy one every match I go to,doesn't seem worth it at the time,but say in 5 or 10 years time when you pick it up and look through it, it brings back alot of memories

 

[Hiney]

Where's Hiney ?

I collect Albion programmes and was a bit of an anorak once upon a time. I have all of Albion's League Cup programmes, and every home and away programme from 1957/58 to 1982/3, plus an attic full of nineties and noughties programmes that I acquired from somebody who was going to bin them.

At times when the Albion aren't playing so well, or when football on the telly begins to pall, I read through them. And the earlier you go, the easier it is, because programmes did only have 4 ,6, maybe 8 pages, and not have the gloss and dross that today's programmes have. You used to be able to get a complete season's set home and away in an A4 ringbinder. When we got promoted with Gus Poyet I collected every programme home and away (and read them all) but they took 3 x A4 binders to store.

So I'd revert to a four page (which is only one A4 sheet folded in half after all) ,print the line-ups tables and stats, manager notes, have a front page which I'd keep simple - a stylised footballer perhaps, or a shot of the Amex, whatever, and a back page advertising the greyhound stadium, and charge thirty pence for it, or give it away as part of the matchday package.

Is that Germanic, or retro ?

I was on holiday. So great to be back

I always buy a programme and always will. I love them.

My Albion programme collection is my pride and joy and even though I'm scanning them for my website, I wouldn't consider getting rid of them.

I am obviously biased, but I think our current programme represents excellent value for money. Yes, much of the information is available on the internet, but the team at The Albion work extremely hard to produce a programme that gives something a Google search can't.

Long may they continue to be produced.

 

[Hiney]

By the way, selected replies from this thread made the latest issue of 'Programme Monthly and Football Collectable' magazine.