No Programmes this season

[STAR Liaison]

I would guess with size of programmes these days, the cost of producing them probably far outweighs any money they make from them.

The money saving from producing them online probably doesn't save a massive amount though overall. Yes you save on printing costs, but you also have to give them away for free.

Personally I'd rather have a smaller and cheaper programme. Despite the more recent ones having extra content, I found I didn't read them as much, and I'd pretty much stopped buying them as a result.

STAR did take a look at trying to provide a match day programme on the smaller / cheaper basis as there is clearly a limited market for this. It looked economically viable but logistically too difficult - as anyone who's written, produced, sold, collected the cash etc for a fanzine would probably appreciate - and there's a reason why fanzines (certainly at Reading) did not appear EVERY home game.

It's also a tricky balancing act between not being the 'official' programme and not being a fanzine.

[Jackson Corner]

When I started going as a kid in the 70s a program was a must. Over the years l had boxes full of them home and away. I haven’t bought one for years they were just the same thing week in week out. Having said that it is still sad to see them end. I have the last game at EP the first at the Mad Stadium and any other significant game. Be interested to know how many other EFL clubs have scrapped the program?

I didn’t see Kingsley yesterday has he been scrapped as well?

[Stranded]

As with anything this will have been looked at as a profit/loss decision. We don't know how many are sold each game but I'd be surprised if more than 10 to 15% of any crowd buys one these days and those will mostly be the older demographic.

Depending on the printers they use they may need to print say 2500 each game (and as mentioned elsewhere paper costs are increasing too) but with crowds around 12-15k may only sell around half of those, most games it will likely be a loss making exercise. At a time that we need to minimise losses for FFP reasons, this is an obvious cut to make given it may annoy only a small section of the fan base and even then only temporarily.

If the programme turned a profit, it would not be discontinued.

[Notts Royal]

Did anyone pick up a programme at Huddersfield?

Advertisers are making smaller ones this season & giving 10,000 away for free each match day.

A great incentive…would be great to see us follow suit on this. Think it was only 30 pages, which to be fair it doesn’t need to be 80-odd anyway

[Green]

Did anyone pick up a programme at Huddersfield?

Advertisers are making smaller ones this season & giving 10,000 away for free each match day.

A great incentive…would be great to see us follow suit on this. Think it was only 30 pages, which to be fair it doesn’t need to be 80-odd anyway

What are they incentivising? A load of printed ads going to landfill?

I'm sorry Notts Royal but I'm out.

[Notts Royal]

Did anyone pick up a programme at Huddersfield?

Advertisers are making smaller ones this season & giving 10,000 away for free each match day.

A great incentive…would be great to see us follow suit on this. Think it was only 30 pages, which to be fair it doesn’t need to be 80-odd anyway

What are they incentivising? A load of printed ads going to landfill?

I'm sorry Notts Royal but I'm out.

Apologies, wrong wording…I meant initiative. 10,000 does seem a lot for a club that only sells 12-14k tickets…the majority wouldn’t be too fussed by a Programme. So I agree on your point about rubbish.

But…suggests it’s a first come first served basis, so fans who didn’t want one simply wouldn’t pick one up. And the rest would go to recycling…

[Dirk Gently]

Did anyone pick up a programme at Huddersfield?

Advertisers are making smaller ones this season & giving 10,000 away for free each match day.

A great incentive…would be great to see us follow suit on this. Think it was only 30 pages, which to be fair it doesn’t need to be 80-odd anyway

What are they incentivising? A load of printed ads going to landfill?

I'm sorry Notts Royal but I'm out.

Apologies, wrong wording…I meant initiative. 10,000 does seem a lot for a club that only sells 12-14k tickets…the majority wouldn’t be too fussed by a Programme. So I agree on your point about rubbish.

But…suggests it’s a first come first served basis, so fans who didn’t want one simply wouldn’t pick one up. And the rest would go to recycling…

And if there isn't an uptake of the whole lot, watch the advertisers move away in droves. An interesting experiment, but not sure it has legs, long-term.

[Rea Ding]

As someone who usually buys a programme I found this a shock and was pretty sad tbh A sign of the times maybe

[Green]

This is good from Roger Titford

I’ve lost the taste and I haven’t got the space.

https://www.wsc.co.uk/stories/14133-programmes-have-become-bloated-and-outdated-it-s-time-to-change-or-go

[Green]

My own experience with programmes was a habit of buying them in the late 90s and it was akin to a relationship I imagine a lot of people have with cigarettes. You knew it was an unfulfilling dirty habit that cost you too much money but you felt a compulsion to buy them anyway. I think I was late to a game once and they'd sold out and I just never bought one again - incredibly liberating. My collection went in the recycling a few seasons later.

I'm glad they're gone.

[Jagermesiter1871]

Yeh I always used to buy a programme despite never once reading them (I don't know how to read). It is an odd habit.

[AthleticoSpizz]

The programme, The Whiff, then a Golden Gamble ticket were matchday staples.

The programme was read during some of the dire games to kill the time...Reading 0 Middlesborough 2 anyone? Nowadays it’s just refer to FaceAche or something

The Whiff, made for some decent bedtime reading

The Golden Gamble Ticket, zip, nada, nothing.
There was a time (being the gentleman that I am) that i let a lady barge in front of me to purchase hers (Reading 0 Brighton 1. Zamora and Brooker combo goal ), yep, you’ve got it...she won £1k.......still not bitter about it obvs.

[fartdad]

I like programmes, opening them up is like a little time capsule. I could see them being pointless for people who go to every single game but cup games or derby games maybe still print one.

Would be nice to have a mini version maybe the size of a pocket missal or passport book. Fixtures, head to head, standings, maybe interview with a player, some highlighted person in the community, crossword/sudoku/word search, local ads/coupons. Probably could bung it together in a day on Microsoft word

[Green]

I'm sure they'll still do them for cup finals etc, that's fair enough.

[Jagermesiter1871]

I like programmes, opening them up is like a little time capsule. I could see them being pointless for people who go to every single game but cup games or derby games maybe still print one.

Would be nice to have a mini version maybe the size of a pocket missal or passport book. Fixtures, head to head, standings, maybe interview with a player, some highlighted person in the community, crossword/sudoku/word search, local ads/coupons. Probably could bung it together in a day on Microsoft word

70's programmes were that size.

[Snowflake Royal]

My own experience with programmes was a habit of buying them in the late 90s and it was akin to a relationship I imagine a lot of people have with cigarettes. You knew it was an unfulfilling dirty habit that cost you too much money but you felt a compulsion to buy them anyway. I think I was late to a game once and they'd sold out and I just never bought one again - incredibly liberating. My collection went in the recycling a few seasons later.

I'm glad they're gone.

Bought them as a bit of a memento occasionally as a teen. Then the odd one if I was early and fancied something to read with a pint prior to getting a smart phone and decent net access.

[Sutekh]

Have to say that programmes have largely come to the end of their life. Aside from special games eg new ground, promotion issue they are essentially exactly the same thing every game.

Conversely though it’ll eventually be a miss for away games as each club would have a different way of doing things with different content so I’d be more inclined to get those issues (serve as a reminder as to which games you attend too).

[Wallington Royal]

I have to say, I am very old school but I do miss a programme….. just feels a bit missing from the match day experience i Know I.mentioned it before…..

[Green]

I have to say, I am very old school but I do miss a programme….. just feels a bit missing from the match day experience i Know I.mentioned it before…..

No it's all good Walls, let it out. This is the thread for it.

What do you miss about them?

[AthleticoSpizz]

(butting in)

For awayday anoraks and non-league groundhoppers, it is a souvenir and a part of the collection.

For me, it is something physical to flick through....my phone gets switched off at games.....as should everybody elses imho