What Do You Want In Your Programme?

Buying a programme is a very important part of any football match I go to, as important as a pie and bovril!

Some programmes are an excellent read not only about the current situation at a club but also, hopefully, some historical content.

I love reading and still buying 60's Torquay programmes not only to remind me of what the game was like but the adverts make great reading.

It would be great to have some historical content back in the Torquay programme.

As I don't get to many home games I am very grateful to Norman in the programme shop for keeping me a copy of all home and away games.

I hope this year the Torquay programme will be one to be proud of.

1 A feature from a Travel Club regular reporting on all away games.
2 Something from TUST in each programme.
OR:-
3 A combination of 1 and 2.
4 Wordsearch/Quiz.
5 Where are they now/Mutual Players.
5 Vouchers from local/national businesses. (eg:Boots and Laces/Gulls Nest/ catering at the Ground/Sainsbury's etc..)

I've always felt that for a run of the mill professional football club to aspire to attain programme sales levels above the "one for every three fans on the gate" accepted norm is both unrealistic and unattainable. Therefore, such glossy and expensively produced programmes such as our excellent value for money programme of last season are not going to be sustainable on the level of gates we get.

I also believe that producing programmes is a whole lot different ball game nowadays than it was when I was responsible for it way back when. Nowadays programmes have to compete with the vast explosion of media coverage, the internet and wall to wall TV coverage of the game and all it's periphery activity.

It is for that reason I believe those responsible need to encompass those facets and embrace the internet and somewhat lost "Fanzine" culture and evolve features that will appeal to the participation and reader loyalty of the aficionados of those mediums who make up such a significant percentage of the younger and more "cash flush" element of the regular support.

Some sort of "reader loyalty" incentive is also a good idea, but at the end of the day the product has to be interesting to read, full of vitality and certainly not bland or give any impression of just "going through the motions" as so many sad issues at various clubs do for my money nowadays.

Even in "my time" the programme per se was a loss making project as such but was made profitable for the club by the judicious recycling of unsold issues through the football programme exchange market and so other clubs issues that were sold in large numbers in the club shop then became in effect the vehicle by which "one hundred per cent" sales were attained of each issue. It all meant a lot of hard work and lot of dedication to making it a profitable venture....................just one of the many small projects that went hand in hand with other little ventures that when added together made the commercial operation so vital to the club.

I think the programme is probably the most underated marketing tool going. In some ways I agree with Islington in that the modern issues are too weighty, full of adverts and too many stats that are produced generically at some central point. The covers are over glossy consisting of changing photographs week upon week with difficluty working out who the team the programme actually represents. This coupled with difficulty in finding out where the match info is viz opponents,date, competition etc makes it all bit of a glossy non entity with the text so small at times you need a magnifying glass to read it. Think of the Haka, I believe its called. Who but a Salopian would know that this was a Shrewsbury Town programme. It's ridiculous. Programmes should contain the basic information on the front and be a beacon of branding for the club. The official programme of TORQUAY UNITED AFC. Should be prominentlt displayed on the cover. The cover itself should be virtually standard season after season so that it is instantly recognisable with emphasise on Gulls, Palm Trees, The English Riviera woven in. The colour should be virtually all blue and yellow. The content could be as basic as what was contained in the 50's 60's and 70's. Past matches, future ones, player stats, opponents any other newsy items. Also the league tables and results of the youth team and a little write up on them as well, like they used to have for the reserves. We dont need stiff glossy covers like the start of last season. A good quality A5 cover would be fine with the contents on average print quality paper. A few photographs would not be amiss but no need to go overboard. With a standardised format the Torquay programme would be instantly recognisable. I don't know current printing costs but with a paired down standardised programme half the size of the last one, selling for £1 to £1.50, it would be a trendsetter as I have heard many moans about the cost and bulk of the current ones. With the reduction in bulk and costs of printing surely this programme would make money. I am not a luddite or want to pander to nostalgia but this is all about marketing and branding. Think about it, the programme probably reaches more people than any other item. This is a good business opportunity to hopefully set a profitable standard.

OK Aussie, thanks. Didn't realise there was a consultation process and have forwarded the above to the club. Cheers. Sam.

A programme or magazine is a very important vehicle for getting information or a message across.
For this reason I think the club should seriously consider a "sound mag."
Imagine you open it up and......."Yellow army" blares out at you.

i`m sure the away fans would love it.

;D

buster