Get with the programme

It seems that the demise of the football programme has been greatly exaggerated. Type the words ‘football programme collectors’ into Google and it offers you 176,000 possible results. Visit a famous online auction site and it will offer you 587,000 available items- although admittedly these include a reprint of the 1966 World Cup Final for which some rather optimistic seller is asking ten thousand pounds (you can check, but why would you want to apart from to laugh) and a signed, framed Manchester United shirt for seven thousand pounds less.

All of that said, if a football club wants its supporters to part with their hard-earned money, long gone are the days when they could photocopy four A4 pages in black and white and stick a staple in a slightly cock-eyed way through the middle. Today’s supporters are more discerning. They want colour, they want glossy, they want to be entertained, they want to be informed. They want- actually, perhaps we’re not qualified to tell you what they want. But we know three men who undoubtedly are.

Ken Brazier, Jamie Barwick and Stuart Tree were last season’s Isthmian League Programme of the Year award winners; for Enfield Town, Thamesmead Town and Corinthian-Casuals, respectively. We caught up with each of them to ask about their triumph, but mainly in an attempt to understand just what they are doing right.

How did you become a programme editor?

Ken: I was programme editor with the predecessor to Enfield Town, Enfield FC, about thirty years ago. I was persuaded to get involved by somebody I knew who worked with the club, so I picked up the baton for a while. I then went back to the role for the new club in 2014.

Jamie: I became the programme editor by chance really, I had just left university and was looking for ways into sports journalism and thought this could be a way. I applied to become the programme editor at North Ferriby United, was successful, and on the back of doing that for a season I speculatively emailed a couple of design companies. One replied saying they were looking for someone to take on a smaller contract, that of Thamesmead Town, and would I be interested? So it started there, and I'm now going into my fourth season at Ferriby and third with Thamesmead.

Stuart: I was at a game, against Leatherhead away, and the Chairman approached me and asked if I would do it. The previous programme editor was retiring, and I agreed to take over- much against the advice of many other people I spoke to who told me it would take over my life! They were right, but it’s a labour of love- I’m about to enter my fifth season. I do feel like I fit my entire life around football, but I have a very understanding partner.

How much of the work do you have to do yourself, and how long does an issue take you to complete?

Ken: I would say from an average programme I have to actually write around a quarter. We have a Ladies section which provides copy, and a Youth section, there is the traditional information about the opposition, and then I look for something else to add additional interest, but it’s important that I provide balance. We also have a local blogger/writer known as The Cold End who very kindly sends content, and of course I have information from the boardroom and the manager, etc- but it all has to be edited. I perhaps spend around ten hours on each issue as I want to get it right and I work hard to keep it relevant and up to date.

Jamie: In terms of each issue, how long it takes it can vary. If Thamesmead are playing midweek we tend to go for a 24-page programme, but if it's a weekend game we go to 40-pages. It takes a lot of planning especially working alongside a full-time job and with another club's programme to do as well. I'm based in Hull and I've never actually been to Thamesmead, so a lot of the words tend to come from Mike Green the club secretary. We liaise in the lead up to a game via phone and emails, but we've got a good system in place. The general feel of the programme is consistent and the layout tends not to differ too much, but we might vary a few of the pages depending on what's going on. For example Thamesmead have moved to Dartford's Princess Park so we did a feature on the new ground. It's hard to say how long each one takes, but it's a good few hours!

Stuart: How much work? Pretty much all of it. Once you’ve produced your first issue of the season you have your template, which helps, and then you work from there. We don’t have many contributors- we have a young lad who writes match reports, and he has real talent, but essentially the photographs, articles, interviews etc are all mine. Our fanbase is growing, but it’s not at the level of some teams in the League and although I ask for contributors they don’t often deliver so I end up doing it myself! I couldn’t really tell you how many hours I put in; more than I should because I’m difficult to please!

Some clubs would like not to have to produce a programme, or perhaps to produce a download rather than a physical copy. Are you sympathetic to that idea- how do you see the future of the programme?

Ken: We have a fan funding scheme which gets people to sign up to an annual package of goodies that includes a season ticket, supporters society membership, an online programme, online highlights, a free matchday drink, shirt from the shop, that sort of thing- so I can see the electronic copy becoming more popular. That said, we estimate that between a quarter and a third of the total gate still want a physical programme, so there is still a demand; but year on year it is waning somewhat. The ability to get an electronic copy also allows our exiled supporters to keep in touch, so it has positive benefits.

Jamie: I can see it from both points of view. Some, me included, like an actual copy of a programme to have and keep. On the flip side, a downloadable copy would reduce the cost of printing, with money spent elsewhere at the club. I’m not sure what the future is for the Thamesmead programme as it isn’t something I control, but I’d like to think it would still continue for many more seasons to come.

Stuart: I’m totally sympathetic to that. I understand that it’s a rule that we have to produce a programme, but I believe- for example- that some of our Bostik clubs are selling ten or twenty copies. Creating programmes doesn’t make money, it costs money, and sometimes printing costs are considerable. We’re lucky that this season we’ve someone printing them for free, which is incredibly kind, but generally speaking it’s a drain on club resources, it takes a long time to create, and if a club doesn’t have someone like me at Casuals or Ken at Enfield then what do they do? It can become a chore. People like our programme, they are complimentary about it, but the amount of money that we lose is considerable for a club of this size. But, of course, there are still a cadre of people who want a physical copy; it’s a difficult dilemma to solve.

Where do you look for new ideas?

Ken: I talk to people, mainly! Our supporters give me their views, ask for more of something or less of something else, and we did a supporters survey last year on communications as a whole which was useful. I’m seeking feedback all the time. For example, last year I decided to do less of the ‘where are they now’ feature because people said they wanted more information on current players and less on the old ones. We have quite a number of new players to focus on this season, so I’ll be doing that. And, of course, I look at other programmes for ideas that I can copy.

Jamie: From a design point of view, ideas come from all over really, as long as the design is consistent throughout I don’t think you’ll go far wrong. As for new ideas, other programmes are a good start, across the board you’ll find the same stuff repeated with small spins on them. Sport magazine are also good to find new idea, they tend to go into more depth with features and they can throw up some fresh ideas.

Stuart: I have a mountain of programmes from professional and Non-league clubs, and I sit and go through them for inspiration. I’ve loads that I need to get rid of, but undoubtedly I’ll only end up buying more!

What are the key ingredients that make up a good programme?

Ken: Colour, not too many adverts, and up to date information that hasn’t already been on the internet! When I’m doing a player interview, for example, I always try to probe for new information that hasn’t been published elsewhere. It can be difficult, because things like twitter make the world an open book. Tradition is all well and good, but we need to explore new dimensions and deliver something eye-catching.

Jamie: A matchday programme is a way for a club to communicate to the fans, so I think columns from various people at the club are critical. An interview with a player is also good to have and just general pages such as club and league statistics which make the fan want to read it.

Stuart: It needs to look good. You can have brilliantly written programmes but if they look awful then they may not sell. The eye has to be interested as well as the reader; I’ve a design background and I take my own photographs so I’m focused on that. Of course, it also needs to have good content, and I work hard on that too to ensure it is both informative and unique, which takes a lot of work and research. I try to delve into the past, which is easier for me because the club historian is brilliant and we have fantastic historical records, but I look at the away teams past too, which is more difficult.

Which programmes from other clubs do you admire?

Ken: I like the programme from Dulwich Hamlet, but there are other good ones too. Lewes, Leiston, Tonbridge and Chesham, for example, have all produced great programmes in recent seasons.

Jamie: It’s probably not worth me answering this to be honest- I’ve not seen any other programme from the south as I’m in Hull!

Stuart: I tend to look at the award winners from programme monthly magazine, and then buy them so that I can find out what they are doing well. AFC Bournemouth- 120 odd pages of magnificence-Stoke City, Sunderland, and nearer home Wealdstone. Also, Hastings United’s was fantastic.

Finally, how do you improve on last years success?

Ken: We need to sell more! It would also be nice to get more contributors; we’re all (generally) volunteers, we’ve got deadlines to meet, and sometimes you’d like to do more but there aren’t enough pairs of hands to make that possible.

Jamie: I suppose we’re in a difficult situation really, we won the award last year, so the crux of the programme will remain the same. We’ll obviously redesign the programme, but the basis of the content will remain consistent. We’ll try and get some more in-depth player interviews if we can and hopefully go for another award this year!

Stuart: Goodness knows! It was lovely to win the award, and to finish eighth overall in the Soccer Club Swap Shop National Awards out of six hundred and seventy-eight entries was overwhelming. It’ll be tough to improve. I need to keep doing what I’m doing, listen to people about what they’d like to see in the programme, and take on board suggestions. But I can’t turn it into a full time job, I already have one of those!

There are some magnificent examples of the programme editors’ art at some of our Bostik League clubs. Certainly the examples at Donkey Lane, Princes Park and King George’s Field are as good as you might expect, but there are many more worthy of your time.

So, help out your club. Buy a copy, and, if you like it, tell your friends. If you don’t, tell the club, and perhaps offer your services to improve it.

Be a programme editors friend. Because with more friends, every programme editor might get just a little more of their life back!