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Matchday Programme

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1 hour ago, Duke of Inverness said:

Be good to have one of these again? 

Yes but I think they are a thing of the past unless you would like to get involved with producing one and the printing and publishing costs would be huge!

They were good in their day. Too expensive to produce and buy nowadays unfortunately. I used to buy a programme for every match I went too. I had a clear out ages ago and got rid of loads (wish I hadn't done that now) but I kept some of the more 'iconic' (to me) issues. 

    • Agree 1

    Absolutely needs brought back, even if it is just a couple slices of paper for a quid. Along with paper tickets, its the best thing about visiting a ground.

    People only stopped buying the programme cos they were hideously inconsistent with distributing the vendors, sometimes there was one in the North Stand, other times they weren't. The online version was just flat out terrible, cos you can do a dozen and one things on your phone at half time, but if you have a programme in hand, you're more inclined to read it.

    30 minutes ago, High1ander said:

    You might be interested in reading the results of the supporters matchday survey report on the topic of a matchday programme
    https://publuu.com/flip-book/183254/449329/page/66

    I think the problem is not only cost but also time as well as the lingering death rattles of traditional printed media in favour of digital or virtual media .. Bryan Munro put a lot of passion, effort and time into the printed programmes throughout the years, and because of help from the likes of Ian Broadfoot and Peter McCallum and others around the club there was never any shortage of interesting content as well as stats and facts for the upcoming games. Throw in a piece or two from the manager or other staff and maybe a player profile or other article and all was good. However, you have to do that consistently, week-in and week-out which Bryan had down to a fine art even if he was still running around late at night just a few days before a game putting finishing touches to it to make sure it was accurate and up to date on the same week as the game.  I don't know that we could produce to the same level now, nor sell to the same level and therefore possibly not get the sponsorship or ads to fully pay for it. You also have to consider that matchday programmes are a throwback to the pre-internet days where the info was not at everyone's fingertips so the desire for a printed program is more about nostalgia and that wears off ...  I would buy one on my trips if it were available but would there be a critical mass, especially amongst the younger generation, to sustain it. 

    I did download the electronic versions when they were available and found them to be ok. Definitely effort gone into producing them, so no criticism there, but lacked that 'feel' of a traditional programme and the 'love' that a bunch of volunteers were able to pour into something that was a 'passion project' rather than a task. 

     

    Its funny - Toronto FC tried this in the early years in MLS as there was, and still is, a very large football supporting diaspora in Toronto, with many coming from countries where the matchday programme is traditional. Unfortunately, it flopped after one or two seasons because they - with all their resources - could not find the right balance to get folks to buy it so the stopped. I have about a dozen of them or so and they are all decent quality, informative, glossy, and were only $2 or $3 (cant remember exactly how much). I think they were a bit too corporate and formulaic in terms of the content for each issue, and lacking in enough interesting or different articles between issues. If a 25,000 crowd cant sustain a glossy programme, then perhaps we can let the club off the hook on this one a bit. Would be nice to see it back, but only if it were self-sustaining.   

    • 1 year later...

    Let's have a re-visit on this discussion. Why can Tranent produce a matchday programme and we can't? I know lots of clubs smaller than ours that can do so.

    What do we need to do in order to get this rolling again.

    1 hour ago, ICTPaisley said:

    Let's have a re-visit on this discussion. Why can Tranent produce a matchday programme and we can't? I know lots of clubs smaller than ours that can do so.

    What do we need to do in order to get this rolling again.

    But that's a one-off. There's a programme shop in Edinburgh that'll have got his order in for about 50-100 and there are loads of collectors who will be after this issue as it's non-league in the Cup. I'm going but I suspect it'll be sold out by the time I get there.

    Edit - the same guy with the programme shop will pay peanuts for routine ICT programmes but there are a few Scottish Cup ones I have that he would gladly pay good money for, in particular the Hibs game in 2016.

    Edited by The Mantis

    Just had a look at the Cup rules, and was a bit surprised to see that there are no requirements for clubs to produce programmes.

    I used to work with a bloke who was chairman of non-league Ware FC in England. I remember him moaning about the conditions imposed on clubs in the FA Cup - including producing a programme of a minimum of x pages, with at least y pages in full colour. (Can't remember what x and y were.)

    As much as I love a paper programme I just think its had its day except for the biggest games such as a cup final.

    I do know how much work goes into a good one as well as prohibitive printing costs.

    Dont think there has ever been a requirement to have one @snorbens_caleyman in Scotland.

    I agree.

    In this digital world, anything printed will be a bit out of date.

    The club issues interviews and we have the great previews and reports on here.

    It is a small team behind the scenes and the work involved would be onerous and probably mean something else would not be done.

    How many fans would actually buy one anyway? I suspect it would be a major cost burden on the club.

    •
    • Agree 1
    1 hour ago, IBM said:

    Bryan Munro did a great job for us for many years and he put in lot of work.

    2 hours ago, IBM said:

    Bryan Munro did a great job for us for many years and he put in lot of work.

    Bryan loved doing it too! (My uncle). Think going to Curtis sports was beginning of end.

    • Like 2

    I always used to buy a programme for every match I went to. There were a few I couldn't get on the day, but I'd have around 99% of the first 700 or so games I attended (now in boxes in the loft along with paper tickets, season ticket books and for some games newspaper reports of the match).

    Here I'm speaking with my (former) West Ham season ticket holder head on - I stopped buying them in around 2021-22 as I found that at least 80% of the material I'd already read on the club website. From then on I only bought European match programmes (although I couldn't get one in Lyon or in Bucharest).

    I think it's hard to provide content for a programme with enough uniqueness to make people want to buy it in this digital age. Probably only worth doing for "special" matches. It's also probably an age thing - my son (now 23) was never really interested in reading them.

    Two factors at play for me ... you have to have someone like Bryan Munro who was relentlessly dedicated to driving this 24/7/365, and through his drive and determination, to have others around him - such as Ian Broadfoot or indeed the players and officials - helping supply content or facts and figures. Back then the club did not have a website, there was little to no social media, and even this site was but a fledging corner of the internet so a physical program was an absolute must.

    The second factor is that rise of the internet and social media itself. As noted above, there is literally nothing you can put in a program that is not already on the internet or socials, and people reading it have little to no unique content to look forward to. Like physical newspapers or CDs and DVDs it is a dying medium, replaced by more instant or modern delivery methods. You will still sell a few due to the nostalgia factor but unlikely to be able to make it self-financing, even if you had another dedicated individual volunteer or group interested in resurrecting it.

    As a side note, and confirmation its not just an ICT issue ... Toronto FC tried this back in 2007/2008 or thereabouts. The club in its infancy was very much modelled on the British (even Scottish) community club focus as they did not know if it would take off or how ... and programmes (as well as Chip Butties in the concessions) were a small part of that. I have a few copies of the programs issued, and they sold them for about $5 but even subsidising the hell out of it, TFC could not justify retaining it and it died a death in its second season. Only time it was resurrected was for the MLS Cup Finals in 2016 and 2017 but I think the league produced those.

    • Like 1

    I don't know what print costs would be. But with crowds of around 2000 how many would buy a programme? I'd guess maybe a third. A print run of, say, 700 would make it hard to cover costs at an acceptable price point for fans I suspect. For other teams at League 1 level that becomes a print run of around one or two hundred and makes it even harder.

    It's almost like we need to go back in time and have a 2-4 page issue with squad lists, up to date tables & stats, brief opposition "pen pictures" and maybe manager comment. Keep it 'bare bones' and charge a quid. That might be economically viable.

    The other option would be to digitally release it. That cuts down on print costs (although I don't know what hosting costs might be) and maybe makes a small amount for the club. The downside of that is having to read it on a small screen with ageing eyes!

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    • Like 1

    I think I read somewhere that the average takeup for match programmes is about 20%.

    @The Hammer ICT did go from paper to digital some time ago, and before that the club tried a monthly magazine with a match newsletter enclosed.

    • Like 1

    The Supporters Trust survey (for which Highlander has posted the link above) showed that 75% of respondents read some of the digital matchday programme with half claiming to read all or most of each issue. Despite this, Gardiner put an end to it, presumably because it wasn't his idea. I think that the level of interest shown and its potential benefits warrants its return.

    A digital version has a lot of advantages over the paper version. It is cheaper to produce, it doesn't (usually) cost the reader anything, it can be read before the game, it is quicker to produce, it can be more up to date, it can include links to associated articles etc and it doesn't need staff to handle it for selling / distribution.

    I understand the argument that so much of the information in traditional programmes is already available on line, but it is far better to have information relevant to the match all together in one place (with links to further detail) than to expect people to search online for the info. There is also a lot of stuff which is not readily available on-line.

    If a digital programme was started up again, it could include, along with the usual specific match related stuff you would expect, things such as interviews with players and other club staff; a "where are they now?" series with info about what favourite players have done since leaving us; latest club news (the club isn't great at putting stuff on the website); updates from the Supporters Trust; a "fan of the week"; links to short surveys on issues the club wanted to hear fans' views on; the range and prices of food and beverages available at the serveries and Bar 94. And. more.

    There is also the possibility of making a little bit of money out of it. It could, for example be distributed free to folk on the Season Ticket holders' mailing list but to others on a mailing list for a modest subscription rather than putting it on the website. It would also be possible to run a limited number of copies off on the club photocopier (paid for by a sponsor?) and sold for, say £2.50 or free if wanted for people buying 5 or more halftime draw 50:50 tickets. It could also be sent to our opponents for the game to put on their website so that visiting fans could get the programme free of charge. This could also include a standard additional page for visiting fans with a bit of information about pubs and restaurants for those planning to spend a bit of time in the city.

    Us older fans can get a bit sentimental about programmes from our past. I am sure most of us have a good few somewhere in the house which we never look at but wouldn't ever think of throwing out. But times change. Printed programmes are no longer the only source of the relevant information they once were. Therefore, the purpose of a digitally produced matchday programme is different from the traditional printed one. Rather than inform people who are already at the match, it informs people before the match and can therefore be a useful tool in encouraging people to attend the game and therefore can potentially increase revenue for the club.

    I am therefore strongly of the opinion that the club should look to re-introduce the digital programme as soon as possible. Sadly though, I have to accept that the traditional routine matchday programme is a thing of the past, although I do think they should still be considered for special occasions.

    •
    • Like 1
    • Well Said 3

    Dumbarton have programmes tonight.

    • Thoughtful 1
    10 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

    I'm sure they'll be a lovely reminder of happy memories for the Dumbarton faithful ictscarf

    Right now I'd be doing a larger print run, and flogging them to ICT fans!

    Btw I bought one at Tranent. 3 quid, 16 pages and it was awful. Never listed our squad or ref details or whatever, and the little amount of text was in an ENORMOUS font. I know people will think I’m exaggerating so I may just scan it and post here.

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