THE FUTURE OF FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES

DAVID OHL GIVES HIS IDEAS ON HOW TO PROTECT A MUCH-LOVED INSTITUION THAT HAS COME UNDER INCREASING PRESSURE

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BUYING a football programme outside a ground was for many people as traditional as a having a meat pie and a couple of pints a beer before a game – well, for the adults at least!

It was on the same trajectory as paying a few quid, in cash, at the turnstile to get in to a game, so you could then stand on the concrete terraces with your friends.

If that all sounds like it’s from a different era then it truly was. There is no chance of those days ever returning, despite the wishes of some older individuals.

The origin of the football programme was merely to find out the names of the people playing and officiating. They were basically teamsheets, before we had the luxury of public address systems, big screens on the tops of stands and the internet.

Along came the 1970s and the programmes became big, glossy, colourful magazines of up to 100 pages, although a lot of the content became advertisements, sponsorship and commercial information, plus a huge number of photographs to fill up the spaces.

The best ones were those which utilised their fanatical and loyal supporter bases to provide feedback, letters and interesting written contributions. Many were happy to do so free of charge to show their love and support for their clubs.

Programmes were seen as part of the fabric of the club and a piece of cherished memorabilia commemorating a football event. They became a part of history and rare editions are still displayed at clubs who have museums.

Those that didn’t get that buy-in from their spectators found those people coming out with their own magazines, known as football fanzines.

By the 1980s, virtually every English, Scottish and Welsh club had volunteer fanzine sellers outside their grounds, selling cheap fanzines to ensure that their supporters did have a proper voice.