Programme

[Andy S]

I've spoken about this before but Saturdays programme is priced at £2 (probably half price for prem fixtures) and has 48 pages. Would it not be better to produce a simple publication with a team sheet and a bit of important info like fixtures and a word from the manager. The club could then knock it out for £2 every week
Who has time to read a 48 page epic from cover to cover at a match? That is why I no longer buy one

[Twig]

I like the programme. Of course I don't read 48 pages but I usually end up reading a lot of it, enough to make it worth the price (to me at least).

[nose]

I've spoken about this before but Saturdays programme is priced at £2 (probably half price for prem fixtures) and has 48 pages. Would it not be better to produce a simple publication with a team sheet and a bit of important info like fixtures and a word from the manager. The club could then knock it out for £2 every week
Who has time to read a 48 page epic from cover to cover at a match? That is why I no longer buy one

I absolutely agree. I think the programme (all teams) seem to be overblown inflated documents. I buy it because I awlays bought it but in truth like you have just said all most of us want is the team sheets, the names of the officials (so I know who I never want to see again) a bit about the other team, league table and fixtures...maybe the managers thoughts. 6 pages, £1.50 IMO.

Maybe we could ask the FST to ask the management to consider that.

[Fulham1959]

I've spoken about this before but Saturdays programme is priced at £2 (probably half price for prem fixtures) and has 48 pages. Would it not be better to produce a simple publication with a team sheet and a bit of important info like fixtures and a word from the manager. The club could then knock it out for £2 every week
Who has time to read a 48 page epic from cover to cover at a match? That is why I no longer buy one

I absolutely agree. I think the programme (all teams) seem to be overblown inflated documents. I buy it because I awlays bought it but in truth like you have just said all most of us want is the team sheets, the names of the officials (so I know who I never want to see again) a bit about the other team, league table and fixtures...maybe the managers thoughts. 6 pages, £1.50 IMO.

Maybe we could ask the FST to ask the management to consider that.

Agreed.  You can't collect programmes these days.  Too expensive, and you need a warehouse to store them.

[Lighthouse]

As much as I love reading them. They are no longer really needed. They are periodicals and have no real information not already published via the web. But I still enjoy looking back at them years after the games. However they are indeed just advertising and 'overblown inflated documents'.

[bog]

I am an avid collector of programmes and would be more so but I am married. I like the pre 1970's. Especially the '50's and earlier. I always buy one as it is a tradition for me, the modern ones are more like magazines though I feel.

Thank you and good night.

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[b+w geezer]

I'm sitting in a room with hundreds and hundreds of them -- wondering what I'll be doing with them when my wife and I 'downsize' in the non-distant future.  Prior to about 10 years ago, I always bought one, but now only do so occasionally. Reasons are as others have already mentioned, especially the problem of storage. A spot-check reveals that the same size container that is storing 93 programmes from the early 1970s is accommodating just 22 from Premier League times. The vastly slimmer programmes do contain less than the bulky magazines, but not that much less when it comes to real meat. There is much more padding now in all respects.

It is fantastic to be able to go to one's shelves sometimes and spend a half hour down memory lane. But once one stops archiving, much of the point of purchasing disappears, given the factors mentioned in the original post.

[Wolf]

Couple of people saying all they want is the team sheet. Isn't that available in many places online? Realtime information on the actual starting elevens and subs (as opposed to the entire squad) are available on the clubs' social media, live websites like the BBC and on the scoreboard and TVs at CC. Are you asking for a product that is much less necessary than what is essentially a club magazine?

[Marinelloguthrie]

Pretty much the same reasons as everyone has said.
I have got probably all seasons 72 - 82 and then became careless where I left them with moving houses etc so no full seasons and also periods when I wasn't going.. Good to have a look through them every now and then especially away programmes as it brings back memories of being kid on away trips to orient, Charlton etc.

If I'm honest I don't think £4 Is that bad and there still will be alot of supporters who will get their club news from the programme who don't use internet.

To think we used to have to pay stupid amounts of money on clubcall or rely on teletext page 302 I think for football to get Fulham news.

Do they still have the programme 'binders' like in the seventies?

[grandad]

From the Club´s point of view the publication is a source of revenue together with the advertising space they sell. The latest editions are difficult to keep in ones pocket without bending them .

[Fulham1959]

I've just bought the digital version from Pocketmags (via a link on FFC).

I previously did this in 2015/2016 but often didn't read them.  However, £24.99 for the full season seems good value and I am currently reading today's issue on my PC.  Very easy to 'turn pages' and enlarge.  I live in Stoke but would be tempted to use this option even if I attended every home match - saves the bulk and the expense.

[b+w geezer]

One of the only reasons for cheer today -- a programme A5 size, small enough to fit in your pocket.  There was quite a lot of material in it even so. Next week's will obviously be bigger, but can achieve that by running to, say, 60 pages instead of 48. At the same size. Hope that's so.