Match programmes may fade into history
They are one of the great traditions attached to English football and have been read and collected by supporters for decades, but match-day programmes could be consigned to the history books next season if a vote to scrap them is passed this summer.
The English Football League has announced that a vote will take place at their annual meeting in June, with several clubs hoping to scrap the cost and effort needed to produce them.
With sales falling and readership numbers in decline amid the increasing popularity of official club websites and other internet platforms, a number of clubs outside the top flight are keen to free themselves of the burden of producing and printing a programme.
As things stand, it is mandatory for all EFL clubs to produce a programme for every home game, but their popularity has dropped with the rise of alternative publications, a trend that began in the 1980s with the emergence of the fanzines and hastened with expansion of the internet and the vast numbers of supporters using social media to read about their club.
However, the loss of match-day programmes will be acutely felt by those who cling on to football’s traditions, with many collecting the publications over a season. Partly as a result, there is a strong market for vintage programmes, too, with many being sold for four-figure sums and more.
The EFL said in a statement: “At its summer meeting in June 2018, the EFL will vote on a proposal that will determine whether or not it is an absolute requirement to produce a match-day programme from the start of the 2018/19 season onwards.
“A number of clubs have asked the EFL if the mandatory publication of a matchday programme can be addressed as a result of an overall decline in sales and the proliferation of digital and social media, which has the ability to deliver the same content in a more cost-effective manner.
“Irrespective of the outcome at June’s AGM, the EFL will continue to produce a match programme for its five competition finals: the Carabao Cup, Checkatrade Trophy and Sky Bet Play-offs.”