On line programmes.

[CHRIS GIBBS]

With no Portsmouth game today I did a bit of ground hopping. A morning start at London Lions and then up the road to Potters Bar Town. While PBT produced an excellent £2 programme, I was told by the woman on the turnstile at Lions, it was on line. No board up with teams written on either.
I later spoke with a man who seemed to be the only 'official' at the ground. He told me it was on the club website. On looking for the website, I found one that was out of date. The twitter pages also had no link either to any programme.
While the club, like many others, seemed to be short of match day staff, it it not possible for clubs to put up a poster or similar with a link to the programme on it, near the turnstile?
If anyone finds the programme on line anywhere, can they let me know where it is please.

[farmersboy]

I was at Harborough Town yesterday, they produce an excellent 44 page programme for £2. When they first came out of 'parks' football in 2010, their programme production was intermittent. Sometimes duplicated pages stapled together, sometimes nothing. They eventually settled on a template, which was the same every time with an insert containing info on the visitors and team news etc. A few years ago, a chap called Peter Wade got involved and the programme has gone from strength to strength.
You mentioned that there was a lack of club officials, Chris, there is the rub. Harborough are very much a club on the up, regular you tube videos, promotion, numerous teams and what seems like a lot of people involved in the running of the club.
I have been to some clubs where you have to wait for a cup of tea until the bloke on the gate has finished. Many times I have been told, apologetically, that there is no programme because the chap that usually does it, is on holiday, in hospital etc.
I am quite happy for clubs to only produce what they can manage, Anstey Nomads produced a team sheet, shortly after kick-off and distributed it, MK Irish gave out a free 4 page info sheet on the gate. Once at Kirkby Muxloe, they were so keen to give me something, that they gave me the club team sheet once it had been signed by the ref!
Some clubs are obviously struggling to find enough volunteers others not.

There is no excuse for league clubs though. For me, a club that doesn't do a physical programme is like a club that doesn't sell beer. As has been said on here before, if they don't make money on them, make them smaller and print fewer. I am pleased to see that our club, Pompey, not only has a pretty good programme but actively promotes it on the web site.

[flashhat]

Certain leagues have to have a programme, but clubs still do not issue, they'd rather pay the fine than go to the trouble of publishing a programme. I will only attend if there is a programme available, I know lots of other hoppers who are exactly the same, but many others are not interested any longer. I had a long chat last season with a certain league official who said he was determined to get all their clubs issuing a programme, but alas I have already had two clubs this season insist they will not offer one.
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