The Combined Counties League has confirmed matchday programmes are no longer a mandatory requirement for matches.
A report on the Reading City website revealed: “At Saturday’s Combined Counties Football League Annual General Meeting, it was announced that matchday programmes, whether printed or digital, will no longer be a mandatory requirement for clubs participating in the competition.”
The Cityzens have launched a supporter consultation on whether supporters would like the club to continue with a printed programme – providing several options: “Supporters are invited to vote on whether the club should continue to provide a digital matchday programme for every fixture, replace it with a monthly club newsletter, or produce programmes only for selected high-profile fixtures while issuing a monthly newsletter throughout the season.”
The matchday programme debate is one of the most divisive in grassroots football. For years, whichever competition you were in, League rules made production of a physical programme mandatory. With the rise in costs as well as the improvement in club websites and social media, those rules are beginning to change.
In 2018, the EFL (English Football League) removed the mandatory programme rule and many clubs ceased publication – including Reading FC, although the Royals have now brought in a quarterly printed publication.
The change from the Combined Counties League means we’re likely to see fewer matchday programmes produced by Berkshire clubs in 2026/27.
Is a matchday programme still important?
As a former programme editor, my views are mixed. When I started producing the Bracknell Town programme after the late Rob Scully stepped down, I naively thought I could sell more by creating something that had more news, interviews and information than Rob’s more statistical version.
Perhaps it was the way the club was at the time with low but loyal attendances, or perhaps it was because we had a really good website (maybe it just wasn’t very good)? I don’t know – but my version certainly didn’t sell more!
For those keen on the complete matchday experience, from decades-long supporters to groundhoppers, a programme is a key part of marking that moment and that match – on my groundhops I’ve always preferred to pick-up a bit of merchandise like a pin badge or scarf.
But in my opinion, the effort and time I spent putting a programme together simply wasn’t worth it. Those energies could be better spent – and you can see they are being better spent with websites and social media content a world away from a decade ago – elsewhere.
What do you think? Are you boycotting clubs that don’t produce a physical programme? Or do you think the change in programme rules is a positive one? Let us know in the comments.
