We are approaching the end of our series of reviews for the current season Premier League programmes, with only three issues remaining to be analysed. The first of these reviews is published today, with our look into the Brighton & Hove Albion programme. Read our full review below and click here to see all of the 2019/20 issues.
The consistently impressive Brighton programme has taken third place in our awards in each of the last two seasons, and the club has delivered another fine issue for the 2019/20 season. The programme has undergone a re-design since last year, but remains a 100-page, perfect-bound issue, packed with quality content.
Several historical features stand out, with ‘Centurions’ being the pick of the bunch. This eight-page feature marks 100 years since Albion first won their place in the Football League, looking at famous players who have worn the Albion shirt down the years. This includes several images of the player in action, information on memorable moments in their career, and a ‘Did You Know’ panel that relates lesser known details about the player. The column also features words from the player, while ‘Centurion in Print’ reproduces covers and content from various Albion programmes that contained information about the player. For example, the Tottenham issue had as its subject former Albion star Gary Stevens, who spent five years with the club before a move to White Hart Lane following his man of the match performance in the 1983 FA Cup Final defeat to Manchester United.
‘Pride in the Shirt’ is a four-page article that, in each issue, looks at an Albion shirt from the past and a player from the time who is closely associated with it. The feature provides words from that player, as well as information on the shirt design and the season it was worn. The article also offers images of matches from the time and pictures of the club’s other kits from the season. ‘My Albion’ is another recurring feature that contains interviews with Brighton fans with a story to tell, such as those with extensive collections of Albion memorabilia. There are several features with current players within the Brighton issue. As with other parts of the programme, these feature some nice layout and artwork, combining well the images and text included. The main interview is with the issue’s cover star and covers eight pages. The issue also includes a junior pull-out section, called ‘Extra Time’.
Also attractively presented is the eight-page visitors’ section. This opens with a column that reflects on the club’s recent form, next to a historical timeline that traces key events in the club’s past. There are then three pages of pen-pics of the visiting squad, with a brief profile and biographical details alongside each player’s photo. ‘Stat Attack’ takes a numbers-based look at the club’s season to date, before a ‘Factfile’ column analyses one opposition player. Finally, ‘By Numbers’ is a two-page spread with various images of the club’s past and present, with each image bearing a number and some text outlining its significance.
In terms of club information, the programme includes two-page columns from manager Graham Potter and Chief Executive, Paul Barber. As with the issues of previous seasons, Mr Barber’s column offers an interesting insight into the sorts of challenge associated with running a club of Brighton’s size and resources. ‘Around the Amex’ gathers three pages of club news, while previous matches are covered across a two-page photo spread, with several images from each game together with the result and goal-scorer details. There are a couple of player interviews with members of Albion’s other sides, and the programme also features a report from a recent game from the women’s team’s league and cup campaigns. The issue does not include results, fixtures, and tables for either the Academy or women’s teams, instead directing readers to the club website. The programme does provide an extensive first-team stats section, including the usual two-page season spread, all deployed on a distinctive black background that marks out the pages from the rest of the issue.
The quality of the design work is one of the highlights of this Brighton programme. The ‘Centurions’ column is one of the most enjoyable reads in any programme this season, and indicative of the standards set by the team behind the Albion issue.