The second in our series of reviews of the 2020/21 Premier League programmes is published today, as we take a look at Aston Villa’s issue. Read the full review below, and click here to see all of the current season issues.
The Villa ‘News & Record’ has 32 fewer pages than last season’s standard issues, with the same 52-page format that the club used for last season’s behind-closed-doors games.
With the 2020/21 season marking 40 years since Villa’s last top-flight title success, the main reading in the programme comes in the form of a nine-page commemorative ‘Villa Vault’ section. This includes some excellent content, including detailed match reports and the league table as it developed through the season. A page is provided for a look back at each of the programme from the season, including an image of the cover and snippets from each issue. The section also offers profiles of squad members from 1980/81, and ‘Numbers Game’, which collects facts and figures from the season. The section has the same high design and layout standards as the rest of the issue, being presented on retro backgrounds, with a collage of images from the time. Other original content in the programme includes a player Q&A over three pages, a two-page section for junior fans, and a column from former Villa midfielder Ian Taylor, in ‘Tayls Talking’.
Coverage of the opposition is also well handled, with a dedicated seven-page section in addition to a quiz on the visiting club. Well laid out, and making good use of the team’s colours, the section includes an introductory page with the club’s honours and ‘A Trip Through Time’, which notes key moments in the club’s history. ‘Scene Setter’ looks at the opponent’s recent form, and there are four pages containing profiles of the players and manager, with just the right level of detail for each. ‘Opposition Stats Zone’ breaks down key numbers for the season to date and includes a graphic of the team’s most recent line-up and formation, as well as recent results against Villa.
The programme also contains a solid level of club information, including a two-page column from the manager, a page on the club’s academy and another that provides a focus on Villa’s women’s team. There are two pages of news, including Villa’s traditional ‘diary’ of recent happenings at the club, and a page on the work of the Aston Villa foundation. Previous matches are analysed with a match report that is accompanied by pictures and the Villa line-up, although there are no details of the opposition team from the game. There are also four pages of stats, including results, fixtures, player records, and a league table.
Despite the reduced page count, this is an impressive issue from the Villains, being attractively presented and featuring a solid mix of club news, opposition coverage, and readable content. With clubs at all levels of the game increasingly questioning the economics and necessity of providing a printed matchday programme, this Villa issue offers a model for how a smaller issue need not mean a reduction in quality. The team behind the Villa programme deserve credit for continuing to produce an issue that remains well-designed, informative, and still eminently collectible.