Today we take a look at the programme issued by Wolverhampton Wanderers for the 2020/21 season, in the latest in our series of programme reviews. Read our full notes on the Wolves issue below and click here to see all of the 2020/21 Premier League programmes.
This season’s programmes from Wolves cover two matches in one issue, with the programme being split in half with reversible covers. For the purposes of our review and consideration for our end of season awards we focus here on the unique content within each issue to provide a better comparison with other club’s issues. Each fixture covered within an issue therefore has 66 of the 132 pages devoted to it, and there is the usual mix of quality content that we have come to expect from Wolves given the excellence of their programmes in recent seasons.
Each issue contains an impressive amount of original content, with a historical section called ‘The Old Gold’ offering the best reading. ‘My Golden Game’ is an interview with a former Wolves favourite, while ‘Snapshot’ dips into the archives to find a photograph related to the day’s match, which is reproduced across two pages. ‘Old Gold Fifty Years On’ heads back the club’s 1970/71 campaign, providing the story of the season and match by match stats, including some programme images and pictures from the time. ‘How It Used To Be’ is another photographic feature, showing some aspect of the club as it was in the past.
Other original content includes ‘The 300 Club’, which profiles those players who have turned out for Wolves on at least 300 occasions, offering an impressive level of detail on each such player. ‘Home and Away’ sees one Wolves player selecting the stadiums that help to define their career, with favourite and important matches recalled. ‘My Wolves XI’ meanwhile has one former player from the club choosing their dream Wolves line-up. An interview with one current player runs to six pages and there is a two-page junior section also included.
The opposition coverage for each visitor to Molineux offers ten pages of dedicated content. The section opens with a stylishly designed page showing images of players and fans, as well as the club’s crest. There are notes on the season to date, plus various stats and a ‘trophy cabinet’. The coverage includes profiles of four key players, including their record against Wolves, which is a nice addition, and ‘Scout Report’ offers a tactical insight into the visiting team with commentary on the team’s style of play and likely formation. ‘Expert View’ provides a look at the team’s fortunes from a journalist with inside knowledge of the club, while ‘Premier League Years’ looks at the club’s record since the formation of the Premier League – telling key stories from that time, together with a graphic showing their finishing positions. There are also related articles included, notably one looking at transfers between Wolves and their opponents, and a memorable meeting between the two clubs.
In respect of club information, each issue contains three pages on the Wolves Foundation, while there are six pages devoted to the club’s academy teams, with news, reports, and stats for the under-23s and under-18s, plus an interview with one young player. Wolves’ Women’s team also benefits from three pages of coverage. There are columns from manager and captain, while information on first-team matches covers a couple of pages, with pictures, line-ups, and match stats. The usual results and fixtures spread is also present.
There is much to admire about this programme from Wolves, with each issue being attractively designed and benefiting from plenty of highly readable content. We hope that the club will revert to single match issues for next season, as they did for the visit of Manchester United when supporters returned to Molineux on the last day of the season.