Our latest Premier League programme review takes a look at Norwich City’s issue for 2021/22. While it may have been another difficult season for the Canaries on the pitch, their programme continues to hit the heights. Read our full review below and click here to see all the Premier League issues for the season.
The Canaries have set high standards with their programmes in recent seasons – collecting both our Gold Award for Programme of the Year during their last season in the top-flight (2019/20) and our Merit Award for the best programme in the Championship for 2020/21. OTBC takes its title from ‘On the Ball City’ – the traditional club song – with each issue running to 116 perfect-bound, A5 pages.
There are several highly readable retro features in every programme, with perhaps the best being ‘A Season Retold’. This turns back the clock 40 years to Norwich’s 1971/72 Division Two title winning campaign, which secured the club’s place in the top-flight of English football for the first time. Over six pages, the feature includes match reports, player profiles, and a stats section that unfolds as the season progresses.
Along similar lines is ‘Seasons in the Sun’, which spotlights a particular campaign that was notable for either Norwich or their opponents, looking at how the season unfolded for both teams, and ‘Great Goals Retold’ looks back on a notable goal from the club’s history, profiling the scorer. ‘A-Z of Norwich City’ goes through the alphabet providing notes on everything from famous players to competitions the club has participated in. ‘Flown From the Nest’ turns its attention to a former player who has recently hit the headlines elsewhere, while ‘Premier League Forgotten XI’ looks at some of the less well-known players to have appeared for Norwich in their ten Premier League seasons to date. There is also a six-page interview with one current member of the Canaries’ squad, as well as an article from former player Darren Eadie, and one of the more substantial junior sections that includes quizzes and ‘Spot the Ball’.
The programme also includes a couple of features providing a supporter’s perspective. ‘My Carrow Road’ is a five-page feature that marks the return of supporters to Carrow Road following the pandemic lockdown by inviting fans to share their memories of the ground. ‘Why We Go’ examines different aspects of the matchday experience, such as ‘Your Seat’, ‘Hope’, and ‘Crunch Ties’. A real range of reading then, with some original ideas and well-written articles that tend to offer more than the content provided by many clubs.
One of the areas in which Norwich’s programme has excelled in recent seasons is the opposition coverage and this season is no different. The section runs to 13 pages and includes an opening article looking at the club’s recent history, which is followed by a ‘Scouting Report’, containing information on how the team play and a formation graphic. There is a one-page manager profile, before ‘Meet the Squad’, which provides football sticker style pen-pics of the first-team squad, with extended notes on the captain and ‘One to Watch’. ‘Away From Home’ looks at the birthplace of one overseas members of the opposition’s team, while ‘Ask the Celebrity’ contains an interview with a well-known supporter of the visiting club. There is no better opposition section among this season’s top-flight issues, with a real depth of coverage on display.
There’s also a wealth of club information included in each programme, including a couple of pages on the club’s foundation and a page for the Canaries Trust. Space is dedicated to coverage of the under-23, under-18 and women’s teams, including interviews, stats, and match updates, with a stats panel of results, fixtures, and league table provided for each team. ‘Loan Round-Up’ meanwhile provides updates on the fortunes of those Norwich players spending the season elsewhere. The first-team stats section includes a well laid-out two-page season spread, as well as the league table and player appearance information.
Another terrific effort from Norwich then, packed with some great reading and lots of information for home and away supporters alike. This is an issue that will surely be in the running for our end of season awards once again.