Today’s programme review looks at Brighton’s issue for 2020/21. Read our full review below and click here to see all of the Premier League issues for the season.
Brighton have issued an 84-page programme for the 2020/21 season, which also features a separate junior pull-out section. The programme is well designed, making good use of colour to help produce some eye-catching layouts.
Each issue offers a decent amount of readable content. ‘Amex at 10’ is a detailed four-page feature that celebrates a decade at the club’s stadium, with past players recalling their favourite game from the decade. The programme also profiles a member of staff who has been with the club since the move to the Amex. ‘One Of Our Own’ is a well-written longer-form article that looks at a former player who came through the youth ranks to represent Albion. This runs to six pages and includes plenty of photos from the player’s time with the club.
Always one of the more interesting columns of any Premier League issue is that from Brighton’s CEO Paul Barber, who comments on both club matters and issues within the wider game. There are a couple of interviews with current members of Albion’s squad, while former player Steve Sidwell also contributes a column. The junior pull-out section is called ‘Extra Time’ and includes a wide range of content for younger fans – including quizzes, a wordsearch, stats, and an opposition focus – with the whole section folding out into a large poster.
Opposition coverage runs to eight pages, with an introductory article on the team’s form that also features notes on the manager, silverware won, a classic match, and club legends. There are pen-pics of the squad, with a more detailed profile of one player, while ‘Season In Numbers’ gathers key stats from the season to date. The pick of this section though is ‘United In Print’, which is a feature on programmes that looks back at past issues from games between Albion and the visiting club. This includes reproductions of various covers and provides details of the respective issues and the context of each fixture.
‘Inside the Academy’ provides an interesting look behind the scenes as well as notes on the club’s younger players. There is also a two-page interview with a member of the women’s team. Previous match coverage is mainly picture based, with a few basic match stats included, while the first-team stats section is five pages long and, like the rest of the issue, very well laid-out. Each issue also includes a couple of pages on the club’s community work.
This is a well put together programme that combines some well written content with quality design work. Whilst not offering quite the depth of content that the Brighton issue of a few seasons ago included, this is nevertheless a good read, and remains among the better Premier League programmes.