The second of our Merit Awards for the 2020/21 season is today issued to Bristol Rovers, for producing the best programme in League One. Stylishly designed, and featuring some terrific articles throughout its 64 pages, the Rovers programme takes a second successive award for League One, finishing ahead of the also impressive issues from Portsmouth and Sunderland.
Unlike many programmes, the Rovers’ issue front-loads much of its original content. ‘Sweet F.A.’ takes as its influence the Football Association Bulletin – the monthly publication produced by the English game’s governing body between 1951 and 1982 – looking at various issues and recounting notable events of the time, alongside images of the featured editions. ‘Our Part In Their History’ offers something different, recalling Rovers’ involvement in occasions that have been of more significance to their opponents – highlighting the context for the other club. For example, for the Fulham issue, the article looked back to the day in September 1976 when Rovers were the opponents for George Best’s debut for the Cottagers.
‘The 3rd Kind’ marks Rovers’ fifth straight year in League One with a look at the third level of football in other countries – considering the history of the division and its key clubs and players. ‘Past Pirate’ looks through the club’s programme archives at an issue for the visit of Rovers’ opponents for the day, complete with cover images of the respective programmes, while ‘Doing the 92’ sees Chris Wathen recalling visits to the opposition’s ground.
One of the most rewarding features comes from programme contributor Marc Radford and is called ‘The Art of Football’. Radford tells how working on reproducing old World Cup posters helped him through the challenges of lockdown, telling the story of each competition along the way. ‘Like A Boss’ offers a two-page history of one of the men to have taken charge of Rovers down the years.
The visitors’ section of the programme is spread over six pages. This includes player profiles – starting with the eleven who took to the field in the team’s previous game – followed by the other squad members. The section also offers a manager profile, a head-to-head record, and a tactical graphic. ‘Homegrown Heroes’ meanwhile profiles notable players to have come through the ranks at the club. The programme also includes an interview with one current player and a column from one of the team at BBC Radio Bristol.
There are also features on various aspects of the club – including a couple of pages from the Bristol Rovers Former Players Association, an in-depth column from the Supporters Club, and a page from the Community Trust. Previous games are covered in ‘Match Action’, which provides a write-up of the game, together with facts, match stats, pictures, line-ups, and formations, across an excellent two-page spread. As well as the usual manager column and a page of news with the latest developments in League One, there is a well-presented two-page stats section for the first team.
The sheer originality of much of the written content in Rovers’ programme helps it to stand out from the crowd, and with seven clubs in League One choosing not to publish at all during 2020/21, Rovers’ long-standing commitment to issuing a high-quality matchday publication is especially welcome. Our congratulations go to programme editor Rob McNichol and his team for another superb effort!