Our review of Chelsea’s programme for the 2021/22 season is published today. Read our notes on the programme below and click here to see all of the 2021/22 issues.
Chelsea’s programme for the 2021/22 season has a familiar look to the last few seasons, being one of the best designed issues in the league and featuring several well-written features.
As with the issues of recent years, when it comes to original content the emphasis is on quality rather than quantity, with a small number of more lengthy features included. Among these is a look back a decade to the 2011/12 season, when Chelsea won their first Champions League. Over ten pages, the article covers the ups and downs of the season with reference to key turning points and developments with players and management.
‘Rising Sons’ is another interesting feature from club historian Rick Glanvill – who turns the spotlight on the club’s greatest youth products through the ages. The article, which has featured players such as Venables, Tambling, and Harris, is spread over five pages and includes some excellent images from the archives. ‘Tell Us About Chelsea’ meanwhile features the words of former players and famous fans, who talk about their association with the club, again with plenty of retro images to accompany the text.
Each issue also offers a seven-page interview with a member of the first-team squad, and ‘Rewind’ – a two-page feature on a classic match against the day’s opponents – with a detailed report, line-up information and pictures from the game. Another nice touch is an ‘Honours’ page, which lists the titles won by Chelsea down the years, against the backdrop of an image of one of the trophies.
One of the real strengths of Chelsea’s programme is the level of detail in the coverage afforded to each of the club’s teams, with three pages devoted to each of the Development Squad, Under-18s, and Women’s teams. Each issue features a two-page interview with a player from one of the squads, as well as three pages from the head coach of each team, with results, fixtures, player stats, and league tables all included. The programme also includes an extensive first-team stats section, including a well-presented double-page results and fixtures spread, which makes good use of colour and offers details such as the formation used by Chelsea in the match. Each issue also has a page on the work of the club’s foundation.
By contrast, the visitors’ section is somewhat underwhelming. Spread over eight pages, the section includes a two-page opening column from former Blue Pat Nevin, who profiles the visiting team and highlights some of the tactical issues and player match-ups likely to play a role in the fixture. There is a two-page opposition fact file, which includes the club’s record last season, a head-to-head record against Chelsea, and key stats. This is followed by three pages of basic pen-pics and a manager profile.
As with previous seasons, a more in-depth opposition section would see Chelsea’s programme rank among the league’s best, with the issue scoring highly for design, original content, and club information.