The Club’s publication has taken first place in the Programme of the Season Award issued by website Premier Progs.
Second place in the 2018/19 awards is taken by the programme issued by Arsenal, with third place going to Brighton & Hove Albion’s issue.
Premier Progs website editor James Richards commented: “The Fulham programme is a superb issue, being awarded 19 points out of 20 for consistent excellence across the four areas of marking – Design, Original Content, Opposition Coverage, and Club Information.
“The team behind the Fulham issue are to be congratulated on the quality of their programme, with some excellent design work complementing a host of well-written features.
“For a club that is spending its first season back in the Premier League to produce such an outstanding issue speaks volumes for the efforts of all involved in the programme’s production.”
The full review reads as follows:
Fulham mark their return to the Premier League with a high-quality 100-page A5 programme. The Fulham issue was one of the well-regarded programmes in the Championship last season and this is another very impressive issue.
The programme benefits from a simple, clean layout and design that makes good use of the club’s colours of white, black, and red, making the issue a pleasure to browse through. The strength of this design work complements the extensive content provided. There are more than 20 original features in the programme, making this issue one of the best reads in the Premier League.
Among the best features is ‘From the Vaults’, which looks at matchday programmes from previous fixtures against Arsenal [the programme in question], including cover reproductions and details from the various matches featured. ‘This is the Cottage’ sees club historian Alex White charting the history of the ground – a fascinating feature that in this issue examines the redevelopment of Craven Cottage in the early 20th century and the nearby development of Stamford Bridge, which Fulham were offered the chance to rent prior to the establishment of Chelsea FC.
‘One Moment in Time’ reproduces a photograph from a past meeting of Fulham and Arsenal, with a brief commentary, and two pages on the teams that day and what happened to them. ‘Seasons in the Sun’ is a series that profiles one of Fulham’s 25 previous seasons in the top flight of English football – here looking at the 2001/02 campaign when, under manager Jean Tigana, the club reached the FA Cup semi-finals. ‘The Ex Files’ is a four-page features that carries an interview with one former Fulham player who has a link to the day’s opponents.
‘Back Pass’ examines now defunct stadia, at which Fulham had played. In this issue, the stadium profiled is Arsenal’s former home at Highbury. This is another quality feature, full of detail about the ground’s history and Fulham’s record there. ‘Legendary Tales’ profiles former Fulham player and coach Frank Penn, who served the club for 50 years. ‘The Way I See It’ features a photograph from the archives with the story behind it told by the subject, while ‘Last Gasp Goals’ looks at memorable late winning goals from Fulham’s history.
The programme also includes extensive club coverage. There are two-page columns from the manager and captain and ‘White Bites’ – providing two pages of club news. Match reports are on two pages, with an image from the game making up most of the spread, alongside match details, line-ups, and an image of the programme cover from the fixture. Coverage of the club’s youth teams include a two-page interview with one prospect and a page of match reports for each of the under-18s and under-23s. There are four pages of club stats, including results for the Academy teams and the double-page first team record.
Coverage of the visiting team is also well laid out, with strong use of the opposing club’s colours. There are nine pages in all devoted to Arsenal, including a good introductory article and a fact-file of key stats. ‘Classic Campaign’ looks at a memorable season for the visitors, while ‘Terrace Idol’ features one legendary players from the opposition club’s ranks. ‘The Gaffer’ is a profile of the club’s manager, with similar profiles afforded to their captain and star man, as well as ‘The Spine’ of the team. Other members of the squad are afforded more basic pen-pics, alongside a profile of one ‘hot prospect’. Finally, ‘Press Box Analysis’ is a column on the visitors penned by the Daily Mirror’s Chief Football Writer, John Cross.
A first-class effort then from Fulham, packed with quality readable content. The sheer amount of reading provided is hugely impressive, with the quality of the features being of a very high standard. This is matched by the neat and tidy design work, which serves as an example of the benefits of keeping things simple. The Fulham programme is a real credit to the club.
Score 19/20 – the pick of this season’s Premier League issues, the Fulham programme excels across the board.