Publications - Regular Home Issues


first proper issue
By The Spider
January 1 2003

Regular home match programmes (1945 to date)

Regular Home Match Progs.

The first issue of the Queen's Park programme to appear on a regular basis was that which was produced for the match against Aberdeen on Christmas Day, 1945.

Pictured above, it featured an informative if not overly striking cover and was restricted to a single double-sided sheet which was folded in half to comprise 4 pages. The inside page provided team line-ups, fixtures for the remainder of the season and all goalscorers since the start of the season, whilst the remaining 2 pages were devoted to Club Gossip, although one of these was more akin to a standard editorial. Strangely, the Club appear not to have issued any programmes at all for 1946-47 season, unless of course one turns up to serve as proof of the contrary.

The programme cover on the left will be far more familiar to many supporters as it served the Club faithfully for 30 years. This new issue appeared at the start of 1947-48 season and was produced for virtually every home first team game in the League, Scottish Cup and Glasgow Cup, although never for any Charity Cup ties despite its occasional usage for friendly matches. Initially it ran to 8 pages, although this increased to 12 in 1966-67 with the approach of the Club's centenary. Generally, advertising content was low and the combination of useful information and humorous stories made for a good read.

The first programme of 1978-79 season was a single sheet issue which apologised for the lack of a proper publication due to "trouble in the Printing Trade with 'Go Slow' and a restriction of the period of overtime which is allowed per week!" This sad state of affairs continued right through to 4th November when the first of the new era issues appeared. It wasn't a pretty sight. As you can see for yourselves, the cover was totally lacking in imagination and the programme itself was a superb example of cost-cutting at its worst. Of the remaining 11 pages, 7 were filled with adverts only leaving the centre 4 with text on them. Hardly value for money!
Regrettably this was not a short term arrangement and it wasn't until 1981-82 season, a few months after promotion had been achieved, that Club Secretary Frank Campbell was able to persuade the Committee to loosen their purse strings. The result, by comparison with what had gone before, was nothing short of majestic. The new 40 page issue made it's debut on 8/8/81 for a League Cup tie with Clydebank. For the first time in regular issues, there were photos, comprehensive match reports and much, much more besides. Half-way through the season, the price had to increase to 30p, but no one really minded as this was a glorious publication and worth every penny. Little wonder then that it was voted First Division Programme Of The Year in the annual Scottish Programme Awards.
The following season, 1982-83, the content was pretty similar to that of the previous year but another first was recorded.....a glossy cover with a different photo each issue. The 30p tag remained throughout the season except for a Scottish Cup Quarter-Final tie against Rangers where a 48 page issue deserved its 35p price; nightmare as it was for programme sellers on the day. The season ended in double disappointment too. The Club was relegated back to the Second Division and Frank Campbell was hanging up his pen. Dark clouds began to gather over Hampden.
For the first time, the committee decided to make someone other than its own Secretary responsible for the programme and Forrest Robertson, a Club member, took over the Editor's chair at the start of 1983/84 season. There were still 40 pages, it still cost 30p, but other changes were immediately noticeable. The cover was an interesting concept but some of the squiggly lines were so poorly drawn that this detracted from the originality of the design. Inside, the advertising content had soared with more than 20 pages being revenue orientated. Indeed, by the time that photo and information pages (results, stats etc.) were taken into account, a mere 10 pages of actual reading remained. It was still worth buying, but some initial signs of deterioration could be detected.  
By the start of 1986-87 season, the programme had become something of a joke in collectors' circles. The lowest ebb was reached with the issue of the first programme of the new season for a friendly against Sheffield F.C. There were 20 pages and only 1 article - a half page Supporters' Notes - and this for 35p. By September, Forrest had left for pastures new and The Herald's Bill Sutherland was brought in to steady the ship. A change in cover didn't take place until November and this was used in an attempt to disguise the increase in cover charge to 40p. By now you were only getting 28 pages for your money and although the quality of photo reproduction and layout were good, there were only 6 or 7 pages of actual reading material in it. The price and format remained unchanged until January, 1990 when the 50p mark was reached. 
Another new cover was revealed in September 1990, and very fetching it looked too. Bearing in mind that the Club's colours are black and white, it is difficult to brighten things up but credit is due to the production team for utilising the scarlet colour found on the lion of the club crest which appears on team strips. The new design was well received and, when the better quality paper now being used was taken into account, the overall effect was that of a neat and tidy programme making good use of the financial limitations placed upon it. Unfortunately there was to be no renaissance and, by the start of 1992-93 season, the colour had disappeared, the print quality was appreciably poorer and the paper was noticeably flimsy. It was going to get worse before it got better.

 

The next new cover was unveiled in December, 1992 for a Scottish Cup tie against Clyde. The paper was a good quality gloss which helped to compensate for the lack of imagination in the design. Internally, however, it was a different story as the entire content had been photocopied, and poorly at that. By the end of the season it had become clear that a completely new approach was required as readers were becoming bored with the lack of variety being offered to them. There was much more competition than ever before. The entertaining supporters' fanzine was impacting on sales, local newspapers were providing good coverage whilst other clubs' programmes had considerably improved throughout the Eighties. In an audacious move, the Club turned to the founder of The Web for help.
The Web had only come into existence because of grass roots supporters' dissatisfaction with what was seen as an "establishment" programme. During the close-season of 1993, Hector Cook was transformed from poacher to game-keeper and the long haul to restore the programme to its award winning status of the 1981/1982 issue began. First to receive attention was the cover. Recognising the popularity of the 40's-70's design, this was restored but in a more modern fashion. More thought was also given to internal design and lay-out and the   Myles Cholmondley Warner column brought a satirical edge which appealed to the younger fanzine-orientated element of the support. Despite the 60p price tag, sales began to rise again although there was justifiable criticism of an inconsistent print quality; a matter that would need to be addressed. 
Change was gradual at first, and the cover design for the following season was still some way short of what was needed. It retained an element of the traditional design so as not to alienate the more elderly purchasers, but the main changes were within. Glossy paper was now used throughout; something which opposing clubs' programmes had benefited from for years. Whilst many old favourites were retained, new features like "Former Player Profile" and "For Queen's And Country" brought about a freshness which had also been long overdue. The changes were well received outwith the Club too and The Wirral Programme Club voted the programme not only best in its division, but a remarkable 4th best in Scotland too.     
The last of the non-full colour covers was paraded for the start of 1995-96 season and it is considered by many to be the best of the bunch since the departure from the traditional design back in 1978. A new printer was now in place and a further price increase to 70p was generally accepted in view of the much improved print quality and photo reproduction, notwithstanding that their had been a return to non-gloss paper. However, there was only so much that could be done with the existing layout of a 28 page issue and supporters were sounded out about their possible willingness to pay £1 for a programme, provided that they were given value for money. The response was very encouraging and even as the season continued, plans were already in place for the move to a new format, and one which essentially remains to this day.  

The most noticeable aspect of the current format programmes is the full colour cover. Modern technological advances mean that today's programme editors are in a far more fortuitous position than their latter day counterparts as you no longer need to have print runs of thousands to make their usage possible.

It is sometimes said that when another club sneezes, it can take Queen's Park years to catch a cold. And so, in 1996, the Club finally had a full colour cover and a 36 page issue of which they could once again be proud. Apart from a further colour change the following season, there was little change to the interior layout for the 1997 series although that was to change by the start of 1998-99 season. For a start, the return to gloss paper was welcomed, especially as this was of a standard and finish which lent a luxurious feel to the pages; the sort only previously experienced at away cup ties to Premier League clubs where even buying a "big match" style programme was something of a minor thrill for lower league stalwarts. Photo content was greatly increased too which helped to break up the text and made issues seem less crammed than they had been previously. Whilst basically a cosmetic change only, the use of  full colour adverts on the rear and inside of the 1999-2000 cover brought a little cheer to the interior too.

1996-97                                                                                         1997-98

 

 

1998-99                                                                                         1999-2000

 
The issue for 2000-01 season generally carried a £1.50 price tag as the Committee were forced to become more financially astute than ever before following the temporary administration plight (and fright!) of the season before. The increase was accepted by loyal fans as sales continued to rise. The blow was softened by the Club's promotion to the Second Division where the admission and programme prices at away grounds were also higher than in the Third Division. Regular issues were up to 40 pages, and there were three special issues. A  44 page Championship Souvenir was produced for the opening league game which included a 4 page full colour insert. The other two £2 issues were for the "alternative Glasgow derbies" against Partick Thistle where these 48 page specials incorporated 8 page inserts celebrating the Club's Millennium Festivals of Football.

The changes that have taken place since then owe much to technological advances within the printing industry. Indeed, programme editors are now able to e-mail their entire programme's content directly into "smart" colour printers which have been pre-programmed with the Club's standard formatting information, and which can then run-off full colour folded, collated and stapled issues. The current programme is certainly a far more professional looking publication than any to date, but it comes at a price (£2), and one which is far higher that any of its divisional companion. Sales may have dropped, but the Club Treasurer gets to see an increase in revenue so arguments about whether it represents better value for purchasers are rendered academic at a stroke.

Progression or regression? Time to dig out those creased and worn issues with the rusty staples and wallow in some much needed nostalgia!