The Leipy Programme Awards 2006/07
By Leipziger
May 14 2007
It's that time of year again, when Premiership media managers sweat and dive for their mice to see where their efforts have placed them in the prestigious second edition of the Leipy Programme Awards. Will Sale be able to climb off bottom, and will anyone be able to beat current title-holders Leicester?
Notes: where two+ issues could have been evaluated, the one used is stated. Also, in terms of development it is interesting that all 12 clubs' programmes are now priced at £3, the same as many Premiership football issues. Chelsea, always a price trend-setter, are still to go over this level after several years, so I feel we have reached a price ceiling at the moment in both sports. That's a good thing - a more expensive programme means less beer money :-(
So, without further ado...
12th Newcastle (13/4/07 v Gloucester)
Price: £3 (£3). Pages: 76 (76). Adverts: 43.4%.
For all this edition's strengths and weaknesses, I can't overlook that Newcastle criminally didn't publish for two of the European group matches. Once again, the programme is very similar to previous years with an altered colour scheme, and the statistics page does not include the four autumn signings. The Big Issue and Supporters Club pages are still very interesting, but Blackie's Bit attracts criticism, compare this with the range of opinion offered by Leicester.
Score: 5/10 - little innovation, and not published for every match.11th Sale (17/11/07 - Premiership)
Price: £3 (£2.50). Pages: 88 (64). Adverts: 51.1%.
Sale reach the £3 plateau, but despite the size of their programme increasing by almost a third, the advert count has creeped over a half and still only one page is devoted to the visitors, although a flashback to the Albania match is cute. The match reports and captain Jason Robinson's column are way too short but uniquely this publication lists the clubs' squads rather than the expected teams.
Score: 6/10 - bigger, but won't be better without an improved opposition section.
10th Bristol
Price: £3 (£3). Pages: 72 (72). Adverts: 47.9%.
Has an innovative title, "C'mon Bris" rather than just the team name or nickname, but way too many adverts including on nine successive pages near the back. The match reports offer just photos and the tea lineups, and there is little on the opposition, however there is a nice historical item.
Score: 6.5/10 - saved by the archive feature.9th Harlequins
Price: £3 (2004/05 £2.50). Pages: 72 (64). Adverts: 42.4%.
Quins' return to the Premiership isn't celebrated with a glossy cover, and there is little on the opposition, although a few players are profiled. The match reports offer good photos but could do with more text, but innovative features include two pages on the club's charity work and news from the upcoming World Cup. Like Northampton, the fixture list is only that, with no more statistics.
Score: 7/10 - basic flaws, and generally an average feel.
8th London Irish
Price: £3 (£3). Pages: 80 (80). Adverts: 38.75%.
The Exiles still refuse us a glossy cover, but while text and images could be set out better the green and white colour scheme is attractive. The visitors section is very informative with opinion, although I'm not sure why the two sides' next ten games are mentioned rather than their previous results. Match reports are detailed and the Supporters Club discuss their End of Season Party (it's not just us), and we are taught some referees' hand signals.
Score: 7/10 - very nice, but cover and layout let it down.7th Worcester
Price: £3 (£3). Pages: 84 (64). Adverts: 40%.
Bigger than it feels, bigger than last year and one of the few programmes to actually reduce its advert content this season. There's an interesting article by Cecil Duckworth on several issues, and the match reports are informative with a report on the corresponding match in 2005/06, but the headline font looks a bit amateurish to me.
Score: 8/10 - this year's most improved programme, bar the headline font.6th London Wasps
Price: £3 (£3). Pages: 76 (76). Adverts: 39.1%.
Away fans enjoy pen profiles of the home squad, but only a short section on the present state of their own team which is mainly profiles and previous meetings. The referee (Spreadbury in this case) is profiled, and the lineout was the law explained when we visited, and a look back at the 1981/82 season made for interesting reading.
Score: 8/10 - innovative pen profiles of Wasps squad lift it above last year's mediocrity.
5th Saracens
Price: £3 (£3). Pages: 84 (84). Adverts: 38%.
Still a hefty publication, although the advert count has gone up and I can't say I'm a fan of the new layout where Saracens split their programme into sections for Match Review, Match Preview, Player and Club, with other items still outside of these. But it's still a top programme, with good content including a written review of previous GP rounds, article on a previous match and also in September we celebrated 10 years of the Fez Boys.
Score: 8/10 - new format seems a bit disorganised.
4th Northampton
Price: £3 (last year £3). Pages: 78 (74). Adverts: 38.1%.
Still unique with the card cover, and a nice photo of Mark, Lom and Mathew in the first programme of the season, Northampton offer an interesting section on conditioning and two lengthy opposition sections. To go with this we had a TGI Friday voucher valid until the end of August 2006, and whilst this read will in general be missed next season, its still poor fixture page will not be.
Score: 8.5/10 – put the lineup on the fixture page and it'll score even higher.
3rd Bath
Price: £3 (£3). Pages: 84 (80). Adverts: 38%.
Conversely, this issue feels like it has less adverts than in 2005/06 but actually has 7% more. The articles are very informative and interesting, as we read about the Rec and David Barnes explains player welfare and other issues. The Supporters Club page is one of few to rival the Falcons', and there is plenty of information on the opposition. The artwork of photos from the city on the opening pages is nice, as is the item on Bath's Christmas Market, showing solidarity with their home. Glossy cover added.
Score: 9/10 - Bath is a pleasure to read as well as to visit.
2nd Gloucester (24/3/07)
Price: £3 (£3). Pages: 76 (76). Adverts: 38.1%.
Gloucester offer a bright and attractive cherry and white colour scheme, and several interesting articles on subjects such as the old grandstand. The Hall of Fame item on a former player (Richard Mogg here) is a good read, and the journalist and supporters pages also read well. Dean Ryan's column is a unique Q+A rather than a straight talk, I'm not sure how much I like this.
Score: 9/10 - solid, interesting effort.
1st Leicester
Price: £3 (£2.50). Pages: 92 (92). Adverts: 40%.
Along with Sale, the last programme to go up to £3. Still has a hefty feel, and Leicester continue to offer informative and lengthy articles from the chairman, CEO, president, DoR and also managing director as the Heineken quarter-final against Stade Francais approached. The Falcons having visited a week after the Tigers' win in Munster, unsurprisingly there is plenty coverage of this although the visitors and stats sections are nothing special. Match reports are greatly improved, with the photos now supplemented with text.
Score: 10/10 - even for 50p more, it's still the best and even found room for improvement.
Others from this season:
Brive
Price: Free. Pages: 4 (A4).
More text than Montauban, with a welcome from Jean-Pierre Lux of ERC and an article on Newcastle on the back page, as well as a list of previous finals in the European Challenge Cup.Montauban
Price: Free. Pages: 4 (A4).
Not a great amount to report here, basically just a huge spread of the two teams inside. Oh, there is back cover though...
Wharfedale
Price: £2. Pages: 16.
A nice issue for Ian Peel's testimonial, with a lot of articles from different people and photos from the bloke's career and life. We also see reports on Wharfedale and the Falcons Development seasons so far.
England (4/2/07 v Scotland)
Price: £5. Pages: 92. Adverts: 35.9%.
The RFU have increased the size but reduced the advert count, which are always good points, although we are still missing a column by the coach as we see in club programmes. I do like the informative map of Twickenham, since games there are rare, and the historical look at previous Calcutta Cup matches. Curiously, the programme for the South Africa match on 18/11/06 contained 84 pages, I don't know if Six Nations ones are routinely larger...