Scottish Non-League Programme of the Year awards 2014-15

[Burnie_man]

It’s that time again to get your entries in for the 2014-2015 Scottish Non-League Programme of the Year awards backed by Programme Monthly magazine www.programmemonthly.com

Buckie Thistle won the award last season, with Ardeer Thistle coming fourth to be best in the Juniors, and Gala Fairydean Rovers being best in the Lowland. Full results here;

http://www.pieandbov...s/?hl=programme

I’d like to invite entries from as wide a range of clubs as possible for the Highland League, Lowland League, Juniors, East of Scotland League and South of Scotland League. Each club should provide two separate issues from this season of which one must be from a league match. Both programmes must be from competitive matches, no friendlies or special one-off issues please.

We had 58 entries last season which was fantastic, but I’d like to try and top that as I know there were other clubs who issued programmes but did not enter.

Entries will be open until April (so plenty time yet) and results will be published in the June 2015 edition and each club who enters will receive a copy of that months Programme Monthly upon request.

Please PM me for details, or email burnieman2@hotmail.com and please feel free to spread the word via other forums or to clubs directly.

[cowdenbeath]

It’s that time again to get your entries in for the 2014-2015 Scottish Non-League Programme of the Year awards backed by Programme Monthly magazine www.programmemonthly.com

Buckie Thistle won the award last season, with Ardeer Thistle coming fourth to be best in the Juniors, and Gala Fairydean Rovers being best in the Lowland. Full results here;

http://www.pieandbov...s/?hl=programme

I’d like to invite entries from as wide a range of clubs as possible for the Highland League, Lowland League, Juniors, East of Scotland League and South of Scotland League. Each club should provide two separate issues from this season of which one must be from a league match. Both programmes must be from competitive matches, no friendlies or special one-off issues please.

We had 58 entries last season which was fantastic, but I’d like to try and top that as I know there were other clubs who issued programmes but did not enter.

Entries will be open until April (so plenty time yet) and results will be published in the June 2015 edition and each club who enters will receive a copy of that months Programme Monthly upon request.

Please PM me for details, or email burnieman2@hotmail.com and please feel free to spread the word via other forums or to clubs directly.

According to the table Whitehill were best in the Lowland League not Gala

[Burnie_man]

According to the table Whitehill were best in the Lowland League not Gala

Well there you go, and you trust me to judge this stuff? lol!

[Tams bird]

I thought Whitehill were runners up .

[Grim O'Grady]

See I knew it was fixed, it should have been Gala all along, some how WW jumped in & stole the show, typical Rosewellingtons!

Anyway, for those of yous who've been to ours this season you'll know there's no point entering this year as it's in the bag. Spartans Winner & no just runner-up!

Grimbo

[Gyleman]

Take aff those Spartacles (see what I did there) Grim.

Even as a Spartan, I'd put WW & Citeh ahead of us in the programme stakes. Crammed with info and often humorous too.

Ours is good & improved tho (just in case Simplistic's reading this )

[cowdenbeath]

Take aff those Spartacles (see what I did there) Grim.

Even as a Spartan, I'd put WW & Citeh ahead of us in the programme stakes. Crammed with info and often humorous too.

Ours is good & improved tho (just in case Simplistic's reading this )

Not seen the Gala issue but there is a hell of reading in the WW issue. Seen the Spartans one from the Clyde cup game as my mate was at the game and it looks a lot better than last seasons with your new printer.

[cowdenbeath]

Well there you go, and you trust me to judge this stuff? lol!

I just remember Whitehill winning it.

[Burnie_man]

I just remember Whitehill winning it.

Best in the UK, or was it Rosewell?

[Grim O'Grady]

I know how they could improve the WW programme by making it waterproof so folk can wear it on their heed during the Rosewellington downpours, or could make it in to wee boats (origami style) & during the floods could play a pooh sticks type game by floating their boats from the shallow end to the deep end at Fergie Park.

I've also got a handy tip for the e-Citeh prog too, if they stuck a wee packet with 2 lens's on the front with instructions to roll the prog into binoculars so one can see the on pitch entertainment?

I want a cut of the prize money if either of these tomes win?

Grimbo

[Cicero]

Burnie what criteria are you using to judge the programmes?

Is it points based on how well certain sections are done such as use of colour, number of pages, adverts to article ratio etc?

Or is it based purely on your own opinion by placing in order by which programme you think better or worse. Comparing one programme against another and slotting into a certain position where you think it belongs.

If it is the latter then I don't I will bother entering this year as I cannot see where to improve on our 20 odd position last year. If it was the points based system at least I would know where to make improvements and strive to do better.

[surely not!]

Burnie what criteria are you using to judge the programmes?

Is it points based on how well certain sections are done such as use of colour, number of pages, adverts to article ratio etc?

Or is it based purely on your own opinion by placing in order by which programme you think better or worse. Comparing one programme against another and slotting into a certain position where you think it belongs.

If it is the latter then I don't I will bother entering this year as I cannot see where to improve on our 20 odd position last year. If it was the points based system at least I would know where to make improvements and strive to do better.

Good point cic. And on that note, what do fans actually want from a programme?

Personally I want info on the teams, an insight as to what goes on at the home club, some photos and match reports and probably some entertaining writing of sorts in between. Fed up going to places where you just get facts related to large season with a couple of squad lists and a half arsed comment from the gaffer/chairmen/captain where it's almost an 'insert opposition here' excercise.

[Simplistic]

programme content is a hard one. Do you play to the away fans as they are a little more likely to buy a programme. If so you can use content several times. I know some of the sides do that. Nothing wrong with it at all. Let's be honest getting content at this level depends on volunteers.

Or so you target the content to the home fans? Do you have those player/manager/chairmen updates.

It's hard. We do a programme which is normally 24 or 28 pages but getting content is tough. I must spend 8-10 hours per programme and I have two guys helping create content and proof reading.

The only negative feedback we've had since the summer redesign is that the players on the front cover aren't always smiling. That was a genuine complaint

[Grim O'Grady]

Don't forget to stick a couple of those brown bits of paper in to the copies you send in, for bookmarks.

Grimbo

[surely not!]

Don't forget to stick a couple of those brown bits of paper in to the copies you send in, for bookmarks.

Grimbo

That not what Sammy has in his hand when shaking hands with the whitehill guys he wants to sign each year?

[Grim O'Grady]

That not what Sammy has in his hand when shaking hands with the whitehill guys he wants to sign each year?

Correct SN, he values their abilities far greater than winning programme of the year award, well spotted.

Grimbo

[The Mantis]

But what does Sammy have in his hand when there's no WW players around?

[Burnie_man]

Burnie what criteria are you using to judge the programmes?

Is it points based on how well certain sections are done such as use of colour, number of pages, adverts to article ratio etc?

Or is it based purely on your own opinion by placing in order by which programme you think better or worse. Comparing one programme against another and slotting into a certain position where you think it belongs.

If it is the latter then I don't I will bother entering this year as I cannot see where to improve on our 20 odd position last year. If it was the points based system at least I would know where to make improvements and strive to do better.

Hi Cicero, these are the categories I use to try and be consistent across all entries;

Design:

Value for money (10)

Overall design (10)

Quality of print/Colour (10)

Adverts/Space Filling (10)

Content:

Club News (10)

Stats (10)

(tables/results/line-ups/appearances/goalscorers/fixtures)

Match reports (10)

Features/Visitors (10)

Pictures (10)

History (10)

It perhaps isn't a perfect system, but I hope it drives consistency when trying to judge 50+ programmes.

I hope you enter this year, the more the merrier! and at the end of the day, it's a bit of fun.

[Burnie_man]

Don't forget to stick a couple of those brown bits of paper in to the copies you send in, for bookmarks.

Grimbo

I specialise in these kind of bookmarks, the design is top class.

[Cicero]

Hi Cicero, these are the categories I use to try and be consistent across all entries;

Design:

Value for money (10)

Overall design (10)

Quality of print/Colour (10)

Adverts/Space Filling (10)

Content:

Club News (10)

Stats (10)

(tables/results/line-ups/appearances/goalscorers/fixtures)

Match reports (10)

Features/Visitors (10)

Pictures (10)

History (10)

It perhaps isn't a perfect system, but I hope it drives consistency when trying to judge 50+ programmes.

I hope you enter this year, the more the merrier! and at the end of the day, it's a bit of fun.

Cheers Burnie.

I think my main gripe last year was the lack of feedback. All I knew was that there 20 - 30 better programmes than Gretna's. I would have liked to have known in what areas that I could do to improve it. If it is in my power to do so.

As Simplistic said us compilers spend hours putting the programme together and generally the only the only feedback we get is someone pointing out all the errors (admittedly too frequent on my part).

It wouldn't take much to produce a spreadsheet with your categories in one column and the scores for each team's programme in the other columns. If I saw that we were low in overall design compared to everyone else, I could steps to improve it. You could update the spreadsheet when the programmes come in and publish it after the closing date for entries.