Our next Premier League programme review takes a look at the issue from Bournemouth. Read our full notes on the Cherries’ programme below and click here to see all of the 2025/26 Premier League club issues.
This season’s Bournemouth programme lacks the depth of the best Cherries issues from recent years. Missing the kind of long-form features that distinguish the league’s better programmes, Matchday offers relatively little in the way of truly engaging editorial content.
The only historical feature of note is Bourne Legacy, a four-page retrospective charting the career of a former Cherries favourite. The article recounts the story of their time with the club over four pages, with plenty of images accompanying the text. Elsewhere, a first-team player interview runs to ten pages, although much of that space is given over to imagery rather than text. Continuing this emphasis on visual content, Through the Lens provides a further collection of photographs from around the club. The programme also offers a four-page section for junior supporters.
The visitors’ section runs to seven pages, although it too places greater emphasis on images than written content. The opening page presents key facts about the club, alongside recent results. Four in Focus provides brief profiles of key members of the opposition team, while Scout Report looks in more detail at their most recent fixture – featuring their starting eleven and formation, match statistics, and photographs from the game. Additional information highlights the visitors’ leading performers, including those with the most appearances and goals.
Club coverage includes a three-page manager column, accompanied by various images of the manager from around the training ground and matchday environment, as well as updates from the club’s Community Sports Trust, and a basic first-team statistics section. Notes from the Women’s Team Head Coach, Development Squad Manager, and the Academy Manager, provide updates on recent performances and upcoming challenges. These are complemented by Get to Know, a five-page interview with a member of the Academy setup. Coming Up meanwhile previews Bournemouth’s next fixture, with reference to past meetings between the clubs, as well as practical details for travelling supporters.
The programme’s design is generally tidy, although the arrangement of different sections creates a somewhat disjointed feel. Certain stylistic choices – most obviously the use of italicised capital letters – hinders readability in places.
A programme that prioritises visual presentation over editorial depth, Matchday lacks the calibre and range of content needed to be truly engaging, or to fully justify the £4 price.