Our latest programme review today features the excellent West Ham United issue for the 2020/21 season. Read our full review below and click here to see the other Premier League programmes for the season.
The largest issue in the Premier League, running to some 116 pages (85 net of adverts), the West Ham programme is also among the best. Containing an extensive amount of reading and carrying in-depth information about all parts of the club, this is a high-quality production from the Hammers.
The centrepiece of the programme is a historical section that ties in with West Ham’s 125th anniversary. This runs to more than 20 pages in each issue and is impressively comprehensive, with several features recounting tales from the club’s past.
‘125 Years of Hammers History’ sees content editor Rob Pritchard going through the archives to tell the story of the club, building a historical overview through the season. ‘Iconic Irons’ is a two-page photo spread with club photographer Arfa Griffiths selecting memorable images from his time working with the club. ‘A to Z of WHU’ takes a different letter of the alphabet each issue and tells various related stories – covering a mix of players, position, countries, and the like, including some impressive images and press cuttings.
‘My West Ham Scrapbook’ sees one former Iron going back over moments from their career with the club, while ‘Added Time Tunnel’ takes fans back to a particular year, recalling cultural highlights from the time. ‘Ken Dyer’s Memories’ feature the veteran Evening Standard reporter evoking his time covering West Ham. Each of these articles is well presented, with some creative page layouts that use the club’s claret and blue colours to good effect, creating a truly stand-out section within each issue.
There are various other items of original content within the programme. ‘Back to the 90s’ picks out some memorable players who turned out for the Hammers during the decade – highlighting some lesser-known names as well as more prominent figures. Each issue also features an extended interview with a member of the first-team – including some well designed spreads with images of the player. ‘My Dream Teammates’ has one former player selecting their all-time eleven from the players he took to the field with during his career. Club icon Tony Cottee contributes a lengthy column with his thoughts on the club and issues within the wider game, and there are two pages of content for younger Hammers supporters.
The opposition section has nine pages dedicated to coverage of the visitors to the London Stadium. The section opens with a two-page photograph from a recent game that also features the club’s name and crest on a sidebar. ‘History in 100 Words’ is a brief run-through of the visitors’ past, while there are separate notes on the team’s more recent fortunes. Also included is a profile of the head coach, an honours board, and a ‘depth chart’ that shows the options the team has in each position, with notes on how the team is likely to set up. ‘Meet The Opposition’ profiles the players, going through each area of the pitch in turn and assessing the options available – an interesting alternative to the regular pen-pics used by most clubs. ‘View From The Press Box’ is a two-page interview with a figure from the media who covers the opponents, offering a useful insight into the current situation of the team. There is also a related two-page article on the history between the two teams.
The Hammers programme also excels when it comes to club information. On top of the usual manager and captain columns (which are more detailed than many similar articles elsewhere), there are a couple of pages of news, and reports on previous matches that include line-ups, stats, and photos. ‘The Academy of Football’ section is devoted to the club’s academy teams, covering them in some depth with news updates, player spotlights, and behind the scenes features. There is also an impressive commitment to showcasing the club’s women’s team, with four pages offering player profiles alongside results and fixtures. The programme also includes four pages of first-team stats and three pages on the work of the West Ham United Foundation.
Overall then, this is a terrific issue from West Ham, excelling in many areas with the depth and breadth of its features. The team behind the programme are to be commended on maintaining such a high-quality issue, and also for making the digital version of each issue available free online on the day of the game.