How to make a match programme, club newsletter or season booklet

12 November 2026, Flashbooks Team

Left half of a sample double-page spread for a handball team, in German: a drawn portrait of a player in a red shirt with the number 11, answers about her favourite shot and penalty throws, team awards such as Rock in defence and the match she will never forget — Sample page. The names and answers are made up; the background and the icons are design examples.

Right half of the sample spread, in German: a second drawn portrait in a training jacket, lucky charm and favourite place, what nobody in the team knows about her yet, the signature, name and the details right wing, left-handed, number 11 and birthday — Sample page. The names and answers are made up; the background and the icons are design examples.

Knowing how to make a match programme, a club newsletter or a season booklet mainly comes down to deciding what goes in, who writes, who sells the adverts and who prints it. Whether it's a match programme for home games (some call it a match day programme), a club newsletter for all members or a season booklet for the whole season, the process is similar for all three. Here's what each one is, how to get to your booklet in six steps, and where a team yearbook is something quite different.

Match programme, club newsletter, season booklet: what's what?

All three are publications for the club, but they come out at different intervals and have different readers.

Match programme. Comes out for every home game and is handed out at the entrance or left in the clubhouse. It contains the squad, the opponents, the league table, a look back at the last match and the sponsors' adverts. Because it has to be done quickly, a fixed template is worth it, with only the content changing from game to game.

Club newsletter or club magazine. Comes out a few times a year and is aimed at all members: reports from every section, dates, awards and honours, news from the committee.

Season booklet. Comes out once a season, at the start or as a look back at the end. It introduces every team with a photo and squad list, includes the fixture lists and gives sponsors a fixed place for a whole season.

How to make a match programme in six steps

Whether you want to make a club newsletter or four pages for a home game, this order will save you a lot of stress.

Form an editorial team. Two or three people are enough: one for the texts, one for the adverts, one for the design. Decide who gives the final sign-off.
Set your regular sections. Fixed sections save work in every issue: a welcome note, match reports, dates, a puzzle and a profile of one person. For the profile, a football player profile template works well.
Sell the adverts. A simple price list by size, so full, half and quarter page, plus a package for the whole season, makes it easy for sponsors. How to find and approach them is explained in our guide sports club sponsorship.
Collect texts and photos. Set a copy deadline and stick to it. For photos of people, especially children, get their consent beforehand; there are tips in our guide to photo consent forms for clubs (not legal advice).
Design it. With a template in a layout or word-processing program, or directly in the browser: if you want to make a match programme online, many online printers offer an editor with booklet templates.
Get it printed. At a local printer or online. Proofread a preview or a test print before the whole run goes to print, and base the print run on spectators and members, not on gut feeling.

How much does a club magazine cost, and who pays for it?

The cost depends on the print run, number of pages, paper, colour printing and binding. A stapled booklet is cheaper than a perfect-bound one, and the bigger the print run, the less each copy costs. A club magazine is usually paid for by adverts, and at best they cover the printing entirely. So work out first how many adverts you need, and only then plan the number of pages.

How a team yearbook is different

A club magazine informs: it comes out often, is aimed at everyone and is out of date after the next match day. A team yearbook is a keepsake: it comes out once, belongs to one team and will still be opened years from now. The season booklet presents the team to the outside world; the team yearbook is for the team itself.

In a Flashbook, everyone in the team gets a double-page spread with two photos and their own answers. There's also a team photo, team awards and a spread for the league table, a special moment and a memorable match. You don't need an editorial team or a designer: everyone answers the questions on their phone, and Flashbooks does the design and printing. There's room for sponsors here too, with up to 4 sponsor pages included in the price and the logos on the back cover. How this works for several teams is explained on our page about the sports club yearbook.

If an anniversary is coming up, the club magazine can turn into a commemorative booklet. Ideas for that are in our guide club anniversary ideas.

Frequently asked questions about club magazines

How often should a club magazine come out?

As often as you can reliably fill it. Two good issues a year are better than six half-empty ones. A match programme follows the fixture list and comes out for every home game.

What goes into a match programme for a youth game?

Fewer statistics, more faces: the squad with photos, a short match report, ideally written by the children themselves, a puzzle and the next dates. For photos of children, check with the parents beforehand that they agree.

Can a club magazine be published online only?

Yes, as a PDF or on your website. That saves printing costs. But think about who will read it then: on match day, a printed copy is quickly in people's hands, whereas a PDF has to be looked for first. Talk to your advertisers before you switch.

The book, the questionnaire and our WhatsApp support are in German. Other languages and shipping to other countries on request.

Start your Flashbook now Ask your team first

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