Make or break season ahead for Mansfield Town's matchday programme

The match programme has been a staple of the matchday tradition but sales have steadily decreased at all football clubs since the advent of the internet.

The club’s publication ‘The Stag’, is widely-regarded as one of the best in the lower divisions of the EFL and has won several awards in recent seasons.

It is understood that the club will use this season as a litmus test to determine whether to continue producing a programme in future seasons.

A club spokesman told Chad: “The club is proud of its match programme and we know that a number of our supporters cherish the matchday programme.

"The programme is a long-standing tradition for some fans, and a part of their matchday experience.

“However, from a business perspective, the programme must be cost-effective and we must see an increase in sales this season for it to survive thereafter.

"The club will still produce a programme rich in content this season, with as much exclusivity of content as possible.

“This season’s publication, for league games, will be a 32 page publication which will feature various articles, tailored to a wide-ranging audience within our fan base.

"It really is crunch-time for the survival of the match programme, and its sales this season will dictate its future.”

Three years ago EFL clubs voted that they should no longer be obliged to print programmes for every game and can decide match by match.