Jake Gunton on the battle for a football institution to stay relevant in the modern age

As of 2024, over 12 per cent of professional football clubs in the English game no longer sell programmes on match day. An institution that began in 1888, once the staple diet of the common football fan alongside a pie and a pint, is slowly dying before our eyes.
The time was when the queue for the obligatory programme would stretch round the corner, almost paralleling the rush towards the burger van. Harassed sellers, desperately foraging for change, ready to apologise for any inconvenience.
Programmes ...