The club’s matchday programme, The Voice of Spotland, has picked-up two more awards.
The NORTHERN PROGRAMME CLUB, in their Independent View magazine, named the Swindon issue as their ‘Programme of the month’ for November.
They wrote: ‘Edited by Mark Wilbraham, this is one of the most likeable programmes on the market.
‘There are a number of features that provide Rochdale fans (and those from the visiting club) with a real shooting from the hip style, which is a commendable asset in these days where programme writers are sometimes accused of being too rigid in their opinions.
‘A new diverse cover design has further enhanced this already impressive programme and the judges were united in their praise for this and a number of features contained inside the issue produced for the League One fixture against Swindon.
‘While the programme features are of the highest quality in every issue, it was the opinion of the judging panel that the culmination of an impressive crop of individual opinion and writing techniques made this one stand out above the rest this month.’
PROGRAMME MONTHLY have rated TVOS as the joint runner-up in this season’s League One awards.
Gillingham were also joint runners-up, with Bristol Rovers coming out as the winners.
Programme Monthly said: ‘The Voice of Spotland is unusual in that it has a lot of different coloured backgrounds. There are nine pages given over to the opposition, with good player profiles, a thought provoking page entitled ‘5 Things I Think About’, and a double page spread of first and lasts in matches between the two clubs.
‘Scrutator’ is an excellent fan column, whilst the main player feature comes in the form of a three page Q&A using questions submitted by supporters.
‘A View from Row F’ is another very readable supporter penned column, whilst the ‘Through The Years’ feature recalls the club’s matches 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 years ago with small reproductions of the programme covers used.
‘Catching Up With’ is an interview with an ex-player, whilst a third fan written column appears in the form of ‘The Desert Dale Fan’, the musings of a Dubai based supporter.
‘Traveller’s Tales’, the good two pager on a recent away trip remains from last year, before ‘Rarely Seen’ concludes matters with a vintage photo from the archives. A good blend.
Standout article/feature – ‘Colour Confusion’ – Interesting feature on when the club turned out in an unexpected kit, with the reason, and a brief write-up of the match concerned.
TVOS Editor, Mark Wilbraham, said: “I am really pleased that we have two more awards to add to the two given to us by Independent View before Christmas.
“The programme team put in a lot of hours to produce the matchday read and it’s nice when these efforts are recognised by independent bodies, especially when we are competing against clubs with much greater fanbases and resources.
“However, we won’t rest on our laurels and will strive to make next season’s programme even better.
“I’d like to thank all the contributors for their efforts and thanks also go to those who buy TVOS for their positive feedback.”