Why Create a Weekly Digital Game Day Program?
Traditional game day programs are typically a one time printed publication at the beginning of the season. A team will create their program, buy printed copies and hand it out at games for fans and parents. It’s a simple yet effective way to relay information to fans while also giving the team a professional look. Teams may also even include advertisements within the pages as a part of their sponsorship packages. This is the way most teams across the country do their game day program. A one time, “set it and forget it” approach.
Digital game day programs have become more popular in the last few years as they are easily shareable and allow for weekly media coverage all season long. But why is weekly media coverage beneficial for a high school sports team? Read below to learn more.
Updated and Relevant Information
Digital game day programs can be updated each week so that game and team information is relevant. Game or practice schedules can be changed, players can be added or taken off a roster and additional business ads can be added. This allows the game day program to stay relevant and to be used all season. Print programs typically become out of date or have inaccurate information by the second or third week of the season. High school sports are always changing so the game/team information set at the beginning of the season always differs by the end of the season. Your team doesn’t have to update your program every single week but ensuring the information is relevant and new makes the game day program more sticky and enticing to view.
Highlight More Happenings
Weekly media coverage and updated information means that teams have the opportunity to include current happenings and messages in their program. Coaches can add personal messages to the community or the team booster club can notify fans of fundraisers or other events. The game day program becomes more than just a place to check for game information. It becomes a content hub where families, players and fans can connect with the team before and after games.
Story of the Season’s digital game day programs include game recaps, highlights and interviews in each of their weekly editions. Their game day programs act as a weekly team visual newsletter rather than just an outdated game program. It can be a lot of work for a coach to be updating the program weekly which is why it’s best to let someone else take over the game day program updates.
Get Players Interested and Involved
A weekly game day program allows your team to do a lot of interesting things that keeps players involved. Typically the game day programs are for parents and fans but involving the players is a great way to highlight them and give them a reason to value the game day program. Some teams may do a “Player(s) of the Week” page where each week players are highlighted for their accomplishments on the field, or at practice. It’s a great way to highlight players who have big games or highlight a “most improved player” or “practice player” who may not see the field as much. It gives players something to strive toward and gives them a little extra spotlight that the local news may not provide.
Another great way to highlight players, especially your seniors, is to dedicate a page each week to a different senior. Families and players love it and it gets them reading the game day program each week in anticipation of seeing themselves or their athlete. Add more personalization by asking the seniors to fill out a questionnaire at the beginning of the season and add their responses to their page. It’s a great way for fans to get to know the seniors and give them a special shoutout.
Even Better Printed Keepsake
Digital game day programs allow teams to do a lot more content-wise but are less of a keepsake. For some teams, having a tangible print program that families can keep at the end of the season is incredibly important and a treasured tradition. Unfortunately teams usually have to choose between doing a digital or print game day program.
What most teams don’t realize is that by doing weekly updates to your game day program you can generate a collection of awesome content. Each week’s content can now be included in a printed end-of-season book. This makes for a really special keepsake. Don’t feel like managing all that content and turning it into a printed book? Story of the Season creates a weekly digital game day program while also providing a printed end-of-season yearbook. This allows teams to have weekly media coverage and a great keepsake for the season. The end of season yearbook is more personalized than a regular game day program because it has all the weekly game and player content from the season. Doing a hybrid approach with your game day program allows you to keep fans connected to the team all season long while also providing them with a tangible way to remember the season by.
