Whether you’re designing a program for football, basketball, track, or even the marching band, a great sports program collects memories, builds community, and raises support for your team. At PrintingCenterUSA, we’ve helped thousands of teams create beautiful, professional programs that fans, families, and athletes treasure for years.

So what makes a sports program stand out? Think back to the last program you picked up. How big was it? what did the cover look like? How did it feel? Here are a few tips to help you design a program that’s eye-catching, effective, and easy to create.

Fan Based Sports Programs

The best sports programs are built with the fan in mind. This means grandparents, siblings, friends, teachers and more!

Parents and supporters want to:

• See clear team rosters
• Recognize players and coaches in photos with full descriptions
• List the granular things like team stats, game schedules, or highlights

Keep content short and well-organized. Try placing your roster in the centerfold or on the back cover so it’s easy to find at a glance. When designing, ask yourself, would this be fun to look through on the sidelines or in the stands?

Bonus: Make your program truly unforgettable and add in the extras! Jersey numbers, player positions, standout quotes, season highlights, stats, interviews, team mascots, and a section for notes or signatures. These personal additions turn your program into a keepsake fan will never forget.

Include Visuals & Personal Touches

A sports program isn’t just an event guide, many keep it souvenir to look back on, years later. That’s why quality photos make a big difference within the world of professional printing. Solo action shots, team photos, and senior features add emotional value and give families something to hold onto long after the season ends.

If you’re designing for multiple sports, consider grouping by season or creating a two-in-one booklet with upside-down sections and dual covers. It’s a creative and cost-effective way to include more teams while keeping your printing streamlined. This is also unique in the printing world and will be visually popular with your audience.

Partner With Local Sponsors

This part is easy to forget, but one of the most powerful tools you have is sponsorship space.
Reach out to local businesses to buy ad space in your program, it’s a win-win. They get affordable advertising, and your team earns valuable funding for gear, travel, or events.

Even small ads like a business card or coupons go a long way. Plus, it shows the community that businesses support youth sports, which strengthens relationships for future fundraisers. Business owners in the community are usually overjoyed to be asked to enter in the advertising space. Find last years program to find local businesses who have been willing to support in the past to give you a starting list.

Explore fast track options for design and check out our free downloadable templates, online design tool, and the free file review to ensure your program is perfect for gameday!

Triple-Check Player Info

This one’s quick, but important, always double (or triple) check the names in your program. It’s a keepsake for families, and you want every name spelled correctly. We recommend sharing a proof with coaches or team parents for review before final printing. They can reach out and let you know of corrections, so everything is perfect for distribution. It’s never fun to have an angry parent on your hands and families, coaches and teachers will appreciate the extra effort that went into the small details of the program.

Use Free Templates or Our Online Design Tool

Explore the fast-track options for design and check out our free downloadable templates, online design tool, and the free file review to ensure your program is perfect for gameday!

Here are some quick links to save you time and money!

• Free downloadable templates for every program size
• A free online design tool (no software needed!)
• Pre-built layouts that make it easy to drop in rosters, photos, and ads
• Free File Review tool to ensure your prints are high quality and perfect for printing!

Whether you’re designing a booklet for a championship game or a full-season keepsake, our tools are here to make the process fast and frustration-free.

Let’s Get Your Program Started

No matter what sport or event you’re designing for Football, Cheerleading, Soccer, Track, Wrestling, Band, Lacrosse, Rodeo, Racing, and more, we’ve got you covered! We also print posters, calendars, coloring books, yearbooks, and photo books which are perfect for gifts, fundraising, spirit week, or year-end banquets! Ready to get started? Give us a call at 800-995-1555 or head to PrintingCenterUSA.com and let’s create something awesome for your team.

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