Ignition Sports Media kept the printers churning and the binders busy during a record-breaking week in early March.
In excess of 120,000 publications were produced during five days from the week commencing 10th March, as ISM’s creatives burned the midnight oil to make sure some truly blockbuster sporting events had editions fitting of the occasion.
That list included the Carabao Cup Final showdown between runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley, with the Toon army searching for a first domestic success since 1955. A 116-page A4 perfect-bound edition, with soft-touch cover lamination, provided a stylish piece of memorabilia for such a global event.
Wales’ capital was also on the list of destinations delivered to as old rivalries were renewed in a crunch Six Nations championship decider between Wales and England at a sold-out Principality Stadium.
Aston Villa’s UEFA Champions League journey also continued unabated in midweek as they saw off Club Brugge to reach the competition’s quarter-finals. An 84-page perfect-bound B5 matchday programme, with classy cover foiling, proved exceptionally popular once again in a dramatic evening in the West Midlands.
There were also high-profile issues produced for home Premier League fixtures for Manchester City and Southampton, while top-of-the-table clashes in the Championship at Sheffield United and Leeds United, as well as for League One leaders Birmingham City, saw ISM break the six-figure publication turnaround.
Ignition Sports Media’s General Manager Dave Middleton commented: “While pinch points in the season over the festive period, the EFL play-off final weekend and Easter are all exceptionally busy, this week was up there with one of the highest workloads the production suite had faced.
“With 20 different titles coming through, from major sporting showdowns at Wembley to the Premiership Women’s Final and everything in between throughout English football’s top four divisions, it was a mammoth undertaking for not only the design teams, but for our printers, binders and despatch divisions as well.
“They all went above and beyond so that every publication was designed to the highest standards, and we hope the informative and exclusive features within them provide some valuable reading as well.”