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Port Vale FC, nicknamed The Valiants, was formed in 1876 following a meeting at the Port Vale House, from which the club took its name. It is situated in Burlsem, Stoke and is the only football club in England that is not named after its location. The League Two club is currently managed by Lee Sinnott.

Lisa Carter is a marketing assistant at the club. She is the sole print buyer and has a roster of several local printers to choose from.

A regular item produced by the club is the ‘new and improved’ 76pp match day programme. Around 5,000 copies are digitally printed to be sold at the club’s home matches. The programme, entitled Black and White, is priced at £3 and features a regular column from Sinnott.

Last year, the club increased the pagination of the programme by 16pp. The publication also won football programme collecting magazine, Programme Monthly’s ‘Most Improved Programme Award’ in 2007.

Carter declined to comment on which printers she uses to produce the club’s various items. She also would not reveal what Port Vale FC’s annual print budget was.

She says: When looking for printers we tend to use local firms to boost the economy. The main things we look for in a printer are cost and reliability.

The club is currently in seventh position in League Two and is tipped for promotion to League One. It is owned by Valiant 2001 and counts Robbie Williams and darts player Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor among its fans.