Applying the Open Source Ethos to Match Program Design ⚽️

I volunteer with Stockade FC making the home match programs. At the start of our 2017 match season, I created an “open source” edition of our program template for InDesign and Google Docs.

Stockade FC is a soccer team based out of Kingston, NY playing in the NPSL North Atlantic conference. Whenever they play a home game, I design the programs that get handed out, usually around 500 per match. They contain the team roster, recent match outcomes, and the current standings in the league.

The programs in their natural habitat at Dietz Stadium

Part of the philosophy behind this team is making all the resources we accrue available to others starting a soccer team in their area. The source files for our program are attached and are free for any other team to use as a starting point for their own programs! Any team is free to alter, duplicate, and adapt this design as needed without reaching out for permission. We know not every team has the resources to have a professional designer work with them, which is why we took the time to develop a Google Docs version based off of it.

All of the versions utilize tables, which makes it possible to directly copy and paste standings from the NPSL website to your program.

The template is available for download/duplication on Google Docs & InDesign.

Working on the file in Google Docs (recommended):

To work on the file in Google Docs, make a copy by clicking the ‘Add to my Drive’ button at the top of the page near the file name.

If you want to work on the file directly in Google Drive, you can make a copy of the template that you can edit to your account.

Downloading the templates for use in other applications:

Downloading for use in word processors outside of Google Docs (like Microsoft Word)

From the Google Docs page, you can even download the source file for whatever application you like best including Microsoft Word, Open Document Format, or PDF. Just go to ‘File’ > ‘Download as’ for those options.

This option might suit you better if you have specific fonts you want to you that are not available in Google Docs.

Downloading for use in Adobe InDesign

The version of the program you see at a Stockade FC match is built every week by me in InDesign, because we have special fonts and layouts we want to use. If you want something a little more complex, and have some InDesign knowledge, this might be a better option.

If your team has access to a designer or InDesign, this version is a bit truer to what we use.

The template is available for download for Google Docs & InDesign.
Hand model: Brandon Walsh