Dunfermline Athletic

News and Events | Independent Programme 2026-2027

Eastender: Keeping the Matchday Tradition Alive at East End Park

For generations, no trip to East End Park was complete without picking up a matchday programme on the way to the turnstiles. That tradition looked set to disappear last summer when Dunfermline Athletic Football Club announced it was ending production of its official programme. Thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers, however, the tradition has continued in a new form: Eastender, an independently produced matchday publication now available on every home matchday.

Why the Club Stopped Producing a Programme
In August 2025, Dunfermline Athletic explained on its website that the decision to end the traditional programme had not been taken lightly. Despite efforts to boost sales, including adding more sellers and selling points around the stadium, weekly sales continued to fall, with some matchdays seeing fewer than 50 copies sold. The club had also explored working with supporters` groups to keep the programme going, but no viable solution could be found at the time.

Alongside printing costs, the club cited the considerable internal time and resources needed each week to produce the programme as ultimately unsustainable, resulting in a significant financial loss over a prolonged period.

To make sure supporters still had a record of each game, the club committed to providing free printed team sheets from the Norrie McCathie end ticketing kiosk on matchdays. Importantly, the club also left the door open, saying it would welcome hearing from any supporters or volunteers interested in taking on production of a programme independently.

Supporters Step In
That invitation didn`t go unanswered. A group of volunteers, all passionate about Dunfermline Athletic, came together to create Eastender, a supporter-led publication produced entirely independently of the club.
Run on a not-for-profit basis, Eastender is funded through programme sales and the time given freely by its volunteer team. Since launching in December 2025, the publication has already raised £1,500 for CHAS and Rachel House Children`s Hospice, and any future surplus is reinvested back into printing, software, design and production to help secure the programme`s long-term future.
The team behind Eastender say their aim is simple: to inform and entertain supporters while preserving the history and traditions of Dunfermline Athletic, producing something fans can genuinely be proud to own.

How to Get Your Copy
Eastender is available to purchase in person outside KDM Group East End Park on matchdays, continuing the familiar experience of picking up a programme on the way into the ground.
For those who can`t make it to a seller in person, copies can also be ordered online. Online orders can either be collected or posted out to the buyer`s address, with postage available at an additional cost.

Get Involved
Eastender is very much a community effort, and the team behind it are keen to keep it that way. Supporters with articles, photographs or ideas for future editions are encouraged to get in touch with the programme team at parsprogramme@yahoo.com.
Every copy sold helps keep Eastender going as an independent publication for the Dunfermline Athletic community, ensuring that this small but cherished piece of the matchday tradition lives on.

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