In general you find a number of different types of collectors within the football programme communiuty. There is the potential collector who has a passing interest in starting a programme collection, there is the latent collector who collects programmes very sporadically, there is the casual collector who may collect old football programmes without having a specific theme to their collection, and also there is the confirmed collector who has precise aims and regularly tries to buy programmes in order to enhance his or her collection.
There is no minimum or maximum size to a collection, and the only limitations to it come in the form of your financial restraints. To be a collector, there is no need to own highly expensive programmes, just simply something that brings enjoyment or a sense of achievement to the collector. Programme collectors come from all walks of life.
In the early stages of a collection, a collector may try to buy everything they can find to their collection as soon as they can in order to give it some bulk. However, with this comes a loss of tangible meaning, and later when restrictions may mean a particular theme will have to be chosen and explored in order to further a collection.
There really are an unlimited number of themes and sub-themes of programmes that can be collected. However, there are certain traditional ways of building a collection. For example, for example all those programmes involving a particular team, all those concerned with a particular competition, etc. Whilst collecting a person is likely to experience the joys and pitfalls of acquiring a rare old football programme, or the frustration of not being able to find a source for one that is vital to your collection.
Those casual collectors will usually own a limited number of special programmes for major finals or semi-finals for the team that they personally follow, internationals, testimonials, special fixtures, or other big cup matches. These can basically be classified as a Big Match programme.
If you have a strong affiliation to a particular football club your mission in programme collecting may be to simply buy all issues for your chosen team. In addition to the normal league matches and cup-ties, you may also be tempted to collect programmes from friendlies, foreign tours, reserve teams, and youth teams.
One way of increasing the depth and scope of your collection is by choosing an earlier date from which to collect. You might, for example, decide to collect back to 1980, 1970, 1960, etc.
A collector who is fairly neutral in their affiliations, and just has a general passion for football will often widen the scope of their collection. In these sorts of collections you often find football programmes from a number of teams at different levels (including non league). For the more adventurous type of collector, football programmes may have been bought from countries other than his or her own.