Football is huge in the UK and even across the world. It is customary every Saturday and Sunday for thousands of people to attend a game at their local stadium or go see one of the many professional teams across the UK.
The number of people who play the game grows every year and recent estimates say that more than 8 million players play each week, that is, 1 in 8 people choose to spend their weekends participating in the game.
If we are not attending games or playing games, we can easily watch a game on TV through the various types of streams that are now available. Any day of the week during football season you can find a football match on some TV channel. Gone are the days when all games were on Saturdays, the English top flight professional games can be found at any time during the week.
Soccer clubs are businesses at heart. The buying and selling of players with profits, ticket sales, television rights and cups of tea with a hamburger at half time all contribute to the club’s profits. This is why clubs can spend so much time and money making your next strappy outfit so right.
It seems that every year football clubs launch a new range of football kits, a change of sponsor or jersey manufacturer will inevitably lead to a change in kit redesign. But even if there are no forced changes, it is now customary for most teams to release a new first, second, or third strip, usually because they know their loyal fans will want the latest design and will go out and buy it.
Some teams even change the color of their home stripe, which doesn’t always sit well with fans. This happened to the city of Cardiff during its recent takeover by Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan. Cardiff, nicknamed ‘The Blue Birds’, changed the color of their traditionally blue local kit to red. After fan outrage, the color reverted to blue again.
In the past, the material from which shirts were made was a cotton or wool based material, or a mixture of both, which was heavy and uncomfortable to wear. Today’s materials are a mix of polymers that now offer a type of lightweight material that absorbs the player’s sweat and dries quickly. A common type of polymeric material is lycra.
As a sports club, whether you are an amateur or a professional club, it is a big decision to change your uniform for the upcoming season. It is customary for most teams to keep the style or color of their existing uniform, but with a slight change that is sometimes not as noticeable to most. A date added to the sleeve of one arm or a slightly deeper red or blue is a typical change that most teams will adopt.
Where do you start if you want a new strip design? There are companies online that offer standard custom kits, these can be standard block colors or strips to suit your kit design. However, there is a growing demand for a design that is different from all the rest and makes a statement for the team.
Sublimated kits are the new trend in sportswear design, companies can present virtually any design that incorporates the club and sponsor logo on high quality breathable fabric. The only real limitations are the designer’s imagination.
The next time your team requires a change that could lead to a promotion or cup win. Get away from the usual habit of ordering a brochure and go online and see what design you come up with.