Football is huge in the UK and even around the world. It is a custom that every Saturday and Sunday thousands of people attend a match at their local stadium or go to see one of the many professional teams across the UK.
The number of people who play is growing every year and recent estimates say that more than 8 million players play every 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 television through the various types of broadcasts that are now available. Any day of the week during soccer season you can find a soccer game on some kind of television channel. Gone are the days when all games were on Saturdays, top-tier professional games in English can be found anytime during the week.
Soccer clubs are businesses at heart. Buying and selling of players with benefits, ticket sales, TV rights and cups of tea with a burger at halftime all contribute to the club’s profits. This is why clubs can spend so much time and money getting their next strappy outfit so right.
It seems that every year football clubs launch a new range of football strips, a change in sponsor or jersey manufacturers will inevitably cause 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 main 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 home uniform, which was traditionally blue to red. After the outrage of the fans, the color returned to blue.
In the past, the material from which shirts were made was a material based on cotton or wool, or a mixture of the two, which was heavy and uncomfortable to wear. Today’s materials are a blend of polymers that now offer a lightweight, self-firing type material that wicks sweat away from the player and dries quickly. A common type of polymeric material is lycra.
As a sports club, whether you are an amateur or a professional, it is a great decision to change your uniform for next 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 an arm sleeve or a slightly darker 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 fit your kit design. However, there is a growing demand for a design that is different from all the others 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 fabrics. The only real limitations is the imagination of the designer.
The next time your team requires a change that could lead to a promotion or win a cup. Get away from the usual habit of ordering a brochure and look online and see what design comes to mind.
