Flab
08-11-2008, 06:29 AM
By Sarah Knapton
Last Updated: 10:27PM BST 10 Aug 2008
With just one week to go before the Premiership football season starts, parents face the pressure of splashing out on redesigned replica kits for almost every team in England's top flight.
Traditionally teams have alternately modified their home and away kits every two years.
But of the 20 teams in the Premiership, only Manchester United and Newcastle United are keeping their home strips this season. All are changing their away kits.
Many parents will feel obliged to bow to requests from their children to purchase the new strips before the season starts.
Everton fans will be hit the worst with a £5 price increase sending the cost of a replica adult shirt to £44.99, just one penny less than the most expensive at Aston Villa who are supplied by Nike.
A standard junior short sleeved shirt costs between £20 and £35 with some clubs only selling a full kit for youngsters at around £30.
Many clubs have blamed problems with suppliers and new sponsorship deals for the redesigns, although one club claimed fans expect a new kit each season.
But supporters say it will be a struggle to keep up with the yearly changes during the credit crisis.
Peter Trenter, vice-chairman of the Chelsea Supporters Group said: "I think it is going to be a problem in the current climate especially for parents with children who all want the latest strip. But I think this is the way clubs are going now. I would rather they went back to the old system of changing the strip every two years but I can't see it happening."
Consumer group Which? said it was up to fans whether they bought the new strips.
But Iain Green of the Everton Supporters Association in Northampton said: "I think new kits every 12 months does put pressure on people to buy the new shirts because they want to have the latest design that the players are wearing."
Ruaraieh Callinan also of the ESA added: "Since Umbro took over supplying Everton in 2004 we have had three new strips every year."
Only Newcastle United and Manchester United fans will not need to upgrade their home kits this season. Both teams are keeping to the traditional bi-annual redesign. Newcastle fans are unlikely to accept anything less after they were famously branded as 'mugs' by then vice-chairman Douglas Hall and chairman Freddy Shepherd for paying over the odds for their replica shirts.
And Manchester United was fined by UK Office of Fair Trading in 2003 for fixing the price of football shirts with retailers including JJB Sports, Allsports and Blacks.
Blackburn is modifying both strips after signing a new sponsorship deal with Crown Paints. The club redesigned both kits last year when it switched to supplier Umbro.
Everton has increased the prices of its adult shirt and changed all its kit despite altering the strip last year.
A spokesman for the club said: "It has been our policy for a number of years to change both the home and away strip each season."
Liverpool has redesigned its home shirt after two years but its away kit has changed after just 12 months, while Manchester City says problems with sponsors has forced a redesign after just a year.
Middlesbrough is changing its strip again and says it does so annually. "A survey of fans suggested they want new shirts each season," said a spokesman.
West Ham United and Sunderland are changing both their home and away strips again because of a deal with Umbro.
Portsmouth is bringing out new strips with new colours. The club revamped its kit last year after moving suppliers to Canterbury. A spokesman for the club said: "Most clubs are now changing their strips every 12 months. We aren't any different."
West Bromwich Albion will alter both its home and away strip after 12 months to be sponsorless.
Last Updated: 10:27PM BST 10 Aug 2008
With just one week to go before the Premiership football season starts, parents face the pressure of splashing out on redesigned replica kits for almost every team in England's top flight.
Traditionally teams have alternately modified their home and away kits every two years.
But of the 20 teams in the Premiership, only Manchester United and Newcastle United are keeping their home strips this season. All are changing their away kits.
Many parents will feel obliged to bow to requests from their children to purchase the new strips before the season starts.
Everton fans will be hit the worst with a £5 price increase sending the cost of a replica adult shirt to £44.99, just one penny less than the most expensive at Aston Villa who are supplied by Nike.
A standard junior short sleeved shirt costs between £20 and £35 with some clubs only selling a full kit for youngsters at around £30.
Many clubs have blamed problems with suppliers and new sponsorship deals for the redesigns, although one club claimed fans expect a new kit each season.
But supporters say it will be a struggle to keep up with the yearly changes during the credit crisis.
Peter Trenter, vice-chairman of the Chelsea Supporters Group said: "I think it is going to be a problem in the current climate especially for parents with children who all want the latest strip. But I think this is the way clubs are going now. I would rather they went back to the old system of changing the strip every two years but I can't see it happening."
Consumer group Which? said it was up to fans whether they bought the new strips.
But Iain Green of the Everton Supporters Association in Northampton said: "I think new kits every 12 months does put pressure on people to buy the new shirts because they want to have the latest design that the players are wearing."
Ruaraieh Callinan also of the ESA added: "Since Umbro took over supplying Everton in 2004 we have had three new strips every year."
Only Newcastle United and Manchester United fans will not need to upgrade their home kits this season. Both teams are keeping to the traditional bi-annual redesign. Newcastle fans are unlikely to accept anything less after they were famously branded as 'mugs' by then vice-chairman Douglas Hall and chairman Freddy Shepherd for paying over the odds for their replica shirts.
And Manchester United was fined by UK Office of Fair Trading in 2003 for fixing the price of football shirts with retailers including JJB Sports, Allsports and Blacks.
Blackburn is modifying both strips after signing a new sponsorship deal with Crown Paints. The club redesigned both kits last year when it switched to supplier Umbro.
Everton has increased the prices of its adult shirt and changed all its kit despite altering the strip last year.
A spokesman for the club said: "It has been our policy for a number of years to change both the home and away strip each season."
Liverpool has redesigned its home shirt after two years but its away kit has changed after just 12 months, while Manchester City says problems with sponsors has forced a redesign after just a year.
Middlesbrough is changing its strip again and says it does so annually. "A survey of fans suggested they want new shirts each season," said a spokesman.
West Ham United and Sunderland are changing both their home and away strips again because of a deal with Umbro.
Portsmouth is bringing out new strips with new colours. The club revamped its kit last year after moving suppliers to Canterbury. A spokesman for the club said: "Most clubs are now changing their strips every 12 months. We aren't any different."
West Bromwich Albion will alter both its home and away strip after 12 months to be sponsorless.