The cost of the shirts has exploded

At the beginning of August we finally start to get a taste of the air of the championship and therefore of jerseys and jerseys of all kinds. In recent years, many teams – including those from the lower leagues or cadets, such as Venezia, which has set a precedent in this sense – have recognized the importance (the opportunity) of expanding their brand through a jersey that is not based on simple football experience based – the competition uniform, to put it bluntly – but from an aesthetic point of view, purely fashion.

But why should this explain the now exponential increase in the cost of the same match kits? To better formulate the question: how and since when did having your team’s jersey become a success? Luxury granted only to a select few?

The research to Costs some shirts

Of a Research carried out by the German company PR Marketingfor the production On average, about 100 pieces of a single official jersey are needed 10 minutes work. Works carried out by most technical sponsors in Asia, where thousands of workers work in degrading conditions and for starvation wages. Just a few years ago, the products were consumed in Central Africa, Pakistan or Bangladesh, where wages were even lower than on Asian soil.

The biggest slice of this pie is gobbled up by tech sponsors: in fact, clubs’ revenues are not based on the kits sold (usually 6% of the price of a single kit) but on the millions donated by the various Nike, Puma, Adidas, etc Sign contracts with teams. And despite the Merchandising of game jerseys It has been like this in recent years grew by 167% generate gigantic profits all over Europe, the prices keep rising. To give some examples, a Sampdoria shirt that cost €70 in 2018 (Joma) costs €95 today (Macron); Atalanta has gone from €75 to €85, leaving the option to buy a “light” version for only €45. Inter increased their prices by €5, while Serie B promoted Frosinone recorded the most expensive jump: from €65 last season to €80 now – all while keeping the same supplier, Zeus.

Shirts too expensive?

Here it is market “Alternative”

Due to the economic boom in original shirts, which is growing significantly for the reasons (mainly) mentioned at the beginning of the article, e.g new market, that of counterfeit shirts. They are made in China and shipped directly to the home of the fan, who has to wait an average of 20 to 30 days, but with €25 in change, he finds a t-shirt in his hands almost equal to the original. Basically, we’re talking about an evolution of a practice we all knew from a young and very young age: from street market to market at the bottom of the curve. Colors mattered, didn’t they? Above all, the name of the player or the coat of arms of the team counted.

The damage is mainly done to the various brands, but the presidents of the clubs are also affected: Aurelio De Laurentis, who was able to record a real exploit of the “Naples brand” with the victory of the Scudetto, has repeatedly complained about the impossibility of enforcement In the constraints of the law, it is a budget item that flushes tens of thousands of euros into the coffers of other clubs. A few weeks ago, at Dimaro’s summer retreat, he refused autographing a child’s t-shirt just because it’s not original. We always talk about fakes and should not justify or promote such “replicas” as the site suggests AliExpress to find your favorite club’s jerseys at China’s largest online retailer. But how can you imagine fighting piracy by selling an original t-shirt for €130?