I walked past a sports good store today to see that they had slashed the prices on English football shirts and, as a consequence, they were now going for £40.*
One of the first things you realize upon moving to a different country is that converting prices back to Aussie dollars is a pointless game.
You’ve got pound sterling in your pocket; working out how much something would cost in Aussie dollars doesn’t make anything cheaper or more expensive.
But £40 for the official England shirt? I couldn’t help whip out the phone and do a quick calculation – it’s about $60. I didn’t buy one, but surely that was a once-in-a-lifetime deal?
But, after doing a bit of research, I discovered that was the going rate for a replica football shirt. Manchester United sell theirs for the same price, while Liverpool sell theirs for only £25.
I reminded myself that these are two of the most supported clubs, not only in England but in the entire world. They are selling their shirts to a pretty huge demand, which helps them keep their prices so low.
However I then had a look at rugby union and league shirt prices. These fluctuated between the £20 ($30AUD) and £50 ($75AUD) mark, for shirts in a country where football is the most supported sport and daylight isn’t just second but rounds out the top ten.
So it’s not a question of being a buyer’s market. Clubs in England just seem to want people to wear their support on their torso and make it affordable to do so.
I then had a look at Australian jersey prices and did some more conversions. Your average NRL jersey sells for $160 (£110), as does a Super or International Rugby jersey. An A-League jersey costs $120 (£80), while an AFL singlet sells for $100 (£70).
These prices aren’t just outrageous; they’re stupid.
Rugby league prides itself on being the people’s game. Yet if you want to show your support for your team you have to part ways with 10 hours of pre-tax work at minimum wage to wear a jersey which – thanks to modern sport’s revolving door of sponsors – will be out-dated faster than a Hypercolor t-shirt.
Quite what Australian clubs hope to gain from these extortionate prices is beyond me. Clubs should want home games in which their entire stadium are wearing the home team’s jersey, but the odds of that happening would probably be offered at the same return on a dollar as the cost of the jersey.
But let’s forget the emotive argument of support and instead focus on bottom lines. More people wearing a club’s jersey is good for the club’s coffers for two reasons.
Firstly (and obviously), the club makes money from their merchandise. While selling a million jerseys at a dollar apiece doesn’t equate to good business, selling a few thousand at $160 apiece doesn’t either. Clubs need to find the point at which they maximize their profits by selling the most possible jerseys at the lowest possible price.
Secondly, clubs make a huge chunk of their annual income from sponsors who pay to be advertised on the jersey.
While these sponsors are thinking about their company’s name on the TV every time the club pours money into playing in prime-time, there surely must be an element of sponsorship which acknowledges people wearing the jersey when they go to the shops during the week.
As mentioned earlier, Manchester United and Liverpool are two of the most supported clubs in the world. While sponsors pay the big bucks to see their brand on shirts, worn by the likes of Steven Gerard and Wayne Rooney – playing against Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the fact that millions of people the world over wear their shirts is definitely a factor when these clubs negotiate their sponsorship prices.
Australia’s four football codes might never see any of their clubs scale to the dizzying heights the giants of European football have.
But charging the fans of these clubs a small fortune just to show their support is biting both the hands that feed them.
*To clear things up, I live in England. I now love warm beer, listen to Britpop, refer to the Queen as “Her Majesty”, but might just kill the next person who quotes a Fosters’ ad to me.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Oh yeah, the 25% unemployment and destroyed real estate and industrial market thing. You know, they really are going to have to do something about how much of the country's sporting cash gets soaked up by FCB and RMD before they literally strangle the rest of their pro clubs.
HardcorePrawn
Guest
I think that Barca (and Real Madrid) can probably charge whatever they like for their shirts, so large is their fan base. If you were to take a look at the club shop for a smaller Spanish side in the La Liga you might see some more realistic prices, as an example I took a look at Mallorca's club shop: the current price for an adult replica shirt? Less than 60 euros.
Sport Student
Guest
I'm studying sport management at the moment and specifically a case study involving FC Barcelona. Jerseys on their website are selling for EUR123.75. This is in a country with unemployment at about 25%, and youth unemployment forecast to top 50% this year. Barca still made a loss last financial year too!
PeterK
Guest
Agree strongly about being overtaxed and over-regulated. The poor folk of feudal times had it good, with having to give up 10% of all they produced! But the regulated bit mightn't have been too good?
PeterK
Guest
So glad to hear it -- and so looking forward to a re-entry of NQ. None of us up here are very keen to re-enter if there are not some changes like this.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Thanks Steggz. I did know it was their heritage jersey but not when it was first worn off hand. Knights have worn their 'heritage' strip both at home and away so far. I think this is in line with the Club Newcastle policy and may be their main strip for the season. Will see after the Jets finish their A-League season if the Knights revert to their 'modern' home strip...
oikee
Guest
I have also sounded out sacking the entire NRL marketing department, so i have to agree.
oikee
Guest
Will, they have the heritage round, which is the traditional Jersey's. I think this is what he meant. I bought the heritage Australian Kangaroo jersey, which i absolutely love. But mate, if the Broncos ever went back to their traditional colours, nobody would buy them. The modern ones are way way better, and the away white jerseys were also good. These ywellow ones are taking a bit to get used to, but they might be a good one to buy, not many people will be getting them, walking around like a big yellow canary.,
oikee
Guest
You dont need to draw them, they have Broncos written on them dont they. The Broncos have a little horsey head which everyone can relate to as being the Broncos. If i flash that head on your screen, straight away, you think Broncos, now flash the Essendon one, i would think it was soccer or a jockey club. Titans not a old enough brand yet. Cronulla, well you have a shark which is unmistakable. North Queenslands Cowboys have the Bull Horns and cowboy hats, the big ones. I have a Broncos shirt and it is simply the colours of the Bronx and has Broncos written across the back. If you have trouble mistaking this, you must not be able to read. :)
dh
Guest
Slightly off topic, is my dislike for NRL "away" jerseys. I am sure others are with me on this. What is the point, especially when 95% of the time there is no clash in colours between the home and away team? I cant for the life of me figure out how they could make any money out of selling away jerseys, and so few I imagine buy them. Also, with all the clubs desperate for as much media coverage as possible, why put your team in a jersey that they are barely recognisable in??? And yes like many on here the jerseys are ridiculously and unnecessarily expensive, and I live and hope that the game (NRL and also other sports) can get financially sound enough that sponsorships on jerseys are not required (or at least significantly reduced). Ever noticed how much better it is seeing soccer and rugby jerseys at a world cup with no sponsorship apart from the jersey manufacturer???
Lucan
Right on, Griffo, ice hockey equipment is ridiculously priced here. The wholesalers don't do local retailers any favours. On many items the retailer is paying more to stock the item than we are to buy it outright and have it delivered to our door direct from North America.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Buying it through a club legend's store is even better ;-)
Nathan of Perth
Guest
I didn't get mine through the club but through Bobby Despotovski's store so my conscience is clear :)
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Thought of them after I posted Souths and St Georges.
Steggz
Guest
The Knights striped jersey (first worn in 1997) is actually their 'heritage' jersey. The jersey they had last year, with the weird squiggles near the shoulders, is their 'home' jersey.
Steggz
Guest
They wear blue shorts and socks as a nod to their 'traditional' clash uniform. It was a white jersey with blue, green and yellow stripes on the sleeves (like the green jersey), worn with blue shorts and socks. I tried to find a picture, but all I could find was the jersey (like this: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/OTk5WDk5OQ==/$%28KGrHqNHJCME9BoirMIQBPUcubbpBw~~60_1.jpg )
Griffo
Roar Guru
I never bought a gold Jets jersey, although I was willing to fork out $120+ for the season 3 edition. But they sold out quickly naturally enough. Any thoughts of getting the season 4 edition went in the bin after Centrebet became front shirt sponsor. Change of shirt for the Tinkler era and discounts for members (plus all profits back to the club) and I finally relented. Don't know the price of the Knights NRL strip (probably slightly cheaper than other clubs) but it is good to see that their strip is similar to the Jets strip (apparently similar to an early Knights strip, and resembling the Barca design somewhat). What will be interesting is if the strips change radically next season. NRL designs, except for a few, change markedly year to year, while football designs are also at the whim of shirt designers. If they are going to change, then prices need to be a lot cheaper to get people to renew a shirt. This weekend, 'Team Newcastle' is taking on Brisbane in both codes. The promo email and imagery is probably the first real hint at the future of Club Newcastle and their matching strip: https://sitedesq.imgstg.com/clubconsolepopups/dsp_email_viewer.cfm?EmailTemplateID=22358&OrgID=7644 That is, if they can keep up sharing the same designs in the future. Having the same shirt sponsor helps.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Hockey gear I believe is so much more expensive in Australia because of distribution deals made for regions like Australia.I'm talking like AU$350 skates here that barely crack US$100! Even with $100 postage from US, it is no wonder that Australia Post is drowning in overseas order parcels for Hockey gear, and local retailers are caught in the middle because of these deals.
p.Tah
Guest
How about the Warriors jersey. At the grand final last year I counted about 8 versions...black, white, Red, Purple, Green
Griffo
Roar Guru
You buy the Jets shirt through the Hunter Sports online store ($120; $93 if you're a member) and all 'profits' go to the club. Buy elsewhere and they don't.