Source: Daily_Mail
Give fans a break? Don't put your shirt on it as Premier League clubs prepare for mass kit launch
As the effects of the recession hit home and thousands lose their jobs, everyone is feeling the pinch. But for the moneymen at the country's top clubs, that means little.
Most of the Barclays Premier League clubs are set to launch multiple new kits - costing up to £75 for a full set - despite an unprecedented squeeze on the average family's spending money.
New research shows it could be a misguided move - one in four fans is planning to cut back spending on expensive replica strips in a bid to rein in matchday costs.
Nifty for fifty? David Beckham in the pricey new England shirt
The survey of more than 4,000 fans from 125 clubs shows sales are likely to suffer across the board. Just 34 per cent of fans say they do not intend to cut back on merchandise at all, according to Virgin Money.
Four clubs - Newcastle, Portsmouth, Tottenham and Wigan - are planning on launching three.
Seven more - Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Hull, Middlesbrough, Stoke and Sunderland - will be selling two fresh kits. A couple of teams - Liverpool and West Bromwich - are satisfied with just one.
Chelsea refused to comment when we inquired only to then launch a new home shirt in the last week.
Manchester City, Manchester United and West Ham also wouldn't reveal their plans, while representatives of Bolton, Everton and Fulham were unavailable.
Dressed to impress: Rosemary Vandenbroucke models the thankfully redundant luminous Chelsea kit two years ago
City and United both look set to be unveiling at least one new shirt - judging by pictures leaked on the internet - while if the blue half of Manchester do follow through with plans to change manufacturers, you can expect a clean sweep of new strips.
According to Virgin, clubs facing the biggest drops in shirt sales include Chelsea (35 per cent) as well as West Ham, Blackburn and Newcastle (all 33 percent). Another cut back will be programmes, with 19 per cent of fans saying they will not be buying one next season.
Kit costs vary considerably. Chelsea's new home kit, for example, would set you back £74.97, including £44.99 for a long-sleeved shirt. The new England shirt costs £50.
Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters Federation, said: 'It will not be surprising if sales of replica shirts suffer as a result of the recession.
'The bottom line for fans is that you need a ticket to get into the game but you don't need a replica shirt, and when money's tight, it's the non-essentials which will go.
'We must expect to see older shirts being kept in service for longer. Clubs would be unwise to budget for anything other than a drop in sales.'
Grant Bather of Virgin Money said: 'Football continues to dodge the worst of the recession with transfer deals and players' wages continuing to soar - but it is not as easy for the fans.
'Buying a new replica shirt every time the club brings out a new design or changes sponsor is a habit that's easy to break when your finances are being squeezed.
'The days when clubs just had to stick a badge on an item of merchandise and then sit back and wait for the tills to ring in the club shop are on their way out.'
