Buying a replica shirt has been seen as a must for dedicated football fans. Supporters wait patiently for the release date and have been known to queue outside the club shop to ensure that they’re able to get the shirt immediately. For a long time, it was part of football tradition, but a study suggests that it could be slowly ebbing away due to a number of factors.
Only 12.5% of Liverpool fans that participated in a survey from Betting.net bought the club’s replica shirt of the 2018/19 campaign. It’s surprising given the success of the team last season and the arrival of a new hero in the form of Mohamed Salah. Despite the promise displayed in the signings of Naby Keita, Alisson and Fabinho, there has been no surge in shirt sales, although none of the players were truly household names in England before their switch to Anfield.
One of the issues is that clubs bring out new shirts every season for both home and away, while some even have third kits to prevent a clash. Producing a new kit every year puts pressure on supporters to head down to shops to part with their cash. This wouldn’t be a problem if the merchandise were more affordable. The average price of a shirt comes in at around £50, which is fairly pricey for an item bought every season. Research has proven that 70% of Liverpool supporters would feel comfortable parting with between £20 and £40 for a replica shirt. However, only 14.29% are ready to part with the £60 that it currently costs to purchase the kit produced by New Balance.
Although it’s not the bedrock of the club’s revenue stream it can still be important as proven by Ronaldo’s move to Juventus, which generated over €55m in sales within 24 hours. It’s an aspect that must be looked at by teams across the Premier League to maximise their commercial potential.
