jersey, not just jersey
Starting from the first time someone exchanges jerseys after the game, the meaning of "Football Jersey" is no longer pure. Over the past 30 years, jersey styles have changed and performance has been continuously developed. It is a brand promotion carrier, a fashion on the street and catwalk, and a thing that is popular for fashion worship. You have never been strangers to it, but you will never fully understand it.
You may not notice it, but the world has really changed. What we are talking about has nothing to do with the new crown epidemic or the lockdown, but football and jerseys. The jerseys used in
football matches have already stepped out of the court and penetrated into all levels of society. It knocked on those closed doors that were previously unavailable. In office conversations, at concerts, on the streets, museums, fashion catwalks… there is no field, and there is almost no one to resist it.
Not long ago, Jack Whelan, one of the founders of sports marketing company Nutmeg, made his own suggestions for brands targeting sports, especially football. "Now, football has become cool. I am an Englishman, and my French colleagues often say to me: 'You can't understand that kind of indifference, after all you come from the country of football.' In fact, in England in the 1980s and 1990s, football was not cool at all. If you wore a jersey, people would stare at you with strange eyes, thinking you were a football hooligan, or drunk. Few people would take their families to the stadium because it was a dangerous place. In recent years, we have experienced a cultural revolution because of the jersey."
Cultural Revolution
is ashamed of loving football? No!
At the beginning, people would bury this hobby in their hearts and stay at home dinner, and they would not start to "revenge" until they encountered an opportunity for their national team to win the World Cup championship. The best way is to wear the jersey.
French Canal+ reporter Elf Mato believes that through two things, a real fan can be identified. "First of all, good geographical knowledge, because he has to pay attention to the results of European competitions since he was a child, and can list at least 10 cities in each European country. Secondly, and more importantly, his love for jerseys, because they represent history."
After the outbreak of the new coronavirus epidemic, people were forced to quarantine at home, and Mr. Mato began to show his own jersey collection on Facebook every day. "Each piece has its own story, they can be associated with a report, a game or a player we love. If some people are interested in it, they can also...
In recent years, retro jersey business has developed rapidly, and major websites and physical stores have put a large number of classic jerseys from the 1980s and 1990s on the shelves. Through eBay, Amazon and Taobao, you can buy some very rare jerseys, but they are usually expensive. To put it more exaggeratedly, these "jazz hunters" are no different from those who have tried their best to find old records. What we are talking about is also extreme examples. In recent years, many old jerseys have been replicated and the prices are relatively affordable, so the purchase group has expanded.
In this regard, Jack Whelan smiled and said, "Nostalgia is a huge consumer market." More and more people are thinking about it. With retro jerseys, this market, coupled with the seasonal jerseys sold in club stores, has formed the main body of current jersey sales. So you must know how to distinguish. Everyone is looking for their own Holy Grail. My favorite collection is the 1993 English team jersey; a French friend of mine is often proud of his 1993 French team jersey. For those two teams who missed the World Cup, 1993 was not a good year, and jersey sales were not high at that time, so they were very scarce. In our opinion, it carries history and has higher value. In addition, the aesthetics of the 1990s are very consistent with today's trends. "
In addition to the personal meaning and memories carried by the jersey, people's love for retro jerseys also conforms to aesthetic principles. Wearing it will not make you a "sandwich man" with advertisements on the chest and back. Unlike today's jerseys that are covered with various sponsor logos, retro jerseys are more pure. Also, wearing cotton jerseys on the body feels completely different from jerseys that are widely used in composite materials.
Commercial War Weapons
Wear the 1980s Paris Saint-Germain jersey, you can distinguish it from those fans who support the club because of the arrival of the Qatar boss and buying a large number of stars. These people who only support Paris when they lead 3:0 at halftime are "consumer audiences" in the eyes of the classics. An old jersey can show that they have been here since the beginning of the club and have experienced the darkest and most difficult times of PSG.
Wearing a certain jersey is a statement and a demonstration of your own value. Some people think that wearing old jerseys often is a confrontation with football equipment to make money business. Today's wealthy clubs have updated their jerseys every season, and 3 or 4 models are often launched in one season.
Mato believes: "The so-called classics are those jerseys that have not changed much in the years. Fortunately, marketing did not exist in the 1960s and 1980s! Today's equipment suppliers have been controlled by "fashion". Some jerseys are indeed beautiful, but they have nothing to do with the club's original intention and tradition. If Ajax, Juventus and Inter Milan change their jersey styles every year, those myths and legends would not be born.
Legends appear because people's imagination continues to develop and solidify for many seasons. Everyone will feel the belief and passion from those players wearing the same jersey. "A foreign child who only knows a club through live TV will not understand the meaning of historical colors. This is the same for most clubs. Suddenly, people erase this legend because the jersey color no longer has a sense of identity. I don't advocate constant and conservative, but I really can't understand clubs that completely deviate from the tradition of jerseys. ”
With the hot retro jersey market, another trend has targeted a large number of the same consumers, one by one. Now most fans have jerseys that they regard as holy things. If there is a jersey that combines their love for football with trends, it is perfect. The color and iconic symbols of the club have become fashion accessories and creative inspiration, and this phenomenon has become increasingly serious in recent years.
Jack Whelan recalled: “In recent years, I have played football with people I usually don’t meet on the court every week, including designers, artists, and marketers with high-end customized clothing. People in this circle have always loved football, but they have been hidden before. After the competition, members of the circle will gather together to celebrate, exchange, share information and ideas, and their connections will become closer. This love and passion surrounding football eventually becomes more specific because of the jersey. "
said back to Paris Saint-Germain. The French Capital Club has been constantly collaborating with top fashion brands in recent years, such as Koche or Manish Arora, which has accelerated the emergence of a certain phenomenon. PSG's jerseys have appeared on the catwalk of the International Fashion Week, and Ibrahimovic, Beckham, Neymar, and Mbappe can become the trendiest models without leaving the stadium. Jack Whelan believes that the Qatari Paris Saint-Germain has long become a marketing war machine. "In the fashion industry, generally speaking, they start from high-end custom fashion and then enter the ready-to-wear market for the general public. Paris Saint-Germain broke the rules and entered all levels at the same time. In the last two seasons, their jerseys have already taken a share of high-end fashion and streetwear through their collaboration with Jordan Brand. "
's development step has aroused the anger of some fans who are addicted to Paris' retro jerseys, as well as other club supporters. They satirized this club that has not won the European Champions League and first won a "fashion trophy".
small jersey, big business
. In the context of UEFA's enforcing financial fair competition rules, any way to obtain income is dreamed of for the club. Driven by equipment suppliers who have invested a lot of money, the sales of jerseys in the wealthy clubs have reached a new level.Today, most wealthy families will sign high-value sponsorship contracts with companies like Adidas, Nike, and Puma. The leader is Barcelona, which has reached a sponsorship contract of 150 million euros with Nike, followed by Real Madrid (120 million, Adidas) and Manchester United (94 million, Adidas).
Although Manchester United has performed very mediocrely on the court in recent seasons, their jerseys have been at the top in the sales rankings, and in 2018 it was even the top spot. The sales of jerseys worldwide exceeded 3.2 million (of which the Asian market accounts for a large share). In the same year, Real Madrid jersey sales also exceeded 3 million, followed by Bayern, Barcelona and Liverpool... Paris Saint-Germain's benchmark for more than 1 million pieces for the first time in history. It is worth mentioning that before being acquired by the Qataris in 2011, Paris Saint-Germain's jerseys could only be sold for about 80,000 pieces per year!
and Juventus. After signing Ronaldo, the sales of "Old Woman" jerseys have soared from 500,000 pieces per year to 1 million pieces! The leap development of
jersey marketing has made sports clothing and street clothing fashion, and the target population is spread across all social classes. As a sports marketing expert, Jack Whelan believes this is completely logical. "Brand power has developed rapidly in recent years, and social media has played an important role in promoting the image of jerseys. Players are no longer just stars and role models on the court, but have also become bodybuilding and fashion models. Everyone can see them wearing beautiful jerseys anytime and anywhere, and they are trend leaders."
All European giant clubs know that their brand charm cannot only affect those who often go to the court to watch games. Marketing accounts for 10% of the club's total revenue. In the past few seasons, fans have often seen a certain star wearing a PSG jersey in the auditorium of Princes. Big names like Beyoncé will also post photos of themselves wearing a Paris Saint-Germain jersey on social media. Yes, the world has changed because of football, because of jerseys.
