These days, the world of football shirts and the kit overall has been overtaken somewhat by commercialism and sponsorship. By finding wealthy and reputable sponsors, football clubs have impressive support behind them and also the financial backing to help them obtain more and better resources. In 1973, the German team EintrachtBraunschweig signed a sponsorship deal with Jägermeister, the alcohol manufacturer. They agreed to show the Jägermeister logo on their shirts and set the standard for sponsors over the next few decades. Sponsors are now a standard requirement of almost any major football team, with corporate logos on the front, back and even sleeves of players’ shirts.
Just to suggest how lucrative the world of football sponsorship has become, in 2008 the German football club Bayern Munich signed a sponsorship deal with Deutsche Telekom for a massive €25 million. Individual players have also become prey to corporate sponsorship, starting with the notable example of legendary footballer Pelé. For the 1970 World Cup, Pelé was paid $120,000 by Puma to wear their football boots. He was instructed specifically to bend down and tie his laces before the match, ensuring that a close up of the boots themselves was shown on worldwide television. However, some clubs boycotted sponsorship for a while, no doubt considering it selling out. FC Barcelona still refuses to wear a sponsor’s logo, instead wearing the UNICEF logo on their shirts, a charity to which the club donates €1.5 million a year.
Another commercial aspect of football shirts and kit is the selling of replica shirts to fans. This began in 1975, when Leeds United became the first club to produce replica shirts. Other clubs followed suit, seeing how this helped Leeds United financially. The original shirt that Pelé wore in 1970 FIFA World Cup Final was eventually sold at auction in 2002 for over £150,000.
Read more informationabout modern football kits and what it includes –everything from the shirts to the mens trainers.
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