Are Football Teams Releasing Too Many Kits and Other Stuff?

The days of football clubs releasing a simple home, away, and occasional third kit each season are long gone. As evidenced by recent releases from clubs around the world, the football merchandise machine has exploded into an overwhelming array of products that raises an important question: Has it all become too much?

Are Football Teams Milking Fans with Too Many Kit Releases?

Oct 20, 2024

The Ever-Expanding Football Merchandise Universe

(picture via Marto_CABJ)

The last few seasons have seen an explosion in kit merchandise. In addition to the three basic home, away and third kits, clubs have also released numerous training and lifestyle collections throughout the season. The images of various club collections circulating online reveal just how extensive these single-season offerings have become.

The Single-Season Merchandise Explosion

Looking at the Arsenal and Real Madrid 24-25 season kit collections, we can see that the overview is as follows:

• Three basic kits: Home, away & third
• Special kit (uncommon): 'No More Red' kit (Arsenal)
• 5 training collection: Home, away, third (European) and second half season collections.
• Lots of lifestyle collections
• Special lifestyle collection: Chinese New Year collection (Real Madrid)

Each new kit or clothing item represents potential millions in revenue, particularly for global powerhouses with international fanbases.

The release of so many kits in one season creates a situation of 'milking' the fans. Fans who are in a buying mood are willing to spend money every time a new kit or collection is released.

Are Football Teams Milking Fans with Too Many Kit Releases?

Oct 20, 2024

Unlike Real Madrid, Arsenal or Manchester United (Adidas teams), Nike teams such as Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, ... are still launching kits and collections in sufficient quantities, not 'overloaded'.

The Fan Perspective

For the dedicated supporter, this merchandise explosion creates both opportunities and challenges:

• Financial strain: Keeping up with all official releases can cost thousands annually
• Choice paralysis: Which of the many items truly represents your support?
• Collector's anxiety: The fear of missing limited editions
• Authenticity questions: When does collecting cross into consumerism?

Many longstanding supporters recall when a home shirt would remain unchanged for multiple seasons, creating iconic visual associations with specific eras of club history. Now, clubs release more items in a single season than they once did in an entire decade.

What's Next?

As clubs push the boundaries of what constitutes a "necessary" kit release, the question becomes: Where does it end? Will we see monthly releases? Opponent-specific kits? Weather-dependent collections?

The current trajectory suggests football merchandise will continue expanding rather than contracting. For clubs, the financial incentives are simply too great to ignore, especially as traditional revenue streams face various pressures.

For fans, the challenge will be determining where to draw their personal lines – which items truly matter to them as expressions of club support versus which ones they can comfortably skip in an increasingly crowded merchandise landscape.

What do you think? Has football kit culture gone too far, or is this simply the natural evolution of the modern game? Let us know in the comments below.