New Shirts/Sponsors

[andyram]

Any details of any new playing shirt for 2016,will it be the same company as the season gone,ready to buy for xmas.Will we have new sponsors for 2016?

[marketram]

good topic. How does the process of designing the shirt work?

Think we need to revert back to red, Amber and black hoops that are so testament to our heratige. I think we've missed that the last couple of seasons. I respect people that buy the shirt no matter what it looks like, so the club makes more money, but haven't found the shirts in the last two seasons attractive at all.

Our colours are unique and once people see them at old Trafford or at Wembley they know right away its Dewsbury, don't think you can say that about this seasons kit or lasts.

I understand about moving with the times, and putting a new spin on things, but I remember when we played on sky with the hoops and people were putting orders in from around the world. Love them colours.

[grumpyoldram]

good topic. How does the process of designing the shirt work?

Think we need to revert back to red, Amber and black hoops that are so testament to our heratige. I think we've missed that the last couple of seasons. I respect people that buy the shirt no matter what it looks like, so the club makes more money, but haven't found the shirts in the last two seasons attractive at all.

Our colours are unique and once people see them at old Trafford or at Wembley they know right away its Dewsbury, don't think you can say that about this seasons kit or lasts.

I understand about moving with the times, and putting a new spin on things, but I remember when we played on sky with the hoops and people were putting orders in from around the world. Love them colours.

Or Bradford bulls, shaw cross Sharks (fooled me a few times) or PNG Or Richmond RU, or Germany or Belgium (both with national RL teams). Actually I liked this years away strip, and would of bought one if the wife hadn't questioned the credibility of an old bloke in an over tight multicoloured shirt. Hoops do little for the fuller figure.

[marketram]

Or Bradford bulls, shaw cross Sharks (fooled me a few times) or PNG Or Richmond RU, or Germany or Belgium (both with national RL teams). Actually I liked this years away strip, and would of bought one if the wife hadn't questioned the credibility of an old bloke in an over tight multicoloured shirt. Hoops do little for the fuller figure.

What a ridiculous comment.

Do you argue for arguing sake?

[grumpyoldram]

What a ridiculous comment.

Do you argue for arguing sake?

 

Our colours are unique

 

And that statement isn't ? What planet are you on ? You really think that the shirts have made a blind bit of difference to our performances over the last few years ? Fact is, the younger end will buy the glitzy and original stuff while the older end (like me) will bang on about tradition and winter rugby. Which market should we be aiming for ? I stand by my statement - fat bald old blokes in hooped replica shirts (any club) is not a good look, you want to believe it's cool then thats your prerogative.

[marketram]

Our colours are unique

And that statement isn't ? What planet are you on ? You really think that the shirts have made a blind bit of difference to our performances over the last few years ? Fact is, the younger end will buy the glitzy and original stuff while the older end (like me) will bang on about tradition and winter rugby. Which market should we be aiming for ? I stand by my statement - fat bald old blokes in hooped replica shirts (any club) is not a good look, you want to believe it's cool then thats your prerogative.

Who once mentioned shirts having an impact on performance? Need your eyes checking.

Our colours and hoop design is unique in professional British Rugby League. So not Shaw Cross not PNG, not Waikoto Chiefs (who you forgot to put in your sorry list)

..... Say Bradford Bulls? Can't remember them wearing solely red Amber and blacks hoops in the past 20 years? And didn't we give them our colours? So they're ours?

Young guns vs old heads? Give it a rest. The young ones don't get shirts unless their parents buy them, kids don't suddenly decide to support us, they are born into it. They come to matches with their fathers or grandfathers, and we should be able to design a shirt with tradition hoops, with perhaps a new spin on it, as making a shirt like the Eric France one a few years back wouldn't make sense.

[NickD]

What a ridiculous comment.

Do you argue for arguing sake?

No it's a good point. Have frequently been caught out. Richmond shirts quite common down south. Thought I saw someone in Rams shirt in NZ too until it turns out it was a local shirt. Identical to ours. Closer to home shaw cross v similar of course. Did see a Rams shirt in Serbia earlier this year. Was v impressed with that.

We ought to have a competition for most obscure sighting. Reckon Tom could sort it. He will have loads of time when he's updated us on season tickets, shirts et al. Hah hah. Only kidding tom

[coolie]

Were a victim of our own success

We have a very distinctive shirt that we all love..

I've done the buying a shirt every season whether I liked it or not..and at 40 quid a chuck it's an expensive addition every year to sit in the wardrobe

I've shirts unworn from the 90's

And maybe socks unwashed from the 70's if I had a proper rummage

Personally the simple red,amber,black hoops is my favourite shirt

I can sympathise with the club trying to market merchandise every year bringing out new shirts,fancy designs reworking the colours into a new shirt we'll all buy

Would be interesting to see what shirts of the new design were sold,

I didn't buy one because I simply didn't like them...dewsbury in white is Bradford

Dewsbury in red is like Sheffield

Dewsbury in the hoops is simply dewsbury

I've been in Amsterdam and recognised in my shirt,Paris and recognised in my shirt,even in the canary Islands the shirt was recognised.. You watch a Wembley final...you'll see the famous hoops

So the dilemma is do we continue to designing new shirts a limited number of fans only buy or branch out into more leisure wear?

Would be interesting to see how much a £40 shirt costs

I understand the more you buy the cheaper they are..

Maybe making less profit to sell more

Total hyperthetical figures now

As I don't know the costing of each item

Say 300 shirts costs £20 each outlay £6000

They are sold at £40 each return £12000

But your only selling 100 Making £2000

Are the shirts sale or return?

So selling at £30 will make you £3000 profit

But the bigger question is have we a fan base big enough for the club to turn out any profits thru shirt sales alone

Maybe we don't?

Worst one for me was the white with blue stripes... Batley changed their shirts at the same time and the heavy woollen derby looked like Doncaster vs Swinton

[The Crab]

I have liked and bought many variations of our shirt. I have 9 different ones, wear them all regularly and here in NZ get a lot of feedback from locals who think they are new shirts for Waikato RU who play in red Amber and black. Even bought a Waikato shirt last year as it reminded me of an old Dewsbury shirt that had red and amber chevrons on a black shirt.

Only one I never liked was the awful camouflage one. Awful

For faraway places I have included photo of me and the wife outside Dairy Farmers Stadium for the Eng v PNG game in 2008. Lots of Brits there and they all recognised the Rams shirts!

[Tom Coates]

We will have a new home and away kit next season. We also have a new kit supplier.

[marketram]

We will have a new home and away kit next season. We also have a new kit supplier.

Who's the new supplier Tom? And does the club have any involvement in the design process?

[Tom Coates]

Who's the new supplier Tom? And does the club have any involvement in the design process?

 

We're just clearing a press release with them at the moment and we're hoping to release the news next week.

[XIII Ram]

I'd be interested in why the arrangement with fi-ta didn't last to another season. Every year we seem to have a press release from a new kit supplier saying how excited and proud they are to be associated with the Rams - but the relationship doesn't last. Maybe there isn't the profit to be made out of us.

I do buy a new shirt each year regardless of style - I figure it helps the club with income. I'm not sure there's much in the argument about different markets/age groups wanting different things - but if I had the choice I prefer traditional hoops, and the test is if I was going to the Challenge Cup Final I'd wear the samurai hooped shirt of a few years back - that clearly says 'Dewsbury'.

On the question of appearance - a tubby bloke is a tubby bloke in any design - I know as I see him in the mirror lookin back at me every day.

[Blind side johnny]

The simple fact is that the club doesn't make ANY money out of replica kit. Last year it ended up costing us (them) £7k. In reality they would be better off not bringing out new kit, but it isn't so simple.

It acts as a vehicle for sponsorship, it stimulates interest amongst some (but not all) fans, it prevents the club appearing frozen in time etc.

MS said at the fans' forum that Batley and Hunslet sell more replica shirts than we do year after year, so this debate might be moot if that situation continues. What are the benefits and disadvantages of new shirts every year? Discuss!

[marketram]

BSJ, I had a feeling the club didn't make much money from shirts.

Would like to know if this is down to the number of shirts ordered?

The cost of shirts? Personally feel £40 is a lot, especially if you're paying it every season.

A cheaper shirt with a more tradition feel? Would that solve a problem?

Perhaps bring out a vintage stripe shirt, no sponsors, old crest. Whitehaven did that this season, it was mostly brown with white blue and yellow stripes. BROWN.

Imagine our great colours in a nice retro shirt.

[Kipperbang]

We would probably sell more shirts if they were advertised on website. Last season I wanted to get my 11 year old lad one but they did not appear to have any junior sizes in club shop on website. It was only when I saw a player's son wearing one that I knew of their existence. When I then called into club to buy one they didn't have his size as they only order to perceived demand, however if people don't know they exist they won't try and order one. Would it not be possible to take pre orders once the shirt design and supplier is revealed?

[Kipperbang]

For what it's worth, I prefer the red, amber and black hoops design. I'm sure they could incorporate a contemporary feel to the traditional colours / design.

[Piggy's mate]

We want the camo

[The Crab]

The simple fact is that the club doesn't make ANY money out of replica kit. Last year it ended up costing us (them) £7k. In reality they would be better off not bringing out new kit, but it isn't so simple.

It acts as a vehicle for sponsorship, it stimulates interest amongst some (but not all) fans, it prevents the club appearing frozen in time etc.

MS said at the fans' forum that Batley and Hunslet sell more replica shirts than we do year after year, so this debate might be moot if that situation continues. What are the benefits and disadvantages of new shirts every year? Discuss!

Benefits - I get a shirt that fits my ever changing physique each year.

Disadvantages - Ear ache. Apparently I don`t need 'another one of those shirts' every year.

[The Crab]

For what it's worth, I prefer the red, amber and black hoops design. I'm sure they could incorporate a contemporary feel to the traditional colours / design.

I liked the shirt the club produced the other year, to celebrate winning the championship in 73.

Bright, slightly bigger hoops, still traditional colours.

[XIII Ram]

That's helpful insight from BSJ - It hadnt occurred to me the club lost money on shirts but wrote that off against opportunity to attract sponsor income. There's few easy answers with shirts. There's the equation of price v quality v quantity - I'm guessing there's limited scope to influence manufacture cost, but dropping quality significantly may turn buyers off. So it becomes more a question of increasing volume of sales (which again might be limited given Dewsbury is not Leeds Rhinos) - but maybe the club could do a little bit of (cheap, internet based) market research to find out what we, the customers, want. An earlier post suggested better club info on size range and access to buy, another suggested different 'vintage' type shirts (- which I'd buy - if the quality is right!) - this looks like the sort of feedback the club could usefully seek and respond to, as well as modern v traditional style.

[Lupset Ram]

I reckon that the club should bring a traditional retro shirt out that's made of cotton with the number sewn onto a white patch, and a badge embroidered into the material like Wigan have done this year.

I'll definitely buy one of those.

I know that there are retro rugby shirt suppliers on the Internet who'll probably have a generic supply of red amber and black hooped shirts, simply because our style is the same as a few clubs. Richmond, Harrogate, etc.

[grumpyoldram]

BSJ, I had a feeling the club didn't make much money from shirts.

Would like to know if this is down to the number of shirts ordered?

The cost of shirts? Personally feel £40 is a lot, especially if you're paying it every season.

A cheaper shirt with a more tradition feel? Would that solve a problem?

Perhaps bring out a vintage stripe shirt, no sponsors, old crest. Whitehaven did that this season, it was mostly brown with white blue and yellow stripes. BROWN.

Imagine our great colours in a nice retro shirt.

You're the one who was complaining the other week that the dinosaurs on the forum were living in the past and here you are wanting a retro shirt. FWIW my favourite (and last) replica shirt was one brought out in the Mount Pleasant era - but then the Norman Smith years were the best for me anyway. Large RAB hoops - magnificent.

[Tom Coates]

The Fi-Ta deal was struck at very short notice due to issues with 2014 supplier, Zar-X, who had been on board to supply kits for last season as well.

 

Unfortunately, despite being on target for most of the process, Zar-X stopped responding to calls and emails and it later emerged that the company had ceased trading. 

 

Their website and social media channels are still active but they haven't been updated for more than a year.

 

This left the club in an extremely difficult position and we were fortunate that Fi-Ta were able to come on board at the 11th hour and produce the kit we'd already had signed off by the RFL.

 

Fi-Ta produce a really good quality range of merchandise, but the club paid a relatively large amount to deliver what was required in terms of playing kit, training kit, replica kits and leisure wear.

 

I think the club would love nothing more than to establish a long-term relationship with a supplier, but when a supplier fails to meet deadlines or increases its prices then it becomes difficult.

 

The manufacturer we will unveil next week has offered a very attractive deal to the club and they are a Rugby League-only brand, who have pledged to chip in with the marketing effort in the build up to and following the launch of the kits in order to drive up sales.

 

We're going to be working harder than ever to push shirt sales this time around - including a much better online purchasing system - and I hope fans can support the club by picking one up if they can afford to.

 

I have a collection of about 20 Dewsbury Rams shirts and of those, around 8 are the traditional Red, Amber and Black shirt.

 

I'm a fanatical fan who volunteers at the club, so it's hard to put myself in the shoes of a casual supporter, but I'm much more likely to buy a shirt that doesn't offer the same design I already have.

 

The traditional shirt is a huge part of the club's identity and heritage, and I think it's important to retain that, but perhaps the best way to strike a balance is to bring the design back to mark milestones - as we did when we marked 40 years since the 1973 Final win.

 

The next club milestone that I can think of is the club's 120th birthday in 2018.

[coolie]

The Fi-Ta deal was struck at very short notice due to issues with 2014 supplier, Zar-X, who had been on board to supply kits for last season as well.

Unfortunately, despite being on target for most of the process, Zar-X stopped responding to calls and emails and it later emerged that the company had ceased trading.

Their website and social media channels are still active but they haven't been updated for more than a year.

This left the club in an extremely difficult position and we were fortunate that Fi-Ta were able to come on board at the 11th hour and produce the kit we'd already had signed off by the RFL.

Fi-Ta produce a really good quality range of merchandise, but the club paid a relatively large amount to deliver what was required in terms of playing kit, training kit, replica kits and leisure wear.

I think the club would love nothing more than to establish a long-term relationship with a supplier, but when a supplier fails to meet deadlines or increases its prices then it becomes difficult.

The manufacturer we will unveil next week has offered a very attractive deal to the club and they are a Rugby League-only brand, who have pledged to chip in with the marketing effort in the build up to and following the launch of the kits in order to drive up sales.

We're going to be working harder than ever to push shirt sales this time around - including a much better online purchasing system - and I hope fans can support the club by picking one up if they can afford to.

I have a collection of about 20 Dewsbury Rams shirts and of those, around 8 are the traditional Red, Amber and Black shirt.

I'm a fanatical fan who volunteers at the club, so it's hard to put myself in the shoes of a casual supporter, but I'm much more likely to buy a shirt that doesn't offer the same design I already have.

The traditional shirt is a huge part of the club's identity and heritage, and I think it's important to retain that, but perhaps the best way to strike a balance is to bring the design back to mark milestones - as we did when we marked 40 years since the 1973 Final win.

The next club milestone that I can think of is the club's 120th birthday in 2018.

Thanks for that tom very enlightening

Btw

Just remind everyone where Fi-ta was based please

My understanding it was an Australian company??