2022 New Kits, Sponsors and Suppliers

[Ullman]

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

Hull have the inverse of this a couple of years ago?

I like it although to an outsider it looks more like an alternate than a home kit.

Any excuse:

[The Hallucinating Goose]

I'm not a fan of our new one though looks like I'm in the minority. 

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Love it. Looks very NZ, but that's a great design so I'm fine with it!

[voteronniegibbs]

.

Edited August 2, 2023 by voteronniegibbs

[Davo5]

4 hours ago, M j M said:

I've seen worse but it's not amazing.

 

 

That is awful,it’s like a cheap,fake, Gold Coast Titans kit you could probably get for a tenner from a dodgy   Chinese website.

Really like the Hull FC shirt,best of the bunch so far.

Edited November 12, 2021 by Davo5

[Whippet13]

Wigan have announced an extension to their deal with Hummel until the end of 2028:

https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2021/11/13/warriors-announce-hummel-extension/

[Wellsy4HullFC]

After seeing the Hull one in person, I'm not a massive fan. I refuse to buy a shirt over £50 that doesn't have an embroidered badge. The sublimated badge looks cheap as hell. I wouldn't mind as much if it didn't lack so much detail. Doesn't have the detail on the crowns it should have.

Comes across as cheaply made but wanting a lot of cash.

[EastLondonMike]

3 hours ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

After seeing the Hull one in person, I'm not a massive fan. I refuse to buy a shirt over £50 that doesn't have an embroidered badge. The sublimated badge looks cheap as hell. I wouldn't mind as much if it didn't lack so much detail. Doesn't have the detail on the crowns it should have.

Comes across as cheaply made but wanting a lot of cash.

To be perfectly honest you won’t get anything better for less than £50 in the current climate. Would be interested to know if Replica jerseys had an embroidered badge last season.

The way things are currently it we’ll be more expensive next year!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

2 hours ago, EastLondonMike said:

To be perfectly honest you won’t get anything better for less than £50 in the current climate. Would be interested to know if Replica jerseys had an embroidered badge last season.

The way things are currently it we’ll be more expensive next year!

If I won't be getting anything better, I'll be keeping my cash in my pocket. It's hard to justify £50 on a shirt anyway, but if it's a cheap shirt at that, I'll buy something else.

Don't think I'll be the only one that feels like that.

[Damien]

I'm not sure why so many RL clubs always seem so keen to ditch their traditional colours and style of kit. A kit should be part of the brand and who they are but too many clubs just toss that aside for a cheap tacky jersey hoping to make a quick buck.

[voteronniegibbs]

.

Edited August 2, 2023 by voteronniegibbs

[Anita Bath]

Agree…the New York Yankees have had the same shirt for over 100 years.

 

Dont mess with tradition.

[Tabby]

21 hours ago, Damien said:

I'm not sure why so many RL clubs always seem so keen to ditch their traditional colours and style of kit. A kit should be part of the brand and who they are but too many clubs just toss that aside for a cheap tacky jersey hoping to make a quick buck.

Probably the same reason you change your avvy.

[whatmichaelsays]

On 14/11/2021 at 00:05, Damien said:

I'm not sure why so many RL clubs always seem so keen to ditch their traditional colours and style of kit. A kit should be part of the brand and who they are but too many clubs just toss that aside for a cheap tacky jersey hoping to make a quick buck.

Agree.

I understand why the clubs do it - as a sport RL is reliant on supporter income more than many others and that means that clubs rely on having something new in the retail department every year. But at the same time, if you looked at the 'trophy lift' photos from Leeds' golden era, you wouldn't necessarily know straight away that it was the same club in those photos just from the shirts. It's not even the design that's different - Leeds don't seem to be able to decide what shade of blue and what shade of amber they should be using from year to year. It really is a bit of a mess. 

Yes, play with the design slightly from year to year, but at the very least keep some degree of consistency - choose a colour swatch and stick to it. Choose a design element (eg, irregular chest band) and work with it. 

I'd also agree with @Wellsy4HullFC about the quality and I think this is an area where most clubs do really badly. Some of the Oxen stuff in the Leeds shop feels like the sort of stuff you'd see in a 90's market stall with "Super Leeds" written across the front - it's a far cry from the excellent range the club did with Superdry a few years back which, whilst pricey, is still going strong in my wardrobe and is something that I'd actually be happy to wear day-to-day. 

[gingerjon]

On 14/11/2021 at 06:16, Anita Bath said:

Agree…the New York Yankees have had the same shirt for over 100 years

Bet it smells a bit now.

[RP London]

21 minutes ago, whatmichaelsays said:

Agree.

I understand why the clubs do it - as a sport RL is reliant on supporter income more than many others and that means that clubs rely on having something new in the retail department every year. But at the same time, if you looked at the 'trophy lift' photos from Leeds' golden era, you wouldn't necessarily know straight away that it was the same club in those photos just from the shirts. It's not even the design that's different - Leeds don't seem to be able to decide what shade of blue and what shade of amber they should be using from year to year. It really is a bit of a mess. 

Yes, play with the design slightly from year to year, but at the very least keep some degree of consistency - choose a colour swatch and stick to it. Choose a design element (eg, irregular chest band) and work with it. 

I'd also agree with @Wellsy4HullFC about the quality and I think this is an area where most clubs do really badly. Some of the Oxen stuff in the Leeds shop feels like the sort of stuff you'd see in a 90's market stall with "Super Leeds" written across the front - it's a far cry from the excellent range the club did with Superdry a few years back which, whilst pricey, is still going strong in my wardrobe and is something that I'd actually be happy to wear day-to-day. 

for me there is a little bit of chicken and egg in this.. I would pay more money for a better quality shirt that will last, but for that too i dont want it to date in terms of the design. So keep a similar/same design year on year and "build a brand" but also get better quality stuff which means i'd be more happy to part with the cash knowing that it will last (both in build quality and design). 

At the moment you know it will only last 1 year, do I want to spend "top dollar" on a shirt that lasts "in style" about a year no matter how much i like the design it is obvious to all who support the team/sport that it is "last years shirt" within 1 year. Therefore the quality of the actual merch suffers as people arent prepared to spend the money. 

Personally I understand the latter but prefer the former and think there is more long term gain in it for all concerned. 

[RP London]

19 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Bet it smells a bit now.

[EastLondonMike]

2 hours ago, whatmichaelsays said:

Agree.

I understand why the clubs do it - as a sport RL is reliant on supporter income more than many others and that means that clubs rely on having something new in the retail department every year. But at the same time, if you looked at the 'trophy lift' photos from Leeds' golden era, you wouldn't necessarily know straight away that it was the same club in those photos just from the shirts. It's not even the design that's different - Leeds don't seem to be able to decide what shade of blue and what shade of amber they should be using from year to year. It really is a bit of a mess. 

Yes, play with the design slightly from year to year, but at the very least keep some degree of consistency - choose a colour swatch and stick to it. Choose a design element (eg, irregular chest band) and work with it. 

I'd also agree with @Wellsy4HullFC about the quality and I think this is an area where most clubs do really badly. Some of the Oxen stuff in the Leeds shop feels like the sort of stuff you'd see in a 90's market stall with "Super Leeds" written across the front - it's a far cry from the excellent range the club did with Superdry a few years back which, whilst pricey, is still going strong in my wardrobe and is something that I'd actually be happy to wear day-to-day. 

It's a funny thing with RL. Like you say clubs are as reliant on this income stream as they are people though the turnstiles. Having a consistent or similar design each year is deemed too risky and potentially a penny lost.
I've always felt sports clubs in general have a backwards attitude towards Teamwear and fan replica apparel.

I work in sportswear and, with a few sports teams directly, and we always make the premium product for the teams to wear and the replica apparel is always a slightly cheaper take down, which in reality should be the other way around as its the fans that actually care about what they are purchasing, whereas the team members wear what they are given, without too much concern, as it is essentially their working uniform. It's only ever the top brass that want to see that premium product.

One thing i will say, which i alluded to in my last reply to Wellsy. The price to produce sportswear and clothing in general has sky rocketed in the last 12-18 months, partly due to Brexit and partly due to Covid. The price of cotton for example has trebled in that time. Some Items that i've designed in the last year or so have gone from originally costing around $4 to around 10$. There are also serious supply chain issues coming out of Asia with various countries implementing different lock downs and controls, all of which have a knock on effect. Not to mention the rise in the price of oil which is causing further shipping issues. Even the likes of Nike are having these major issues. The smaller sports brands will be feeling it more as suppliers will prioritise the big spenders such as Adi and Nike.

Not saying this is the reason why some RL jerseys might be looking cheaper than previously, but its very possible that a jersey that was designed and costed 12-18 months ago would have risen in price considerably over that period, and all you can do in those cases is de-spec them, changing more premium details into cheaper and affordable options. It's horrible when you have to do that, but at the moment, in many cases, it's Hobson's choice. Unless you want to pass that cost onto the consumer, via the RPP, which many, thankfully, haven't.

We've seen a few smaller clubs carry over last seasons kits, dressing it up in PR, but it's likely down to a large left over inventory and the cost of a new kit being that much higher than previously.

Going back to the original point, there are ways where you can keep the design consistent, but update each season, it just takes a bit of willingness from the clubs and a capable supplier.

Another way around it is to keep the Jersey consistent but offer a wider array of fanwear and training apparel that updates season on season. Though Jerseys are understandably the big sellers.

Edited November 15, 2021 by EastLondonMike

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

2 hours ago, RP London said:

for me there is a little bit of chicken and egg in this.. I would pay more money for a better quality shirt that will last, but for that too i dont want it to date in terms of the design. So keep a similar/same design year on year and "build a brand" but also get better quality stuff which means i'd be more happy to part with the cash knowing that it will last (both in build quality and design). 

At the moment you know it will only last 1 year, do I want to spend "top dollar" on a shirt that lasts "in style" about a year no matter how much i like the design it is obvious to all who support the team/sport that it is "last years shirt" within 1 year. Therefore the quality of the actual merch suffers as people arent prepared to spend the money. 

Personally I understand the latter but prefer the former and think there is more long term gain in it for all concerned. 

I wholeheartedly agree with this. When I think back to when I started watching the game, teams had the same shirt for around 2-3 years instead of just the 1. Looking back, it's much easier to picture an 'era' for certain teams, because it's synonymous with the kit they wore - e.g. the Wigan Ellgren/Norweb shirts of the early 90s. Even the GB British Coal shirt was the same for 3 years or so. 

I would much rather see clubs keep the same primary design for a few years, and instead make the money doing special limited edition shirts and things like that. But I expect somebody somewhere has crunched the numbers and it doesn't work out financially.

[Chrispmartha]

3 hours ago, EastLondonMike said:

I've always felt sports clubs in general have a backwards attitude towards Teamwear and fan replica apparel.

I don't know too much about other sports, but I agree with this 100% with regards to RL clubs and its a massive bugbear of mine.

 

I probably go on about it a bit too much TBH but the recent stuff from Oxen at Leeds just annoys me. I think Leeds are a big club and deserve better, it is just cheap tat and the constant sales are really annoying, the whole strategy seems to be release a load of stuff all the time, then have a sale and release some more stuff.

The Home kit of the teams is a massive part of the overall brand, and they don't seem to care about it.

As someone mentioned you look through the years that Leeds have won the SL, there is literally only one year (2008 I think) where they were wearing what you would describe as Leeds RL/Rhinos 'proper' kit.

[EastLondonMike]

35 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

I don't know too much about other sports, but I agree with this 100% with regards to RL clubs and its a massive bugbear of mine.

 

I probably go on about it a bit too much TBH but the recent stuff from Oxen at Leeds just annoys me. I think Leeds are a big club and deserve better, it is just cheap tat and the constant sales are really annoying, the whole strategy seems to be release a load of stuff all the time, then have a sale and release some more stuff.

The Home kit of the teams is a massive part of the overall brand, and they don't seem to care about it.

As someone mentioned you look through the years that Leeds have won the SL, there is literally only one year (2008 I think) where they were wearing what you would describe as Leeds RL/Rhinos 'proper' kit.

It's all up for debate really. Me personally I quite like newness in a sports jersey, but I am also a traditionalist, so the perfect scenario to me is a mix of both.

A new jersey should be progressive and contemporary, but with the essential aesthetic still very much present.

The Oxen thing with so much product, followed by the inevitable sale, followed by the next large product launch just baffles me. They obviously must sell enough of it to make it worthwhile. It's possible the cost price is low enough that the margin on profit is large enough to cover any excess inventory at the end of a season. Though the wastage element is one that does concern me, from a sustainability point of view.

[EastLondonMike]

 @Chrispmartha  Don't look at what Leeds/Oxen have just launched as part of their 'away' training range. 

 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

Just watching the football, how come San Marino are wearing a batley bulldogs kit? 

[Wellsy4HullFC]

13 hours ago, EastLondonMike said:

It's a funny thing with RL. Like you say clubs are as reliant on this income stream as they are people though the turnstiles. Having a consistent or similar design each year is deemed too risky and potentially a penny lost.
I've always felt sports clubs in general have a backwards attitude towards Teamwear and fan replica apparel.

I work in sportswear and, with a few sports teams directly, and we always make the premium product for the teams to wear and the replica apparel is always a slightly cheaper take down, which in reality should be the other way around as its the fans that actually care about what they are purchasing, whereas the team members wear what they are given, without too much concern, as it is essentially their working uniform. It's only ever the top brass that want to see that premium product.

One thing i will say, which i alluded to in my last reply to Wellsy. The price to produce sportswear and clothing in general has sky rocketed in the last 12-18 months, partly due to Brexit and partly due to Covid. The price of cotton for example has trebled in that time. Some Items that i've designed in the last year or so have gone from originally costing around $4 to around 10$. There are also serious supply chain issues coming out of Asia with various countries implementing different lock downs and controls, all of which have a knock on effect. Not to mention the rise in the price of oil which is causing further shipping issues. Even the likes of Nike are having these major issues. The smaller sports brands will be feeling it more as suppliers will prioritise the big spenders such as Adi and Nike.

Not saying this is the reason why some RL jerseys might be looking cheaper than previously, but its very possible that a jersey that was designed and costed 12-18 months ago would have risen in price considerably over that period, and all you can do in those cases is de-spec them, changing more premium details into cheaper and affordable options. It's horrible when you have to do that, but at the moment, in many cases, it's Hobson's choice. Unless you want to pass that cost onto the consumer, via the RPP, which many, thankfully, haven't.

We've seen a few smaller clubs carry over last seasons kits, dressing it up in PR, but it's likely down to a large left over inventory and the cost of a new kit being that much higher than previously.

Going back to the original point, there are ways where you can keep the design consistent, but update each season, it just takes a bit of willingness from the clubs and a capable supplier.

Another way around it is to keep the Jersey consistent but offer a wider array of fanwear and training apparel that updates season on season. Though Jerseys are understandably the big sellers.

I did some Covid would have something to do with it, but still I just can't bring myself to buy it. More money for a lower-quality shirt just does not sit with me.

[Chrispmartha]

manly showing how to do traditional but modern