D-Day England release new kit! (Needs it's very own thread)

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

Is the punchline something like - "they get 90k for the Cup Final?" 

On a serious point, I've continuously throughout this thread shown that things RL gets criticised for also happens in other sports (sometimes with criticism, sometimes not). Naturally with our lack of money we often do things worse, but the principle is still there. 

I think sometimes I wish the commentary in RL was just" Its not for me" as opposed to "it's a farce etc." 

I mean, I did it write for that quip.

I've had a ponder about the issue about what bothers me so much about Oxen/RFL's pile em high approach to selling that doesn't bother me so much elsewhere.

I think it's that, in (as far as I can see), all the other sports, there is a very clear distinction between the official "players wear this" jerseys and training kits, and then the wider leisure-related stuff that is available but not official in the sense that the players themselves would not be wearing this. The official stuff tends to last longer and be of higher quality (and price) whereas the leisure-y stuff is more variable.

Oxen don't ever seem to make that distinction. Every time they think of something to stick a badge on it becomes the official training top.

[crashmon]

I'm 50/50 on the shirt to be honest.  I think the V is better than the St George cross, but England is red (not blue), so for me it should have been a red V and not a blue one.

Of course people will say its a replica of a Saints kit, but I am sure they could have modified it enough to make it unique to England. Plus I would never buy a Saints kit, but I would see the difference between a England Kit and a Saints one.

I'll probably buy it after the WC, when they are having a clear out and it will be like 15 quid

Edited July 28, 2022 by crashmon

[Dave T]

20 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

That’s 2 of you then,jobs a good un.

By the way, don't expect me to buy one...

[Chrispmartha]

4 minutes ago, RP London said:

but the fact its taken someone to point it out etc means you have to look way too hard to find something that should be front and centre... with the deal as an option.. 

Interesting they call it the 'home kit'

I can almost guarantee there will be a red and white away kit.

[Chrispmartha]

3 minutes ago, crashmon said:

I'm 50/50 on the shirt to be honest.  I think the V is better than the St George cross, but England is red (not blue), so for me it should have been a red V and not a blue one.

Of course people will say its a replica of a Saints kit, but I am sure they could have modified it enough to make it unique to England. Plus I would never buy a Saints kit, but I would see the difference between a England Kit and a Saints one.

I'll probably buy it after the WC, when they are having a clear out and it will be like 15 quid

After the World Cup?

It will be 50% off before the World Cup, you might only need to wait a few weeks with the backlash they have had.

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Chrispmartha said:

I can almost guarantee there will be a red and white away kit.

Good.

It's a World Cup. All teams should have an alternate shirt.

[Chrispmartha]

2 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Good.

It's a World Cup. All teams should have an alternate shirt.

And we'll probably wear it for all our group stage games

 

[gingerjon]

Just now, Chrispmartha said:

And we'll probably wear it for all our group stage games

 

I'm not sure I would ever stop laughing TBH.

Do you think Oxen can manage to produce a different kit for each match?

[Chrispmartha]

Just now, gingerjon said:

I'm not sure I would ever stop laughing TBH.

Do you think Oxen can manage to produce a different kit for each match?

Do not give them ideas

[Pyjamarama]

56 minutes ago, EastLondonMike said:

One of my main problems with Oxen is around wastage. They are sports fast fashion at its worst. Consistently churning out more and more product that really isn't needed. None of which, as far as i now, is ethically sourced or made from recycled fabrics. As someone who works within this industry i know just how much wastage can be generated when going through a seasonal design/development/production/go to market process.

 

I do agree with you regarding wastage. Given that there is much more awareness of the environment and the damage we are doing to it, I would like to see a stop to the ridiculous unsustainable habit of a new shirt being released for flogging to Joe Public for every new tournament (as well as clubs bringing out a new shirt every season along with 'special' one off shirts for Magic w/e, Pride etc..). As per usual it's profit over planet. Most of this tat will eventually end up shipped abroad in two years time when punters upgrade to the next new shirt. It will end up dumped in some impoverished African country for them to deal with the environmental consequences, at which point the kit manufacturers, clubs, and sports governing bodies will be nowhere to be seen. 

 

[Dave T]

3 minutes ago, Pyjamarama said:

I do agree with you regarding wastage. Given that there is much more awareness of the environment and the damage we are doing to it, I would like to see a stop to the ridiculous unsustainable habit of a new shirt being released for flogging to Joe Public for every new tournament (as well as clubs bringing out a new shirt every season along with 'special' one off shirts for Magic w/e, Pride etc..). As per usual it's profit over planet. Most of this tat will eventually end up shipped abroad in two years time when punters upgrade to the next new shirt. It will end up dumped in some impoverished African country for them to deal with the environmental consequences, at which point the kit manufacturers, clubs, and sports governing bodies will be nowhere to be seen. 

 

I'm less concerned about how many we sell up front, trying to sell two or three items of clothing to people per year for a retail store isn't excessive, but I do think there is a piece around responsibility on what happens at the back end and being as responsible as possible. I'm not sure where things sit in terms of recycling schemes, or reusability, but I think that is an area we could look to go bigger on. 

[Jughead]

40 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Good.

It's a World Cup. All teams should have an alternate shirt.

They shouldn’t. International rugby league isn’t played enough for multiple shirts and in a time like this, we don’t need companies trying to bleed fans fry for shorts worn once or twice, how club sides do. 

[gingerjon]

Just now, Jughead said:

They shouldn’t. International rugby league isn’t played enough for multiple shirts and in a time like this, we don’t need companies trying to bleed fans fry for shorts worn once or twice, how club sides do. 

Even without England deciding to go this way, there were already colour clashes in their group when Greece play Samoa, Samoa play France and France play Greece.

Group B - likely clash when Scotland play Italy. Could easily be one depending on how dark the Scots kit is when they play Fiji.

Group C - depending on dominant colours Jamaica v Ireland could be a clash.

Group D - Cook Islands v PNG could be a clash; Tonga v Wales will be a clash.

[EastLondonMike]

5 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I'm less concerned about how many we sell up front, trying to sell two or three items of clothing to people per year for a retail store isn't excessive, but I do think there is a piece around responsibility on what happens at the back end and being as responsible as possible. I'm not sure where things sit in terms of recycling schemes, or reusability, but I think that is an area we could look to go bigger on. 

Its also not just about the product itself. Frequent apparel and accessories collections across a season means an even bigger carbon footprint due the logistics of getting those items from the factory to the wharehouse and then to the consumer. Every single product will also likely come in a plastic bag, which possibly wont be able to be recycled also.

Having witnessed some of the wastage, its quite sickening.

[Dave T]

Just now, EastLondonMike said:

Its also not just about the product itself. Frequent apparel and accessories collections across a season means an even bigger carbon footprint due the logistics of getting those items from the factory to the wharehouse and then to the consumer. Every single product will also likely come in a plastic bag, which possibly wont be able to be recycled also.

Having witnessed some of the wastage, its quite sickening.

Oh absolutely get it, and I don't think we are going to try and sell fewer items of clothing, so we should absolutely look at what we can do, as you say packaging can be removed etc. 

[Chrispmartha]

10 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Oh absolutely get it, and I don't think we are going to try and sell fewer items of clothing, so we should absolutely look at what we can do, as you say packaging can be removed etc. 

oxen are absolutely terrible for this. I bet Leeds have had at least 6 or 7 different training ranges this season, it’s just way too many. With many companies now heavily focussing on ESG I would hope this would change but it does seem to be Oxen’s business model

[JonM]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

I'm less concerned about how many we sell up front, trying to sell two or three items of clothing to people per year for a retail store isn't excessive, but I do think there is a piece around responsibility on what happens at the back end and being as responsible as possible. I'm not sure where things sit in terms of recycling schemes, or reusability, but I think that is an area we could look to go bigger on. 

Canterbury & Hardgear are donating kit for the Ukrainian team taking part in the European under-19s in September. Canterbury will be supplying the tournament referees kit, which is made from "post-consumer" recycled polyester.

https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2166/canterbury-and-hardgear-to-donate-ukrain

[EastLondonMike]

Arket, the high street store, take back any product people don't wont (not just their own product) and recycle for them. Which is a incredible thing to commit to doing. As an example to recycle a cotton tshirt, every single thread within that tee needs to seperated. Painstaking isn't a big enough word.

The RFL, via the clubs, could set up a process where any unwanted replica kit or training wear could be returned and sent out to any number of fledgling nations around the world who are starting to play the game. Or indeed any country where there is a need for such things. Some clubs of course may already do this..

[Henson Park Old Firm]

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/every-england-rugby-league-shirt-since-the-last-home-world-cup/

[Man of Kent]

Mark Foster, the RFL’s chief commercial officer, said: “We said last week when confirming details for the new shirt launch, and the offers for supporters who had bought a jersey in the previous 12 months, that it was going to be different, and recognised it would provoke a debate.

“It’s one we had internally when the concept first came up earlier this year.

“It started from a desire to get a Rugby League chevron into the design – we saw with the popularity of the Great Britain shirt for the 2019 Lions tour that the heritage of that matters.

“But a red V isn’t an option for our national team – it’s already very closely identified with a very successful club team. And when you add Hull KR, Wigan, Salford, Leigh and others, there are a lot of clubs linked to designs around red and white.

“The more we thought about navy blue as the supporting colour to white, the more it appealed.

“England football kits have tended to have an element of blue, whether in the shirt or shorts.

“England cricket teams have always played white ball cricket in blue, and in the last five years they’ve won two home World Cups wearing blue.

“Our merchandise partners tell us navy is popular – and there is already encouraging evidence of that, with sales on day one surpassing the numbers we sold in the first month in 2021.

“We did have to check with RLWC21, as coincidentally the other three teams in our group in the men’s competition have mostly blue kits – Samoa, France and Greece. But they have given us the all clear – and the early signs are that we are going to have a lot of England supporters wearing the new shirts this autumn.”

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/england-rugby-league-kit-red-blue/

[Chrispmartha]

7 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Mark Foster, the RFL’s chief commercial officer, said: “We said last week when confirming details for the new shirt launch, and the offers for supporters who had bought a jersey in the previous 12 months, that it was going to be different, and recognised it would provoke a debate.

“It’s one we had internally when the concept first came up earlier this year.

“It started from a desire to get a Rugby League chevron into the design – we saw with the popularity of the Great Britain shirt for the 2019 Lions tour that the heritage of that matters.

“But a red V isn’t an option for our national team – it’s already very closely identified with a very successful club team. And when you add Hull KR, Wigan, Salford, Leigh and others, there are a lot of clubs linked to designs around red and white.

“The more we thought about navy blue as the supporting colour to white, the more it appealed.

“England football kits have tended to have an element of blue, whether in the shirt or shorts.

“England cricket teams have always played white ball cricket in blue, and in the last five years they’ve won two home World Cups wearing blue.

“Our merchandise partners tell us navy is popular – and there is already encouraging evidence of that, with sales on day one surpassing the numbers we sold in the first month in 2021.

“We did have to check with RLWC21, as coincidentally the other three teams in our group in the men’s competition have mostly blue kits – Samoa, France and Greece. But they have given us the all clear – and the early signs are that we are going to have a lot of England supporters wearing the new shirts this autumn.”

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/england-rugby-league-kit-red-blue/

Theyve sold 3 instead of 2

We’ll at least they’ve come up with some sort of explanation, I think it’s weak but hey ho.

[hunsletgreenandgold]

51 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

I bet Leeds have had at least 6 or 7 different training ranges this season

It's officially 5, according to how it's broken down on the website but that doesn't include the Rob Burrow MNDA range, so it is 6. Over 130 separate items in the training wear section alone - there's then a further 200 items in the fan/leisure wear. I compared it with Yorkshire cricket, Leeds United and Leicester Tigers. It's more than double what any of them had and I think that's telling.  

[gingerjon]

5 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

It's officially 5, according to how it's broken down on the website but that doesn't include the Rob Burrow MNDA range, so it is 6. Over 130 separate items in the training wear section alone - there's then a further 200 items in the fan/leisure wear. I compared it with Yorkshire cricket, Leeds United and Leicester Tigers. It's more than double what any of them had and I think that's telling.  

Yorkshire are also in the position of having to sell off pre-bought Nike stuff that then went out of date when Nike pulled out of the arrangement.

[RP London]

18 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Mark Foster, the RFL’s chief commercial officer, said: “We said last week when confirming details for the new shirt launch, and the offers for supporters who had bought a jersey in the previous 12 months, that it was going to be different, and recognised it would provoke a debate.

“It’s one we had internally when the concept first came up earlier this year.

“It started from a desire to get a Rugby League chevron into the design – we saw with the popularity of the Great Britain shirt for the 2019 Lions tour that the heritage of that matters.

“But a red V isn’t an option for our national team – it’s already very closely identified with a very successful club team. And when you add Hull KR, Wigan, Salford, Leigh and others, there are a lot of clubs linked to designs around red and white.

“The more we thought about navy blue as the supporting colour to white, the more it appealed.

“England football kits have tended to have an element of blue, whether in the shirt or shorts.

“England cricket teams have always played white ball cricket in blue, and in the last five years they’ve won two home World Cups wearing blue.

“Our merchandise partners tell us navy is popular – and there is already encouraging evidence of that, with sales on day one surpassing the numbers we sold in the first month in 2021.

“We did have to check with RLWC21, as coincidentally the other three teams in our group in the men’s competition have mostly blue kits – Samoa, France and Greece. But they have given us the all clear – and the early signs are that we are going to have a lot of England supporters wearing the new shirts this autumn.”

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/england-rugby-league-kit-red-blue/

not sure that really explains it.. others have done it, people quite like Navy and its a bit different.. ok fair but why no red then, its like a conscious thing to drop the red but why? 

[RP London]

6 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

It's officially 5, according to how it's broken down on the website but that doesn't include the Rob Burrow MNDA range, so it is 6. Over 130 separate items in the training wear section alone - there's then a further 200 items in the fan/leisure wear. I compared it with Yorkshire cricket, Leeds United and Leicester Tigers. It's more than double what any of them had and I think that's telling.  

wow thats a lot of stash!