….. and no more visits to the Adidas Stores. I am a bit of a LFC nut so whenever I get the chance to visit a new city I make a B line for the Adidas store. Maybe I might see something I fancy but my main objective is to make sure our red holy shirt is hung in front if any other English shirt that is hanging in the vicinity.
Last year I can confirm that Chelsea shirts got relegated to the back of the displays in Adidas shops in Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Brasilia and Paris after my visit. I hate seeing that blue shirt being given priority over the our sacred colour.
The visibility of our ‘brand’, I hate that word which alianates the club, is just one part of putting or maintaining us in the minds of people who have not yet appreciated what it is to support the greatest club in the world. So I do this generous task in each store to help mankind support my club with its fine traditions and values. My unselfish act I know goes unrewarded but you do these small gestures for the team you love don’t you.
Now with the new deal I have no idea how to plan my visiting time when I get to a new place. Will Warrior’s distribution of our shirt be worldwide? Will it reach the public who love football? I have never heard of this sports manufacturer around the world. I heard they do Lacross and are linked to New Balance but where is football in this. Maybe they want to break the Adidas and Nike domination. Fair enough, but what about us customers?
What markets are Warrior selling in, does anyone know? Can they distribute to all corners of the World?
If the only place I’ll be able to get my yearly shirt (one year the home kit and the next the away kit) is at the LFC online store then I’ll have to curb my needs.
Sometimes the fan abroad needs a JJB store in another country but that is unlikely so we never have the names of our heros on the shirt. It may be a great deal for the club but what about a supporters especially the worldwide supporter market in Vietnam, Chile or Zimbabwe? Also the local post isn’t as reliable in every country so many of us go to a local sports store than buy over the internet.
If my great club want their badge seen on the many different people who live well away from L4, Warrior will have a lot to do to compete with traditional brands that the fans have access to.
I hope Mr Ayre has seriously thought about this and not just taken the money for the good of the clubs balance sheet because revenue is more and more comming from people who can not travel to Anfield and have never got to a game but love the club equally.
YNWA
Shaun Dowling