Deals for Premier League kits reach record high

The total value of Barclays Premier League clubs’ kit supply contracts has shot up this season to a staggering £117.3 million (145.5 million EUR) – a 32% increase on 2011/12.

Traditional giants Nike, Adidas and Puma continue to invest heavily on sports kits, however the sudden surge in income has been driven by the entrance of North American duo Warrior and Under Armour, the suppliers to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively.

This is one of the key findings of the REPUCOM Kit Supplier Report 2012/13, produced in cooperation with PR Marketing, the leading industry analysis of sports equipment supply contracts in the top European football leagues.

“The entrance of Warrior and the growth in Under Armour‘s investment in British football has been a real shot in the arm in terms of Premier League clubs‘ kit sponsorship incomes,“ said Andrew Walsh, President – Global Enterprise at REPUCOM.

“The league’s global reach makes it a very attractive prospect for the world’s top sports merchandise manufacturers. In turn, kit contracts are becoming an ever-more relevant source of revenue for the clubs, not only at the top level, but right down the division.”

11 different sports equipment brand suppliers are today present in Premier League when compared to 40 years ago, when Admiral was the first and only brand to advertise its logo on a club kit, namely Leeds United.

This accounts for almost two-fifths of the total combined kit deal revenues from across Europe‘s top five leagues, which this season nears a mighty £315 million.

“Across Europe, we’re seeing the relationships between the top clubs and their kit suppliers growing from purely branding of the kit to more profound, strategic partnerships,” said Dr Peter Rohlmann of PR Marketing.

An average of £6 million is earned by England’s top division clubs per year from kit supply deals.

The volume of replica shirts sold by Premier League clubs ensures their dominance when it comes down to securing Kit sponsorship deals.

A combined total of approximately 5 million jerseys will be sold by the leagues 20 clubs worldwide. That is around one million more than the sales in 2011/12, another key indicator of continuing growth of the league‘s popularity globally. It is also more than twice the number of jerseys sold by 18 Bundesliga sides.

The prices of shirts are slowly rising in Europe, however Premier League club shirts still remain cheapest among those of the top 5 European Leagues. The average price of a Premier League club jersey now stands at £47.60, but that is still significantly less than the Serie A equivalent at £61.