If you turn on Fox on Saturday mornings you may catch some soccer being played in Germany, the Bundesliga. What you will also see are beautiful uniforms. Germany has always been design forward so this fact should come as no surprise.
If you look stateside though, at MLS, you see a bunch of uniforms that look eerily close to each other, and merchandise that is uninspiring to say the least. The reason for this is there is only one clothing merchandise supplier for the entire league, Adidas. This is crazy and unfortunate and with Adidas’ contract up in 2018, it needs to change. While the deal is up in ‘18, negotiations for a new deal may be starting up very soon.
A team’s jersey and branding isn’t just a piece of clothing. It is an identity. It is how a fan connects with your team whether it is the jersey, a t-shirt, hat, scarf or warm-up jacket. And it is branding that affiliates a consumer with your brand and deepens the relationship between a fan and their team. It is also something MLS has never truly capitalized on throughout their 20 year existence. Which, again, is crazy considering the payout.
Jersey contracts can be big money. Adidas as of 2014 will pay Manchester United over $100 Million a year for the next 10 years to be their sponsor. Adidas will pay Real Madrid $49 Million a year. Puma will pay Arsenal $45 Million a year. Nike has a $43 million deal a year with Barcelona. Liverpool just signed a $37 Million a year deal with New Balance.
In order for these companies to pay such prices, they need to be willing to get behind the teams and sell compelling merchandise to justify the cost. MLS won’t get this type of money for a long time but having individual team deals will definitely help to ensure their branding works as hard as it should.
Think about the large clothing and jersey companies based here in the US.
Don’t you think Maryland based Under Armour would jump at the chance to outfit D.C. United? Under Armour has recently entered the soccer world with multiple lines of footwear, even sponsoring U.S. player Jermaine Jones and Dutch wunderkid Memphis Depay.
New Balance has recently jumped into the soccer market as well and, being based in Boston, would be a perfect fit for the New England Revolution. The Rev’s uniforms and brand identity as a whole have been markedly underwhelming it’s entire existence.
Oregon-based Nike has done an incredible job with the University of Oregon’s football uniforms. They have created some of the most dynamic uniforms and college brands the league has ever seen. You don’t think they wouldn’t want to have a similar impact with Portland and maybe even Seattle being in their backyard?
Some of the worlds biggest leagues have done an amazing job expanding their presence by understanding the power of branding. It goes beyond uniforms. Look at what MLB teams have done in making hats a fashion staple. Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid have made branded warm-up jackets / T-shirts / scarves / and hooded sweatshirts extensions of their clubs. The NFL brands everything under the sun from license-plate covers to bathing suits and underwear.
MLS has always been poor in marketing it’s teams individually. Sporting Kansas City is one of the few teams that really creates a number of different shirts for its fans and you see the results in the stands. Recently, MLS has partnered with Homage and Mitchell & Ness to provide limited edition articles and it is a great start. But giving clothing brands ownership to the rights to teams allows them to create unique looks for those clubs. Right now shops get the same treatment shirts for every different team. It is an idea few consumers like to get behind.
Having only one brand making an entire league’s uniforms is a disincentive for the company unless your league is the NFL and the league is powerful enough to do so. Plus Nike pays the NFL $220 million a year to be their licensed brand so they will do everything to get behind it.
For MLS, why should Adidas strive to make team specific articles when they don’t feel they are getting a return from individual teams but the league as a whole? It would be wonderful to see Under Armour, New Balance or Puma step in and try to put their mark on the league. For Under Armour and New Balance, who are still neophytes to the sport, building an American presence would be huge. For MLS, it is a chance to return their fan’s ardent support that would allow the fan to advertise their team to a much bigger community. And this would be a win for everyone.
