Another rip-off is on the way for Liverpool supporters with kids, and for that matter the parents of any child who supports a top-flight club.
Liverpool FC’s website carried the news that as from next season the names and numbers used by Premier League clubs will be changing. There’s already been talk of the FA Premier League dropping the “FA” from their name, and to coincide with this there’ll be a new logo for those badges the players wear on the sleeves.
Anyone who’s bought the current Reds home kit for themselves or their children will now have to persuade the kids that it’s ok to have “old fashioned” numbers on the back. Chances are that the yellow kit will become next season’s third kit and so there may be a little fight on with the kids over that too.
The statement on the Reds’ website says: “From the start of the 2007/08 season, The F.A. Premier League is introducing a new design for the official letters, numbers and sleeve badges that will be printed on player kits and also produced for replica sale.
“The planned modernisation of the current designs, originally launched a decade ago, aims to further enhance the Barclays Premiership’s professional image, improve player identification and continue to protect against counterfeiting.
“New letters, names and sleeve badges will be available from official licensees for sale in club shops and other authorised retailers prior to the start of the 2007/08 season.”
The sad thing is, the powers-that-be actually believe that they’ll be able to “protect against counterfeiting”. I think they are being a little wishful in their thinking. Not a chance. There’ll be names and numbers on sale on auction websites from sellers in the Far East well before they are available officially. You’ve only got to look at the five-times UEFA badges we wear on our sleeves now in Europe for examples of how the counterfeiters beat the official sellers. Beaten on time and beaten on price.
Due to a kit manufacturer change Liverpool brought out three new kits this season, and to be honest there was little need to bring out three kits. The only team we are close to clashing with in both of our Red and Yellow kits are Watford, who wear yellow shirts and red shorts. For one game I’m sure we could have gone back to a pre-Shanks Red shirts White shorts combo.
So on the back of being under pressure to buy three new kits, Liverpool fans now find that two of them will look “wrong” for the start of the new season. Let’s hope most people went for the European style Adidas numbering rather than the Premiership version, otherwise I can see a lot of counterfeiters getting the money off parents next season, not the club.