ISC Quits AFL

[Purple_Turtle]

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The game’s biggest jersey supplier has confirmed it will walk away from the game at season’s end, leaving a potential multimillion-dollar hole in club coffers.
ISC – which is the official apparel partner and merchandise supplier of eight clubs – blamed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic for its decision to part ways with clubs.
The company has partnerships with last year’s grand finalists Sydney Roosters and Canberra plus a host of other clubs including Parramatta, South Sydney, Wests Tigers, Brisbane, North Queensland and Melbourne.
ISC’s chief executive Jason Schulman said his company had invested significantly into the game in recent years through sponsorships and royalties.
“The licensing apparel model for professional sporting teams in general has been under pressure for some time due to a number of factors,” Schulman said.
“With the COVID-19 global pandemic and resulting effect on both the sporting and retail landscapes having a devastating and unprecedented impact on all sporting bodies, entities and related businesses, the ISC Licensing business has been no different.”
Clubs and the company have been in negotiations with in recent weeks. The terms of each of these deals are different with some fortunate to have their contracts expiring at the end of the year so the financial impact will not be as significant.
Others were locked into long-term deals.
Schulman confirmed the company would also withdraw from AFL clubs. It will remain trading as part of its teamwear division servicing grassroots clubs.

So what happens now? Who replaces ISC for us?

 

[Kram]

If Adidas still sponsors AFL teams get them.

 

[yyou]

D&G? [emoji16]

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[im_a_lazy_sod]

Go with Prada. The Dockers wear Prada

 

[Geoff]

The story is about the NRL?


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[muzzington]

The story is about the NRL?


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"Schulman confirmed the company would also withdraw from AFL clubs."

 

[BeinPurplenGreen]

Well, after all the different youngins and folks that suddenly took up / returned to knitting and crocheting due to being in COVID quarantini, who needs a uni sponsor, we'll just knit our own (hello custom jerseys for everyone!!).

Just need to have all the same styleeeee, colour, and shaded texture of yarn. Plus the same stick pattern and cross over techniques. Hello Yarn on Collie (I wish you had a Canberra branch) and who will be our group instructor?? Or even better do the chaps knit their own for next season??

(FWIW, as outlandish as it sounds today, self knitted jerseys were actually reasonably common in a number of Vic and SA country leagues in the 1910s-1940s).

 

[fnerd]

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So what happens now? Who replaces ISC for us?

I’m sure the club could source some cheap guernseys out of kuta and/or phuket.
In fact I’d say they d already have some in stock .
I picked one up last time I was there

 

[Rob]

Good. ISC stuff is rubbish.

 

[Yeti]

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So what happens now? Who replaces ISC for us?

The licensed apparel market place is completley unsustainable. The only companies who will be able to afford being involved will be those companies with a big retail presence that essentially write off the monies required to be in AFL / NRL.

Under Armour / Nike / Adidas / Champion will want to use large clubs for marketing purposes.

We have seen it time and again custom apparel companies in Australia go under (Kombat / BLK / ISC twice) because they enter into unsustainable deals with clubs and local leagues.

The end user wants maximum sponsorship dollars, high quality apparel and the lowest wholesale price possible. It's unsustainable.

Until the AFL / NRL change their approach to apparel this will continue to happen. There is a junior AFL competition in Victoria that went to market wanting $50,000+ in sponsorship and Jerseys for under $30.

No wonder the quality of apparel tends to go down / becomes more generic each year.

 

[Scham]

Back to the days of players having 1 jumper for the whole season...or longer if possible.

 

[BeinPurplenGreen]

So nobody wants to knit Walters or Fyfey a jumper.
Fun lot you are.

 

[Yeti]

So nobody wants to knit Walters or Fyfey a jumper.
Fun lot you are.

They work hard on their rigs, let them show them off

 

[BeinPurplenGreen]

They work hard on their rigs, let them show them off

If it's a real rig, it will outflex Nana's knitted jersey, despite the loose loops and crossed stitches.
Plus what other team still uses real wool?? Or real Freo knitting gurus??

Knit it Purple, knit it Freo.

 

[FreoRicci]

Can’t see other apparel companies getting on board either. Australian companies will have to come in. Sekem can’t make another comeback

 

[FreoStillNil]

Can’t see other apparel companies getting on board either. Australian companies will have to come in. Sekem can’t make another comeback

This is out of left field, but how about some of the lesser known European companies who don't have a real presense in Australia.

Mainly the Italian ones like Diadora, Lotto, Fila etc. Back in my day (early 90's) they had a presence (though not in AFL).

Would be something different that would stand out from all the Adidas, Puma etc.

 

[Nothing]

Can’t see other apparel companies getting on board either. Australian companies will have to come in. Sekem can’t make another comeback

Sekem are owned by Kookaburra now.

 

[Yeti]

This is out of left field, but how about some of the lesser known European companies who don't have a real presense in Australia.

Mainly the Italian ones like Diadora, Lotto, Fila etc. Back in my day (early 90's) they had a presence (though not in AFL).

Would be something different that would stand out from all the Adidas, Puma etc.

Sure it is possible but they will probably end up like Macron did by going into receivership. Any new supplier either needs to have a base in Australia or have a large retail presence to balance out the dollars required at AFL level.

Will be interesting to see if Fremantle can find another supplier that will provide the rumoured $1,000,000 per year in cash and contra from ISC.

 

[Allikat]

Well, after all the different youngins and folks that suddenly took up / returned to knitting and crocheting due to being in COVID quarantini, who needs a uni sponsor, we'll just knit our own (hello custom jerseys for everyone!!).

Just need to have all the same styleeeee, colour, and shaded texture of yarn. Plus the same stick pattern and cross over techniques. Hello Yarn on Collie (I wish you had a Canberra branch) and who will be our group instructor?? Or even better do the chaps knit their own for next season??

(FWIW, as outlandish as it sounds today, self knitted jerseys were actually reasonably common in a number of Vic and SA country leagues in the 1910s-1940s).

I'll contribute a few pairs of knitted socks!

I just hope we don't jump on the cotton on bandwagon. Their clothes are such poor fit & quality, and the geelong jumpers look dumb.

 

[FreoStillNil]

Sure it is possible but they will probably end up like Macron did by going into receivership. Any new supplier either needs to have a base in Australia or have a large retail presence to balance out the dollars required at AFL level.

Will be interesting to see if Fremantle can find another supplier that will provide the rumoured $1,000,000 per year in cash and contra from ISC.

Didn't know about Macron going into receivership. According to their Wikipedia page they sponsor(ed?) the "South Australian Futsal League", plus a bunch of A League teams. Don't really follow the A-League teams so don't know what the story is there.

I'd just like someone a bit different, as to be a Freo supporter you need to be a bit different .

Asics? But I think at the moment we'd take anyone we can get.

 

[Alfonz]

I'm hoping for adidas. Links with Fyfe. As far as I can tell, they only sponsor Hawthorn.

ISC did Freo, WC, Ade, Syd, Coll, Port, GC ... pretty large chunk of the comp considering the supporter bases for those sides.

 

[showemhowtorock]

Cotton on currently does AFLW

 

[FreoStillNil]

I'm hoping for adidas. Links with Fyfe. As far as I can tell, they only sponsor Hawthorn.

ISC did Freo, WC, Ade, Syd, Coll, Port, GC ... pretty large chunk of the comp considering the supporter bases for those sides.

Yeah, sponsored a heap of AFL teams. But where did it get them apart from the club merchandise? Most punters who would walk into Rebel Sport would go for the big brands.

 

[FreoStillNil]

Cotton on currently does AFLW

Cotton on sounds good. Could even go for H&M. Or get Levi's to start making kits, they already make enough "Dockers" stuff.