News The AFL want names on jumpers

[El_Scorcho]

But wouldn't Heat/Galaxy jerseys sell well regardless if they had names on them or not after a superstar player joined the team?

I've never seen a blank Galaxy jersey and you can certainly purchase them.

 

[El_Scorcho]

I simply can't see an increase in people wearing Judd/Ablett/Franklin jumpers when the only difference is a name on top of an already recognisable number.

Like I said people don't wear AFL jumpers like they do soccer/basketball tops. How often do you see people in shopping centres sporting an AFL guernsey against soccer/basktetball.

The biggest market for this is obviously kids. Kids wear footy guernseys. When Joel Selwood has "Selwood 14" on the back of his guernsey, every schoolkid in Geelong is going to want to do the same thing. There is definitely an appeal there for a lot of people. You can argue that it's not as great as it is for American sports, but it will be over time, and it will still make a significant difference in the mean time.

Not necessarily, the people who buy them that often already exist and they buy jumpers every year regardless of if a player has moved on.

For example, I still see people sporting Torres Liverpool jumpers and LeBron Cleveland tops. People will still hang onto these as the jumpers are freaking expensive, and often not worth dropping another hundred on because a player moved.

Yeah sure, not everyone will update their guernseys, but enough people will for this to be a worthwhile exercise. There are plenty of people who are happy to drop $100 on a new guernsey every year, and for basically no extra cost, the AFL is giving them more incentive to do so.

I used the example of European football shirts changing every year earlier. The shirts sell like hotcakes every year because people want the newest thing that the players are wearing. It doesn't mean that you don't see old shirts around, but they sell more new shirts every year than other sports because of the changes.


You can argue that this wont make a massive impact in sales, but it doesn't have to be a massive impact to be worth doing. If the AFL is right and this really takes off, it becomes a terrific money spinner basically out of nothing. If it doesn't take off, no harm done and we're still selling more guernseys.

 

[Dylan8]

Kids already get numbers of their favourite players Scorcho.

This will be a toughy to disclose but when Pickett left Port i did get a Melbourne top with his number on it just because he left (never an intention switching teams lol just loved Choppy). My point is I did that sans-names. What makes you think it would be any different now?

AFL jumpers don't change nearly as often as soccer tops so I don't know what you're eluding to there.

 

[Gibbsy]

Are people missing the fact that you have been able to purchase jumpers with names off all club stores for about 5 years? Yet you never see them around? Does that tell you something? Or is it more that people (specifically kids) just want to emulate exactly what they see in the AFL.

 

[El_Scorcho]

Kids already get numbers of their favourite players Scorcho.

This will be a toughy to disclose but when Pickett left Port i did get a Melbourne top with his number on it just because he left (never an intention switching teams lol just loved Choppy). My point is I did that sans-names. What makes you think it would be any different now?

a) Guernseys now become obsolete. Imagine if you'd been a Melbourne supporter who bought a Scully guernsey, or a Crows supporter who bought a Gunston guernsey. Those guernseys are now basically useless and if you want to wear a guernsey you'll have to fork out for a new one. Not everyone will, but enough people will to make it worth it.

b) The name on the back means a guernsey is now more representative of an individual player than it was before. Kids especially will be all over this, but so will plenty of adults. With basketball jerseys, nobody says "I bought a Miami Heat jersey with LeBron James's name and number on it", they simply say "I bought a LeBron jersey". Which means when a new gun youngster or free agent superstar joins a club, people will be more inclined to buy their guernsey than they were before with a relatively anonymous number on it.

I really wish this had happened just before Buddy burst onto the scene, as he would have been the perfect example. Buddy Franklin guernseys would have been everywhere, and there would now be a crapload of obsolete Franklin guernseys now. A lot of Hawks fans might be still happy to wear them after his efforts for their club, but a lot of Hawks fans would also go out and buy a new guernsey. At the moment simply having the 23 on there doesn't make it unwearable if you don't like Buddy anymore.

AFL jumpers don't change nearly as often as soccer tops so I don't know what you're eluding to there.

The point is that sports fans are willing to part with lots of money to have new and shiny up to date merchandise each and every year.

People absolutely will buy more guernseys because of this in the short term, in the medium term, and in the long term. Even if you argue that it wont happen that much, you're kidding yourself if you believe that this wont drive up guernsey sales. And for what cost? This doesn't cost the AFL anything extra. It's money for jam.

 

[El_Scorcho]

Are people missing the fact that you have been able to purchase jumpers with names off all club stores for about 5 years? Yet you never see them around? Does that tell you something? Or is it more that people (specifically kids) just want to emulate exactly what they see in the AFL.

People want to emulate what the players wear. It's why people buy guernseys from the club store for $110 complete with sponsors and not from Kmart for $50.

 

[Dylan8]

Like I said, not everybody buys a new jumper if it's the player has left. Reiterating, you still see Torres Liverpool tops and LeBron Cleveland tops.

100 bucks is a lot of money to drop on a sport top, especially with little wearable situations as a footy guernsey.

Oh and Buddy's status is so over inflated to how it is the real, his jumpers wouldn't just sell like hot cakes with a name.

anyway his 23 number is as recognisable in footy states with or without a name.

 

[E92_]

I currently see a very small percentage of kids wearing jumpers with numbers and/or names on the back, most of them have plain jumpers.

 

[El_Scorcho]

Like I said, not everybody buys a new jumper if it's the player has left. Reiterating, you still see Torres Liverpool tops and LeBron Cleveland tops.

100 bucks is a lot of money to drop on a sport top, especially with little wearable situations as a footy guernsey.

Oh and Buddy's status is so over inflated to how it is the real, his jumpers wouldn't just sell like hot cakes with a name.

anyway his 23 number is as recognisable in footy states with or without a name.

We're going around in circles. I answered all these points in the last post.

a) Not everyone does but enough people will that this is worth doing. I don't know how many different ways I can say the same thing.

b) It is a lot of money but sports fans will spend it, otherwise European football clubs wouldn't bother to release new shirts every season. There are currently plenty of Port fans I know who will get a new guernsey every time the sponsor changes. I myself shelled out $260 for the prison bar guernsey last year and I know plenty of people who did that AND shelled out another $260 on the 2004 guernsey for last round. People have no problems spending a lot of money on football merchandise. This change gives them more incentive to continue to buy new guernseys.

c) This is incredibly naive. When he kicked 100 goals he was bigger than Jesus. He was a football rock star. His guernseys would have sold for the same reason LeBron James jerseys sell. The name instantly links the player to the guernsey more than a number ever could, and kids want to wear what their heroes are wearing.

Can you imagine how Modra guernseys would have sold back in the day for the Crows? Yikes.

d) You're saying it's as recognisable as a Buddy guernsey to just have 23 as it is to have "FRANKLIN 23"? To the average person? I think you are massively overestimating how closely the general public (ie, non club members, people who don't watch more than their own team every week and don't post on bigfooty, etc) follow football.

 

[Dylan8]

a) If it means that much to people, they will buy the jumper to replace the leaving player's number anyway because they know who's jumper it is/was.

b) European soccer tops change is noticable ways every season. AFL is different - there is no regular development, even clash kits are usually the same. Change of sponsors too isn't exactly yearly, and for some people, it hasn't even happened with their club in their lifetime. Your AFL examples here were one off sugar daddys, not the regular jumpers. Very specialised.

c) I can see the point but anyone who was marginally into footy at that time knew Buddy was 23. Seen enough of his jumpers to know they sold well.

d) If the person doesn't know who Buddy is by the number, they don't follow football, so the chances are that they don't give a shit whether there's a name or not. If they don't give a shit it isn't going to encourage them to buy a football jumper just because they see a recognisable name.

I will reiterate this big factor - footy jumpers are much more limited in regards to social acceptance! especially with the thinner material these days I'd guess.

 

[El_Scorcho]

a) Nope that's silly because my obsolete Danyle Pearce guernsey just became a sweet Angus Monfries guernsey YESSSSS.

b) The only point I was making was that lots of people shell out lots of money for new merchandise and arguing that people wont pay for new guernseys because they are expensive is really silly.

d) The 9 year old wearing the Joel Selwood guernsey wants everyone to know how much he loves Joel Selwood. With the name, now even the people who don't know who number 14 for Geelong is will know. Kids will want to wear what their heroes wear.

In regards to social acceptance, I totally agree, but guernseys already sell. People already buy them. The AFL is trying to sell more of them. This is one way of making that happen. Even if they aren't as socially acceptable as basketball jerseys or soccer shirts, they are the most popular item of AFL merchadise and will sell more units because of this change, which will make more money for the AFL, for clubs, for manufacturers, for everyone involved. That's before we even take into account the extra $10 we'll probably be getting slugged for the name printing which probably costs 40 cents to put on there.

 

[Dylan8]

I so can't be bothered with this circle haha. What I reckon is you're overestimating how much your points will effect the sales, but there's really no way either of us can prove anything so I guess we agree to disagree until a few years time if we can get our hands on sales figures

 

[Wallaby]

I just remember the old duffle coats. Fans used to wear them with their favorite player number on the back. And they very often chose to put the player name on as well.

Some people want these. I think it's a bit of a non-event really. Now, table a motion to get rid of advertising on the jumpers and I'm in there. Particularly on the ones they sell to fans.

 

[hitthepost]

Interesting to note that North will be wearing their clash jumper against Collingwood, however, they wore their home jumper against Sydney last week.

I noticed that too. Since when has anyone been allowed to wear white against Sydney? The most white I've seen against Sydney was Brisbane wearing white shorts with their maroon jumpers the other year.

 

[Jack Stevens]

b) The name on the back means a guernsey is now more representative of an individual player than it was before. Kids especially will be all over this, but so will plenty of adults. With basketball jerseys, nobody says "I bought a Miami Heat jersey with LeBron James's name and number on it", they simply say "I bought a LeBron jersey". Which means when a new gun youngster or free agent superstar joins a club, people will be more inclined to buy their guernsey than they were before with a relatively anonymous number on it.

This is probably the main reason why I hate the idea.

Australian Rules Football is a team sport. It always has been, and hopefully it always will be. You go to a game to see your team play, not one individual.

When a player joins a club, no matter how highly rated, they are just another number. It's up to them, through good performances and determination, to make a name for themselves. To stuff around with that is to stuff around with the culture of the game.

You already hear people complaining about players putting big prices on their heads, and trying to have too much control of where they play. And it's always a case of "the team is bigger than any one player". To put names on guernseys as a way of individualising players is just going to make this worse.

 

[hitthepost]

This is probably the main reason why I hate the idea.

Australian Rules Football is a team sport. It always has been, and hopefully it always will be. You go to a game to see your team play, not one individual.

Can't you say the same about Football, Basketball, Baseball...?

 

[Klim]

Such a heated discussion over player names. Arent they on trial?

 

[Bryce_Jersey17]

Such a heated discussion over player names. Arent they on trial?

That's exactly the point of the trial. To see how they look and what people think of it

 

[Klim]

That's exactly the point of the trial. To see how they look and what people think of it

Yes I know. You clearly havent read the posts above.

 

[El_Scorcho]

I have seen them, more without names than with "Beckham" NOB. It definitely picked sales up a notch though, and especially outside the States. It's not the Galaxy that would make an Aussie buy and LA jersey, but it would be Beckham, correct? There's the difference.

Yep exactly. No doubt you'd have seen blank Galaxy shirts in North America Maggotz, but i'd suggest most people outside of the US hadn't even heard of the LA Galaxy until Beckham signed, then his shirts were available worldwide.

 

[Bryce_Jersey17]

Yes I know. You clearly havent read the posts above.

I'm pretty sure I have. I'm addressing your comment

Such a heated discussion over player names. Arent they on trial?

 

[Klim]

I'm pretty sure I have. I'm addressing your comment

You couldve said yes. Anyhow lets not get off topic.

 

[TheBug]

You might notice the lack of stripes on the back of the hawks jumper too and also the 80's era logo abover the names in commemoration of the 88-89 premierships.

 

[Jack Stevens]

Can't you say the same about Football, Basketball, Baseball...?

True, but (in my biased opinion) the loyalty of players is more important to the culture of our game than others. That said, with the introduction of free agency and player names on jumper, I feel that the AFL are doing whatever they can to fast track the removal of that loyalty from our game.

 

[akkaps]

You might notice the lack of stripes on the back of the hawks jumper too and also the 80's era logo abover the names in commemoration of the 88-89 premierships.

Any word on what's on the front of the jumper? And why hasn't been announced yet?