The total value of this season’s Barclays Premier League clubs’ kit supply contracts has rocketed 32 per cent to a record £117.3 million, according to a new report.
And while traditional giants such as Nike, adidas and Puma continue to invest heavily, the surge in income has been driven by the entrance of North American duo Warrior and Under Armour – suppliers of 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.
Almost 40 years after Admiral became the first sports equipment brand in England to advertise its logo on Leeds United’s kit, 11 different suppliers are today present in the Premier League.
And the combined revenue generated from these deals accounts for almost two fifths of the total combined kit deal revenues across Europe’s top five leagues, which this season nears £315 million.
Clubs from England’s top division earn an average of £6 million per year from kit supply deals, a figure that is also up on last year.
This season the league‘s 20 clubs will sell a combined total of approximately five million shirts worldwide – around one million more than 2011/12, which is more than double the number sold by Germany’s 18 Bundesliga sides.
The report also reveals the average price of a Premier League club shirt has risen 8.3 per cent since last season. However, average prices in the UK remain the lowest across Europe‘s top leagues.
The average price of a Premier League club jersey now stands at £47.60, still significantly less than the Serie A equivalent at £61.
“The entrance of Warrior and the growth in Under Armour‘s investment in British football has been a shot in the arm in terms of Premier League clubs‘ kit sponsorship incomes,” Andrew Walsh, president – global enterprise at REPUCOM, says.
“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 evermore relevant source of revenue for the clubs, not only at the top level, but right down the division.”
