Sports Insight

As the football leagues around Europe enter their final weeks, it seems an appropriate time to take a look at the state of the replica market in the UK.

Along with television money and shirt sponsorship, replica kit deals are an essential source of income for football clubs and ensuring maximum returns are reaped is critical to their commercial success.

The NPD Consumer Panel tracks sales of replica apparel and is an excellent tool to use when looking at market size, trends, prices and which are the most valuable replica properties.

The UK replica market is worth approximately £400 million annually (this includes all replica items and not just shirt sales). There is no other market in Europe that comes close to the size of the UK sector - a unique aspect of the sports and apparel industry in this country.

Recent developments
There have been two significant changes to the status quo during the last 12 months, with both Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC opting to go with non traditional football manufacturers for their official kits - Liverpool with Warrior Sports, a subsidiary of New Balance and better known for lacrosse apparel and equipment, and Tottenham with Under Armour, the Maryland based apparel and equipment manufacturer that started life selling baselayers.

Both Warrior Sports and Under Armour spent significant sums to enter the market and whether they have made wise investments is still unknown.

However, for the calendar year of 2012, Liverpool FC had the most valuable replica property, with sales of all replica items surpassing those of Manchester United and England.

The redesigned Liverpool kit seems to have gone down very well with supporters, which has shown through in sales results.

Seasonality
Club replica sales spike at the beginning of each new football season - as a result, clubs must ensure kit launches are executed successfully. Liverpool and Warrior Sports is a good example of how to get it right.

They launched an integrated marketing campaign across many different platforms, ensuring maximum touch points with fans. Warrior Sports created a compelling story and fan engagement was high. This translated into sales. If a club fails to maximise a kit launch, lower sales will inevitably follow for the remainder of the season.

National replica sales are reliant on international tournaments such as the World Cup and European championships. If a national team fails to perform as well as expected, generally replica sales will fail to perform strongly as well - as has happened with England in the past.

With the England national team shirt now being manufactured by Nike, the global sports giant will need to guard against poor performances by driving sales through fan engagement outside of the two year tournament cycle.


The NPD Group monitors the sale of sports footwear and apparel in many countries around the world. For more information contact the NPD Group sports team on 01932 355580.

Canterbury will be the official kit supplier to the Rotherham Titans for the next three years.

The team currently plays in the English RFU Championship.

“Rotherham Titans remains a consistent top 20 club in English rugby and it is important for us to have a real brand presence within the English Championship, not just the Premiership,” says Chris Stephenson, CEO of Canterbury.

“We are looking forward to working with a club with such a successful rugby history and to be a part of a team that attracts a dedicated and passionate rugby audience.

“Combined with their dedication to producing and developing talented players, I have no doubt there is a successful road ahead.”

Lincolnshire County Cricket has launched Double Dozen, a new approach to cricket that is not at the mercy of the unpredictable British weather.

To ensure this accessible, rapid game has the right image from the offset, it has chosen to use GFORCE from Gymphlex to create the team kits.

Double Dozen has been developed primarily as a game for adults, with simplified rules and smaller teams of eight per side.

The games last around 1¼ hours, making them the perfect alternative for gym based fitness classes.

Kevin Spence, Lincolnshire County Cricket CEO, says: “As adults become increasingly busy, devoting a full day to the sport is sometimes unfeasible.

“What we wanted to create is a new cricket game that distils the essence of the sport, but that anyone can come along and play for an hour or so.

“We provide all the equipment, so participants can just turn up.

“As we are trying to put together the foundations of a professional new sport we turned to Gymphlex to see if they could create a template for a Double Dozen shirt.

“Teams can then choose to have a kit produced in their own specified colour within this template.

“Although this is not essential, many teams have now chosen to invest in their kit - which is a great indicator for the future of Double Dozen.”

There are currently 24 Double Dozen teams playing throughout Lincolnshire in a number of leagues and this number is increasing.

Gymphlex has worked with Lincolnshire County Cricket Club before to produce its county kit.

For this new shirt template the company has used a dye sublimated shirt with heavy Double Dozen branding.

GFORCE from Gymphlex is proving the perfect prestige sporting range for sports with smaller teams, as it offers minimum orders of just 10.

If you would like any information on how Gymphlex could work with you to create a professional GFORCE kit call 01507 523243 or visit http://www.gforcesportswear.co.uk.

To keep the brand and range fresh, Optimum Sport has extended the colour assortment options in its Tribal rugby ball range - currently available in pink, green, bokka, white and yellow - to also include blue and red versions.

The design and materials used throughout the Tribal range make the ball as strong as it is functional and fashionable.

With its durable rubber surface and super grip, the Tribal ball is ideal for club, school and junior rugby.

The blue and red versions are now available in sizes mini for £3.99 and sizes 3, 4 and 5 for £8.99.

Characteristics of the Tribal rugby ball range:

• Tribal design.
• Training quality.
• Durable rubber surface.
• Super grip.

Established in 1996, Wigan based Optimum first made its foray into the sports market with its range of rugby protection and fast became one of the world’s top rugby brands.

For more information on the above new colour product, or any of the Optimum range, call 01942 497707 or contact your local Optimum sales representatives.

The latest lines from the UK's biggest sports buying group

PUMA has blamed a challenging business climate in Europe and an unusually long winter in Asia for a 2.3 per cent drop in first quarter sales to €782 million.

Pre-tax profits for the period declined to €75 million, compared to €103 million in 2012.

The brand’s sales in the Americas improved by 1.8 per cent to €260 million, while EMEA sales fell by 4.8 per cent to €348 million.

In the Asia/Pacific region, sales declined by 2.9 per cent to €173 million.

India, supported by excellent sales in running and team sports, and Australia delivered positive performances, but they could not quite offset the less satisfactory numbers from Japan, where there was an unusually harsh winter, and China, where fitness and training products in particular did not perform as expected.

PUMA’s retail sales increased by 13.9 per cent to €135 million, representing a 17.3 per cent share of total sales.

The brand said this rise in sales was supported by “excellent results” from its ecommerce business, particularly in North America.

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.”

Minimalist brand Vibram Fivefingers has joined the Zoological Society of London as the title sponsor of the annual ZSL Zoo Stampede charity running events.

The 2km and 10km runs will take place at both ZSL Whipsnade (June 9) and London (September 15).

They will raise money for the Zoological Society of London in order to help endangered animals around the world.

“We are delighted to be working with the ZSL as part of their Zoo Stampede,” says Matt Wallden of primallifestyle.com, the UK distributer of Vibram Fivefingers.

“After more than 270 million years of animal evolution, the foot, as an entity, has been honed and refined for optimal function and, with Vibram Fivefingers, we respect that functional heritage.

“Our ancestors ran to survive and became the pre-eminent distance runners on the planet.

“Our ethos is to provide runners with stripped back, minimalist footwear that allows their foot to move more naturally, like our ancestors’ feet, so these settings, with these amazing animals, provide a perfect atavistic backdrop for us and our message.”

It’s most likely that the decision to buy or not will be made while your product pages are being viewed, so give them the thought they deserve.

Put yourself in the place of the buyer and ask yourself what they would like to see.

Be crystal clear
Provide clear information on the critical details such as price, delivery times and charges. If buyers have to hunt, some won’t bother and a sale is lost.

Show related items
When a shopper is looking at a particular item, there are always other items that naturally relate together and which a buyer is likely to want to purchase at the same time.

Make sure you meet this need.

Have a clear call to action
The aim of a product page is to sell what’s on that page.

In most cases, this means clicking on an add to cart button or a checkout button.

For sophisticated and high price products, the sale may involve encouraging customers to call to discuss and place their order.

Since this is the objective, these ‘calls to action’ should be prominent on the page.

I remain shocked at how difficult it is to find out how to add items to the cart and checkout on some sites.

Clearly show stock levels
There are a variety of drivers that vary the way each business handles stock levels and unavailability.

The important thing is to be clear with customers and ensure their expectations are met.

Failing to do this will result in upset customers and lots of customer service calls, resulting in lost business and wasted time.

A picture tells a thousand words
Look at the ASOS site.

This is one of the most successful ecommerce retailers of recent years and the pictures are brilliant.

If yours are too, you will reap the rewards.

Provide clear clues to where you are
It’s important that browsers don’t get lost in your online shop.

Show clearly where people are, for instance, by providing a ‘breadcrumb trail’ that shows each section in the hierarchy above the current position.

Don’t skimp on information
Provide full details of all products for sale, allowing for all of the information that is needed for a decision to purchase to be made.

Nothing is more off putting than not knowing what you are buying or not being sure if it will work the way you need it to.

If you don’t supply the information, your prospect will click away to someone who does.

If all the necessary information cannot be accommodated on the page, provide links to even more information on another page.

Use videos wherever you can
Some studies have suggested videos can increase conversion by 20 per cent.

Use product reviews
Provide the opinions of other customers on the products you are selling. This will help considerably in the buying decision.



Chris Barling is co-founder and chairman of ecommerce software and EPoS systems supplier SellerDeck and has over 17 years’ experience of helping small and medium sized enterprise retailers with advice on trading online.

In his third book Barling shares the basic steps to setting up shop on the web, together with the key lessons he has learned that can make the difference between success and failure. The 440-plus tips are organised into a series of nine sections, so that it’s easy to dip in and out of.

The paperback edition is £12.99 from http://www.sellerdeck.co.uk/insider and a Kindle version is also available on Amazon for £6.49.

New Curl Barbells from Jordan Fitness
Jordan Fitness, the functional fitness specialists, has introduced new Curl Barbells to their range of high quality and affordable free weight solutions.
The new Jordan Fitness Curl Barbells complement the established Jordan Fitness range of straight bar barbells with solid rubber ends. Stylish and durable with an odourless black rubber finish, the Curl Barbells will not chip or damage machines; with the rubber virtually eliminating the "clanking" of barbells.
The Jordan Fitness Curl Barbells feature chrome easy-grip handles, raised number weight identification and the unique J-lock system helps prevent loosening of the barbell head and so minimises maintenance.
With an internal handle length of 110cm and available in 10kg—60kg weights, the new Jordan Fitness Curl Barbell has a compact one piece design ; offering a durable barbell with excellent balance.
The Jordan Fitness Curl Barbells are also available as a selection of 10kg to 45kg weights with a stylish rack.
Allan Collins, Jordan Fitness’ Director of Education says, “Curl bars are more comfortable than straight bars for a number of common resistance exercises, such as triceps extensions, as it reduces the stress on the wrist and forearm. For standing bicep curls or preacher curls, the forearm is not forced into a fully supinated position (hands facing up), but almost semi-supinated, whilst for reverse curls the forearm is semi-pronated (hands facing down). This more advantageous position is more comfortable and allows slightly more load to be lifted, helping to achieve greater results”.
For more information visit http://www.jordanfitness.co.uk/products/rubber-solid-end-barbells-with-curl-bars
About Jordan Fitness

Jordan Fitness specialise in the design, manufacture and supply of commercial quality free weights, flooring and studio equipment to trade and retail clients across the UK, Europe and USA. Jordan Fitness is also an approved distributor for the LifeLine USA and Alpha Strong brands.

Established in 1991, Jordan Fitness also provide design and layout advice as part of their award winning services.

Designed by Us. Inspired by You... Functional fitness specialists of free weight equipment and training across the globe.

For more details visit http://www.jordanfitness.co.uk, call +44 (0)1945 880257 or email sales@jordanfitness.co.uk

Jordan Fitness, Cherry Farm, Walpole Highway, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, PE14 7QX

Stories inside include:

Click Here to Download the latest issue of the magazine for free">Click Here to Download the latest issue of the magazine for free

COVER STORIES

28 POP-UP SHOPS
How to turn dead space into a retail showcase

34 EDUCATION SECTOR
The inside track on selling to schools

58 SPORT CHEK
Taking in-store technology to a new level



REGULARS

10 NEWS
Latest headlines, key dates and events

14 KIT STOP
Essential stock for your shop

21 ON THE PODIUM
USN’s sports nutrition range

23 FRONT RUNNERS
Sean Deane, sales and operations manager at Optimum Sport

24 THE INSIDER
Sean McFadden, founder and CEO of Dublin based Irishfit

66 UNDER THE COUNTER
A sideways look at the world of independent retailing


IN SEASON

42 Table tennis
46 Football
50 Triathlon
54 Fitness


FEATURES

30 THE CHANGING FACE OF BRITISH GYMS
The ever evolving fitness market and demands from a variety of consumers means new and exciting challenges for gyms in 2013

36 MY SPORTING LIFE
Helen Jenkins explains how she battled through the pain barrier in her bid for Olympic glory

38 TEACH THE TEACHERS
It’s key if we want to improve sports provision in primary schools

63 PRIME SELLING SPACE
How to ensure your ecommerce site’s product pages are maximising orders

Canterbury Kits Out Spitfires Rugby 7s With a Fitting RAF Tribute as They Embark Upon an Inspirational 500 Mile Charity Cycle
Canterbury, kit suppliers to the RAF Spitfires Rugby 7s, has launched their 2013 jersey, taking its design directly from the classic spitfire markings.
The sleeves possess the sky blue underside of the wing as well as the distinctive black and white stripes, while the vintage yellow is taken from the iconic propeller blade tips.

The launch of the jersey co-insides with the inspirational charity ride the Spitfires Rugby 7s team are about to embark upon. Cycling from Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow to Twickenham Stadium, the members of the Armed Forces intend to call at several RAF stations and iconic locations along the way, all in the name of Force Development.

The Spitfires set off from Scotstoun Stadium during the Scottish leg of the IRB World 7s Series on 4-5 May 2013 and will finish at Twickenham Stadium in time for the final round of the IRB 7s on 11-12 May 2013, covering a distance of over 500 miles. Their ultimate goal is to raise £10,000 for Khelo Rugby and the RAF Benevolent Fund in the process.
Throughout this feat of endurance, the RAF Rugby 7s Spitfires will provide Canterbury an engaging video diary charting the undoubted highs and lows from what will be an incredible journey. Updated throughout the week, the video diary will be hosted exclusively on the Canterbury YouTube site and will be made available and shared with rugby fans across its blog and social media channels.
Events for the Spitfires along the way will include:
• A visit to Barnard Castle School on Monday, 06 May
• A trip to Derwent Dam (Derwent & Ladybower Reservoirs), where 617 Squadron practiced for the Dambusters raid 70 years ago
• A mid-week training session with the Leicester Tigers Academy on 9 May (England and RAF legend Rory Underwood will join the group for a day’s cycling)
• Several visits to RAF stations including RAF Leeming on 6/7 May and RAF Benson on 10/11 May, the penultimate day of the challenge.
Khelo Rugby is one of the two charitable causes benefitting from the cycle. This is a tag rugby project for disadvantaged children in India. The Spitfires have been involved in coaching tag rugby to children in the slums of Calcutta for over 18 months. Khelo is expanding within India and other countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Vietnam, which is helping grass roots rugby in developing rugby nations. The founder of Khelo rugby and Afghanistan 7s coach, Zaffar Khan, will be joining the RAF Spitfires on the ride.
The RAF Benevolent Fund is a charity close to the RAF’s heart; raising money to help RAF personnel and their families, past, present and future, in times of need. Their recent projects include funding for youth workers and play parks on numerous RAF stations across the UK through the Airplay scheme.

Spitfires Team Manager, Flight Lieutenant Nick Monahan, a Puma pilot currently based at RAF Benson, commented, “We’re really looking forward to the challenge and the whole week should be a real adventure. It’s not a usual undertaking for a rugby 7s team but our team spirit and dedication will get us down the country.”
More details on the team at http://www.rafrugby7s.co.uk
And their fundraising page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/rafspitfires
Or text RAFS77 £5 (between £1 and £10) to 70070 to donate
The new RAF Rugby 7s Spitfires jersey is now available to buy from http://www.canterbury.com and £5 from each sale will go to the charities supported by the RAF.

The best of the best from the UK sport industry over the last year was rewarded at the BT Sport Industry Awards on Thursday evening,

The best of the best from the UK sport industry over the last year was rewarded at the BT Sport Industry Awards on Thursday evening,

arena is to become a premium partner and official supplier of the German Swimming Federation (Deutschen Schwimm-Verbandes).

One of the goals of both partners is to attract more followers to the sport. To that end, several events are on the 2013 agenda.

"We are pleased that with arena, with whom we have worked in different areas for decades, has opted for premium partnership,” says DSV president D. Christa Thiel.

“The company is so deeply rooted in swimming that both partners are already thinking above and beyond the national team.

“Thus the focus is on the promotion of the sport as a whole - from competitive to recreational swimming.”

As a premium partner of DSV swimming, arena will equip the federation’s top athletes for all international competitions.

Christiane Nothelfer, manager of arena Germany GmbH, sees the partnership as a great opportunity to promote the sport: "We are very happy to have such a strong partner and with the athletes and coaches we can foster the broader public’s enthusiasm for the sport of swimming."

To promote the sport, DSV has pledged to support arena’s Swim Academy.

These one day seminars give young athletes the opportunity to interact with swimmers and coaches from the national team, who share their experiences and provide insight into their training routines.

A sports retailer has slammed a deal that has opened the door for a website owned by Sports Direct to undercut boot prices offered by independents in the Republic of Ireland.

Gerard Wyley of Ger Wyley Footwear and Sportswear, which is based in Dungarvan, has called the endorsement of Gaelicboots.com by the Gaelic Athletic Association and Gaelic Players Association ‘hastily conceived and ill thought out’.

In an open letter to GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell, Wyley stated that he has been a supporter of Waterford County Board and local clubs for 24 years: ‘To date, in association with Skins we have sponsored €75,000 worth of Skins product for the Waterford senior hurling panel.

‘With the GPA/GAA encouraging its members - myself included - and supporters to purchase not only boots but also runners on Gaelicboots.com, we will no longer be in a position to continue this level of sponsorship.’

Wyley alleges the deal has given Sports Direct access to the Irish market without it having to shoulder the costs incurred by retailers in the Republic such as rates, insurance and advertising.

He also accused the GPA/GAA of taking money out of the local economy, leaving supporters with less money to attend games, adding: ‘It is a travesty of justice for a national organisation to be promoting the purchase of merchandise from a UK registered company.’

In a statement to the Irish Independent newspaper, GAA spokesman Alan Milton said: “Gaelicboots.com is a joint initiative between the GAA and the GPA to help fund the GAA and GPA player welfare and development programmes.

“It was launched specifically as a medium for players who purchase their boots online, offering them a wider range of boots at competitive prices.

“Football boots represent a small proportion of the overall expenditure on GAA playing gear and equipment and are excluded from the provision under the GAA rules whereby all jerseys, shorts, stockings, tracksuits and kit bags worn in official matches, and all replica playing gear, must be of Irish manufacture.

“It is a matter for each player and unit to decide whether they wish to purchase their boots, playing gear or equipment online or from retailers.”

arena is to become a premium partner and official supplier of the German Swimming Federation (Deutschen Schwimm-Verbandes).

One of the goals of both partners is to attract more followers to the sport of swimming. To that end, several events are on the 2013 agenda.

"We are pleased that with arena, with whom we have worked in different areas for decades, has opted for premium partnership,” says DSV president D. Christa Thiel.

“The company is so deeply rooted in swimming that both partners are already thinking above and beyond the national team.

“Thus the focus is on the promotion of the sport as a whole - from competitive to recreational swimming.”

As a premium partner of DSV swimming, arena will equip the federation’s top athletes for all international competitions.

Christiane Nothelfer, manager of arena Germany GmbH, sees the partnership as a great opportunity to promote the sport: "We are very happy to have such a strong partner and with the athletes and coaches we can foster the broader public’s enthusiasm for the sport of swimming."

To promote the sport, DSV has pledged to support arena’s Swim Academy.

These one day seminars give young athletes the opportunity to interact with swimmers and coaches from the national team, who share their experiences and provide insight into their training routines.

arena is to become a premium partner and official supplier of the German Swimming Federation (Deutschen Schwimm-Verbandes).

One of the goals of both partners is to attract more followers to the sport of swimming. To that end, several events are on the 2013 agenda.

"We are pleased that with arena, with whom we have worked in different areas for decades, has opted for premium partnership,” says DSV president D. Christa Thiel.

“The company is so deeply rooted in swimming that both partners are already thinking above and beyond the national team.

“Thus the focus is on the promotion of the sport as a whole - from competitive to recreational swimming.”

As a premium partner of DSV swimming, arena will equip the federation’s top athletes for all international competitions.

Christiane Nothelfer, manager of arena Germany GmbH, sees the partnership as a great opportunity to promote the sport: "We are very happy to have such a strong partner and with the athletes and coaches we can foster the broader public’s enthusiasm for the sport of swimming."

To promote the sport, DSV has pledged to support arena’s Swim Academy.

These one day seminars give young athletes the opportunity to interact with swimmers and coaches from the national team, who share their experiences and provide insight into their training routines.

Middlesex and England cricketer Steve Finn has joined Bioflow and will spearhead the magnetic wrist product specialist’s launch into the cricket market.

The 24-year-old fast bowler will wear the new Bioflow Sport Twin wristband.

“I have always worn sports wristbands, but had never found one truly comfortable until I used the Bioflow Twin,” says Finn.

“It is attractive, comfortable and helps aid my performance while spending lots of time out in the field.”

Richard Corsie, managing director of Bioflow, adds: “We’re delighted to welcome Steve to Team Bioflow.

“Cricket has been a market we have considered for some time and while we have had cricketers wear our products before, with Steve on board as an ambassador for the new Sport Twin wrist band we feel the timing is now right.”

Magnetic therapy is complementary, non invasive and 100 per cent natural.

The Bioflow Sport and Bioflow Sport Twin are the latest in a line of product innovations designed specifically for the sports market.