Football kit sales have been delayed as supply chain issues hit Prem and EFL clubs, who are struggling to overcome this issue.
Fewer than half of the 92 have both their new home and away kits available to buy online ahead of the season, as manufacturers face supply chain issues.
Only 44 sides currently have both their 2022-23 season kits on sale with top flight clubs including Crystal Palace and Leeds United are among those who have neither kit available.
Some have blamed the delays on disruption and factory shutdowns in Asia due to the coronavirus.
It means some teams won’t have their new kit on sale before the season starts, which for the Championship is the 29th of July, for League One and League Two is July 30th and for the Premier League is the 5th of August.
Out of the 92 clubs in the top four leagues, BBC Sport found that:
44 teams have both kits available for sale on their website 22 teams have only their home kit available 7 teams have only their away kit available 19 teams have neither kit available
One EFL chief executive, who didn’t want to be named, told the BBC his club had signed off kit designs in October, with orders placed shortly afterwards, but neither their new home or away kit were available to sell yet due to Covid disruption at factories in Asia.
He added that it was difficult to quantify the cost to the club until it saw the impact on sales, however did state that some clubs would face a financial hit.
“We can manage our cash flow, but it will impact on some clubs’ cash flow, I’m sure, because July is a month when there’s not much cash coming into the business,” he said.
“We’re in a position where that hasn’t caused any disasters for us. But for some clubs I would imagine it’s pretty difficult.”
He continued to say that the delay would also be disappointing for fans.
“If you’re a parent or a grandparent who’s going to buy a kit for a young child’s birthday in July, which you would normally have done, you’ve not been able to do that, you’ve got to wait,” he said.
Sandy Domingos-Shipley has three children, aged 15, 13 and eight, who are all Leeds United supporters.
Like many supporters across the UK, normally she would buy them the new kit as soon as it was released before the start of the season, but this year she hasn’t been able to, with the club saying it won’t be on sale until late August.
Sandy said she would still be buying the kit when it was available: “The season will be four weeks in and for the kids it kind of ruined the moment because it became our own tradition.
“It makes no sense because that’s when you know that you’re gonna get lots of people to buy.”
Manufacturer Adidas said: “Like many other industries, we continue to be confronted with limited port and transport capacities.
“We understand the frustration felt by the fans at this time and we have worked in close collaboration with our club partners to find the best solution on delivering the product as soon we can.”
Leeds United failed to respond to a request for comment.
Kieran Maguire, a senior lecturer in football finance at the University of Liverpool, said some clubs were being affected by the impact of Covid in Asia, where many factories are based, with production limited due to restrictions.
He added that a shortage of container ships and disruption at ports was also contributing to the issue.
However, Maguire goes on telling the BBC that the financial impact on most elite clubs would be limited as they are generally paid a fixed amount by manufacturers for the season, with only around 7% commission per unit sold.
“I think fans are fairly sanguine in relation to this,” he said, adding that fans who wanted the kit would still buy it when it was available.
The other peak market for clubs was Christmas and the issue should be resolved by then.
He said smaller clubs were more likely to be affected, as manufacturers would prioritise bigger clubs who sell more shirts.
Others have faced different issues with newly promoted Stockport County saying it had been “significantly let down” by its kit provider Puma.
“It has recently come to light that their shipping partner has mislaid part of the shipment due to be delivered, and as a result we are unable to fulfil a number of orders placed by fans whilst they try to locate it,” the club said in a statement.
If the shipment can’t be located, the club said it would have to wait until the next delivery was due, which was the 30th of November for home kits and the 30th of September for away kits.
It apologised to fans affected and said they could get a full refund or a 20% discount if they chose to wait for the delivery.
Fans interviewed on the BBC, saying they are glad to receive an apology and are willing to wait than complain.
Puma said in a statement: “We are not facing supply issues in teamwear at the moment. Stockport County had made an order for home shirts, of which unfortunately about 15% were lost at the entry port in the UK during transit.
“We had informed the club about the missing shirts immediately and we are working with our logistics partner to find the missing shirts.”
Twitter users reacted with football kit sales delayed as supply chain issues hit Prem and EFL clubs…
@Gypster1971: Clubs, like Leeds, plan the kit design about 18 months in advance and Adidas etc use pretty much the same ‘template’ for kits, making it doubly disappointing to be let down. But again, like last minute fixture changes, the lack of communication really annoys fans
@AndyPBurton: Maybe if they didn’t change every season they wouldn’t have an issue.
@Mister_Woodo: Heartbreaking news for Full Kit Wankers.
@Sitdown_Jim: Yep I stopped buying when they changed every year. 3 new kits a season is just pure greed.
@Jed_Die: Keiran nothing new as the same thing happened last season (happened at Palace lady season). If supply chain can not deliver after taking orders then there should be penalties in place. Seen plenty of 2022/23 fake shirts already online, so they seem to get things done.
@NowCounselling: Would be great to see clubs keeping their kits for multiple seasons – reducing the pressure on parents and reducing waste and overall environmental impact. Local and national governments could support clubs financially to go greener if the will was there
@ChrisParkerNo6: Maybe the bloke on @TheFishyGTFC calling the Directors a disgrace for not having all the kits on sale, in every size before mid June may want to read this? No, I doubt it either!
@glosuk68: Given the cost of living crisis, you’d have thought a new football kit would be bottom of the shopping list. Right…?
@Bladesam1983: Maybe we can lay off the club a little bit now….. #twitterblades
@JediAvenger10: Fans have to wait another few weeks to spend £100 on a poorly made sweatshop item? Gutted for them
@forzamb1899: Shirts should be used for two seasons like they used to be. Nothing more than a money making exercise changing them every season.
@Boxadan: Once again, Brentford are the smartest guys in the room and avoided all of this by keeping their shirt for two seasons
Seems to be mostly an issue with manufacturing in China. Our kits come from Indonesia and have all arrived in plenty of time (just a week or two later than scheduled due to container ship delays). Presumably because the Chinese lockdowns have been v strict?
We’ve got plenty of our new 2022/23 home shirt in stock.
Does that mean we’re better run than your precious so-called “bigger” clubs? Yes, I’m afraid it does.
How about you stop moaning and buy our jersey instead you big whinging stupid babies.
🛒🔗 https://t.co/eeI3oek1BT https://t.co/VeVvBkYJFI pic.twitter.com/Xu6EkkLqUA
— Streatham Rovers Football Club (@StreathamRovers) July 25, 2022
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