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Football
England 2
Italy, France, Holland,
Portugal and Sweden 0
Football is one of the sports we in the UK 'invented' and took to the world; it is
by far the most popular sport globally, despite the professional leagues not
really taking hold in the US. But disillusionment grows among supporters of 'big'
clubs as wages for player spiral out of control and ever-more ludicrous sums
are paid for players – the £80m for Cristiano Ronaldo, recently announced,
being the perfect example. Does this mean people are turning away from the
playing the game, as well as watching it?
D
oug Bedford, MD of Prostar says: "The men’s game is getting does he want to deal with a 17-year-old who doesn’t know where the
stronger. This is being fuelled by the shorter five or six-a-side product is, never mind what it is," Doug adds.
version of the game. As well as not requiring such a As with the game itself, so with the retail market, there is very little
commitment of time, the shorter game allows us to play on for difference between men’s and women’s football: But Doug says, "It’s
longer – well into our 40s and in some cases 50s. Meanwhile, 11-a- important to get the shorts right, women are a different shape." Similarly,
side typically covers the 6-35 age range. What’s more there is no the routes to exploiting the growth in the women’s game are the same as
apparent reason why that should change." for the men’s. The big issue for retailers
Football was for many years classed as a male-orientated sport, this is to recognise that it exists and
perception and attitude however is changing with TV coverage of the recognise that growth. Doug’s message
Olympic tournament and live broadcasting of the women’s FA Cup Final is simple: "If you ignore the women’s
helping to further popularise it. Harrod, a company that specialises in many section, you really are missing out.
different goal sizes as well as netball posts and the like, says: "Football is Fundamentally both men and women
now the most popular female participation sport, having overtaken netball." want football clothing which is
More young girls are generally interested and feed the sport from below. comfortable and fit for purpose."
"Credit should go to the FA," says Mizuno's James Handford, "as
structured coached sessions at youth level are more accessible at all ages Prostar
and have bought a new audience in contact with football. The evolution of Prostar sell to some 800 accounts; of
the women's game in the US has also helped to raise the profile of the sport those, 130 generate over 70% of sales.
on a global level. The WPS in the USA will continue to showcase the Doug says, "good retailers don’t just
women's professional game and that will be replicated throughout Europe." survive, they thrive."
Doug Bedford's advice for independant retailers is to build a relationship This year Prostar have introduced the
with local leagues and clubs which he says, "you can’t do sitting behind the Classic jersey to address the current tight
counter." This strategy stops competition from the multiples, whose budgets clubs are experiencing - Classic
operating structure prevents them from getting a foothold with clubs. available in both long and short sleeves,
"Teams want a minimum of eleven strips; individual retail customers want a it offers eight different colour options
maximum of one. One more issue is if a club secretary is spending £700, and is sized from 24” chest to 52”.
12 SGB SPORT JUNE 2009
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