American invasion drives Premier League clubs kit deals to new record high: Repucom

The total value of Barclays Premier League clubs' kit supply contracts has this season shot up to £117.3 million (145.5 million EUR) – a 32% increase on 2011/12.

This is one of the key findings of the REPUCOM Kit Supplier Report 2012/13, produced in cooperation with PR Marketing, the leading industry analysis of sports equipment supply contracts in the top European football leagues.

"The entrance of Warrior and the growth in Under Armour's investment in British football has been a real shot in the arm in terms of Premier League clubs' kit sponsorship incomes", Andrew Walsh, President – Global Enterprise at REPUCOM, said. "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 ever-more relevant source of revenue for the clubs, not only at the top level, but right down the division".

Today, almost forty years after Admiral became the first sports equipment brand in England to advertise its logo on club kit, with Leeds United, eleven different suppliers are present in the Premier League. It accounts for almost two-fifths of the total combined kit deal revenue across Europe's top five leagues, which this season nears £315 million.

"Across Europe, we're seeing the relationships between the top clubs and their kit suppliers growing from purely branding of the kit to more profound, strategic partnerships", said Dr Peter Rohlmann of PR Marketing.

Clubs from England's top division earn an average of £6 million per year from kit supply deals, also up on last year.

The dominance of Premier League clubs when it comes to securing kit sponsorship deals comes down to the sheer volume of replica shirts they sell. This season, the league's twenty clubs will sell a combined total of approximately five million jerseys worldwide. That is around one million more than in 2011/12, another key indicator of continuing growth of the league's popularity globally. It is also more than double the number sold by Germany's eighteen Bundesliga sides.

The report shows that the average price of a Premier League club shirt has risen 8.3% since last season, impacted primarily by the proliferation of leading brands this 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, but that is still significantly less than the Serie A equivalent at £61.

All values in GBP (£). Currency conversion at time of study: 1 GBP = 1.24 EUR