How Portsmouth can now impact Nike kit design ahead of release
Pompey’s deal with Nike is continuing, which has raised questions over the club’s influence on kit designs. Chief executive Andy Cullen explains the club now have more control on it looks than some fans realise.
Pompey have been able to impact the appearance of their new kits ahead of their summer release.
Blues chief executive Andy Cullen has revealed the club are now able to influence the ‘core design’ of their offerings, as their partnership with Nike moves into a ninth season.
That’s a departure from a reliance on picking from templates, which has been a frustration for some supporters during their link-up with the premium sports brand.
Pompey are on course to see the new home kit be released at the start of July, with their ongoing partnerships with Nike and University of Portsmouth confirmed on Sunday.
Cullen acknowledged there’s a ‘trade-off’ with having a brand with Nike’s standing and the control on design offered by smaller alternatives.
That’s led to some supporters speculating on how the new home shirt can look, by using the latest Nike templates as a guide.
Cullen explained, however, Pompey now have more control over how the kits look.
He said: ‘We’re very cognizant of what’s happening in the marketplace.
‘There’s a trade-off between having a big brand like Nike, in terms of not being in a position to actually design the kit as you can do with some smaller manufacturers.
‘With those you can actually design the kit in-house and give them the template. Nike don’t work like that, so that’s the trade off.
‘But we now have greater influence into the tools used to add all the different areas and influences that we want within our three kits. That’s moved on over the past three years to a much better place.
‘Before there was a template you had to take or fight for it (changes) - we’re now in a place where we can influence the core design.’
Speaking to The News on Sunday, Cullen explained how things are on course for the first of the new kits to land on shelves at the start of July.
He said: 'We’re in a good place.
‘We’ve got ongoing contracts with our key sponsors and our key technical suppliers Nike and Just Sport, in terms of our retail operation. It’s a commitment beyond this season with Nike.
‘We will have the home kit on sale in mid-summer, that will be the beginning of July.
‘That’s when we’ve go the home kit release pencilled in for - that’s always a big moment in the summer calendar. The fixtures is the first big date and then the home kit coming out.
‘We’re in a good position where we’ve secured our main sponsors for next season and we’re very grateful for their ongoing support, because they continue to invest significant sums of money.
‘Retail-wise we continue to see our merchandise revenues increase. We have someone who operates the retail operation for us and we’re in a good position in terms of the deal.
‘We’ve not got to worry about stock levels too much, because someone takes care of the day-to-day operation for us and are successful in the revenue they generate for us.’