Why Brentford are the only Premier League side without a new kit this season

Every summer brings two key dates for football fans.

The first is the release of the fixture list for the upcoming season. It is an opportunity for supporters to map out a path to glory or highlight which matches will be key in their team’s battle to avoid relegation.

The second is the launch of their club’s new kit.

These campaigns, which often feature flashy visuals and cameos from celebrities, help to ramp up levels of excitement and provide a cash injection, too. Manchester United legend Eric Cantona features prominently in the adverts for the club’s home shirt, while DJ Fatboy Slim is at the forefront of Brighton’s new kit unveiling.

22/23, LET’S GO! 🤩 @FatboySlim 🎧 pic.twitter.com/3ldA3r7S0t

— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) July 21, 2022

Designs that reference important moments in a club’s history, such as Manchester City’s 2021-22 home shirt that paid homage to their first Premier League title in 2012, stir up feelings of nostalgia. Others provoke debate or — to put it less politely — revulsion.

Two-year cycles used to be common, but as the value of kit deals has increased (Man City reportedly earn £45million ($53.8m) a year from Puma), manufacturers have been keen to create and sell new ones every year.

However, Brentford are attempting to reverse the trend.

Last November, Brentford announced they would have a two-year cycle for their Umbro home kit — they are the only Premier League club currently doing this. Brentford have not decided yet if two-year cycles will become a permanent move, but they are considering it.

𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

Our first ever @UmbroUK #PL Home kit will roll over to be our first choice kit for the 2022/23 season as well

📄 https://t.co/l3BJdBagCY #BrentfordFC #BeeTogether pic.twitter.com/DTv8eoJ0S9

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) November 24, 2021

The club held consultations with supporters before implementing the idea. They wanted to give something back to their fanbase who had helped them through the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Brentford’s promotion to the top flight for the first time in 74 years, it felt right to roll over the kit from their first season back at that level.

Brentford said they wanted to highlight the rising costs of kits and the impact that has on families, too — especially during the cost of living crisis. The money clubs generate from retail shirt sales, even those with big fanbases such as Liverpool and Arsenal, is dwarfed by the income they receive from broadcast and commercial partnerships. Brentford earned £79million from broadcast money in their first season in the Premier League compared to just £5.6million from commercial.

According to research from 888 Sport conducted in July 2021, Brentford had one of the cheapest home shirts in the top five European leagues. The price of an adult replica was £48, which was the second-lowest in the Premier League after Burnley (£45). Italian side Fiorentina offered the best value for money at £33.52. The average cost of a home shirt in England’s top division at the time was £58.09, but Tottenham Hotspur’s was the most expensive at £70.

With temperatures in the United Kingdom hitting an all-time high this week, it is also important to consider the role football can play in protecting the planet. Extending the lifespan of kits would reduce the emissions caused by mass production and help the sport become more environmentally friendly.

Most football shirts are made from polyester, which has double the carbon footprint of one made from cotton (5.5kg of carbon dioxide per shirt compared to 2.1kg). It is becoming increasingly common for club shirts to be made out of 100 per cent recycled polyester. However, recycled polyester still takes hundreds of years to decompose and leads to microfibres being released into the environment.

Brentford are keeping the same home kit for this coming season (Photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

“We believe in football being affordable for our fans and are aware of the need for the game to become more focused on sustainability,” Jon Varney, Brentford’s chief executive, said when they first announced their kit would remain the same this season.

“When we discussed the idea, everyone at the club was fully behind it. While it is not normal practice for Premier League clubs to roll a kit over for two seasons, fans have told us they would be in favour of the savings that a two-season shirt would provide.

“Our membership of the Premier League means now is the perfect time for us to try something different without it having a material impact on our revenue.”

Brentford were encouraged by the response they received and decided to launch their new away kit, which was unveiled today, with a two-year cycle as well. The club’s shirt sponsors might change during that period but the design will remain the same regardless.

“We took the unusual decision last season to roll our home kit over for two seasons, offering more value to our fans and helping to reduce our carbon impact by extending the kit’s lifespan,” Varney said when the away strip was launched.

“The feedback from our supporters and beyond was overwhelmingly positive, so we’ve decided to take the same approach for the new second kit.

“We know we have to do more to step up our sustainability efforts across the club, but we feel this simple step will encourage others to think differently and consider other ways to reduce their own impact on the planet.”

"With our fans behind us, we are never away from home. Our Fans. Our Fortress."

Welcome to our 22/24 @umbrouk second kit 💙#BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/uxwOVBqT8Q

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) July 22, 2022

Brentford have some of the best-value season ticket options in the Premier League, too. Their cheapest season ticket is priced at £419, while the average is £524. Their most expensive adult ticket is only £549, whereas Tottenham’s most expensive is £2025. The top-flight average in this category is £946.50. Brentford announced there would be an increase to the price of some matchday tickets for the upcoming season but, following meetings with supporter groups, they cancelled the hike for junior tickets.

Brentford’s initiative has prompted an important debate and other clubs have also tried to use their kits to positively benefit society. Forest Green Rovers have produced kits from bamboo and waste coffee grounds in an effort to use sustainable materials.

Bohemians, who play in Ireland’s top flight, launched their new away kit in January, with it paying tribute to Bob Marley. The reggae musician played his last-ever outdoor concert at Dalymount Park, the club’s stadium, on July 6 1980.

They also partnered up with the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) to ensure funds from the sales of those kits are used to buy musical and sporting equipment for people in the asylum system in Ireland.

Pre-sale open: Our 2022 away kit, testament to Bob Marley’s last-ever outdoor concert, in Dalymount Park 1980.

Shirt sales will also raise funds to bring football and music to asylum seekers in Ireland.

“Unity is the world’s key, and racial harmony”

👉 https://t.co/7JnYwNbxWq pic.twitter.com/k1FMUcBcF1

— Bohemian Football Club (@bfcdublin) January 24, 2022

In 2006, Barcelona entered into a partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund. The organisation’s logo initially appeared on the front of the Spanish club’s shirts until 2010, when it was moved to the back and replaced by their main sponsors. The collaboration endured though and Barcelona provided UNICEF with 0.7 per cent of their income and supported access to education projects in Ghana, Brazil, South Africa and China.

Barcelona’s agreement with UNICEF ended earlier this year. They now have a partnership with the United Nations Refugee Agency. The FC Barcelona Foundation contributes €400,000 per season towards UNHCR projects in Colombia, Uganda, Turkey and Malaysia while also donating sporting equipment.

Every football club is in a different position. For some, the huge amounts of money they can earn from releasing new kits every season will be too tempting to turn down.

Yet the actions of Brentford, Forest Green and Bohemians serve as an example that exciting kit releases can be used as a force for good and help their local community.

(Top Photo: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

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