Sheffield Wednesday is taking an unusual stance against counterfeit jerseys.
Most significant soccer clubs worldwide continue to pump out new kit designs ahead of every season.
These typically slight alterations include home, away, and third kits. In addition to jerseys, new training attire is usually added.
Not only are teams opting to change jersey designs every year, but many of the manufacturers have also increased their prices. This means that fans are forced to pay more and more money for a shirt of the their favorite club. These rising costs have, however, made some supporters look elsewhere for a new jersey.
As a result, counterfeit shirts have become more prevalent in recent years due to their cheaper price. The Premier League recently claimed to have seized more than $38 million in fake soccer merchandise since 2007.
The English top flight has attempted to deter fans from buying fake jerseys by asserting that the counterfeits “may pose a risk to the health and safety” and even help fund organized crime.
Sheffield Wednesday is now taking the situation a step further.
The Championship side has claimed that they could remove their own fans from games if they see anyone wearing a fake jersey. In an official statement, the Owls informed their supporters that official team merchandise can only be bought directly from the club and their website.
“Brand protection teams work together with the relevant authorities to remove counterfeit selling websites and will continue to do so,” stated the club. “Offline, all parties concerned will remain diligent in making every effort to close down the illegal trade of counterfeit goods.”
“To that end, requests for lettering and/or numbering on any counterfeit shirts brought into the megastore will be declined.”
“Although we cannot prevent supporters from wearing counterfeit shirts away from Hillsborough, we do respectfully request that such products are not displayed inside the stadium.
Anyone found to be wearing a fake shirt inside Hillsborough could be asked to leave, with information passed on to the relevant parties.”
Sheffield Wednesday currently charges about $87 for a new home adult jersey manufactured by Italian sportswear company Macron.
This price tag also does not even include a player’s name and number on the back either. Long sleeve shirts will set back fans nearly $100 each. Kids jerseys, typically for those aged seven to 14, costs $67 as well.
The prices are fairly typical for soccer jerseys in the current market. Macron also produces kits for other teams such as Sporting CP, Nantes, as well as Scottish duo Dundee and Motherwell.
The Owls kick off their 2024/25 Championship campaign with a home match against Plymouth Argyle on Sunday.
Sheffield Wednesday narrowly avoided relegation last season after finishing 20th in the 24-team division. They have since attempted to improve their squad by signing 10 new players this summer.
Highlighting their additions was a $3.4 million deal for former Troyes striker Ike Ugbo.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Every Second Media
