The sports team hoodie, a great and popular garment, has largely replaced the more formal, and maybe a little boring, attire historically worn for arriving at matches. (Did you see the recent news that some M&S shops will no longer sell suits from 2022?)
Team Uniforms for arriving at matches
Gone are the days when suit and tie were the standard pre-match kit most (male) sports teams wore ‘getting off the bus’, irrespective of the sport involved. The women (or girls) often wore blazers, blouses and skirts or trousers. There seemed a little more variety to the women’s outfits for arriving at matches, but not much. For both sexes, formal wear was the standard attire/uniforms at almost all levels of sport from school teams and mini-club sports teams, amateur 1st to 5th teams, regional representative teams and through to professionals.
At the very top level of many sports, a suit (for men and women) retains its place, especially when TV cameras are around. But, for amateur teams, for many sports, and most levels of sport the de-facto clothing for the team to arrive in is the sports hoodie or, sometimes (weather dependent), the sports t-shirt.
Why the sports team hoodie works so well
The garments allow for the clear display of the sponsor’s logo(s) and team name making a great impression for those who don’t know the teams well. Some teams go for personalisation too to help with player and/or position recognition. Often, members of the backup team and regular supporters also have similarly decorated hoodies. This can be very impressive when turning up, and have a great impact. Especially true when the off-pitch kit of the opposition is less well planned. It can be worth a few points in the bag before even getting on the pitch.
Unlike leavers hoodies and many ski trip hoodies, the vast majority of sports team hoodies tend to be the same colour for all members of the team, the backroom staff and all of the supporters too. This provides a clear picture of where the wearer’s allegiance/support lies and who everyone is representing.
Designs chosen
Designs for the sports team hoodies vary. The ‘normal’ options being chosen from:
- Team logo and/or Team name on the left chest
- Sponsor’s logos centre chest (front or back)
- Initials or player name on the right chest
- Position (or role for backroom staff) and/or name on the back
- Supporters may have other options added to the hoodies too
The designs tend to remain pretty standard year after year for most teams. Change of sponsors leads to a new design periodically. The colour chosen for the year can change. It is generally selected to complement either the club/team logo or the sponsor’s motif. But designs are usually not massively different year on year. That way, for the supporters the wearing of the hoodies for more than one year is still quite practical. Unlike the frequent change top-level professional clubs make to their strip to force/encourage their supporters to spend more money updating the kit.
The style/type of hoodie chosen varies as it does in the other collections. The most economical option being the Team College Hoodie and the heaviest and most featured hoodie being the Team Chunky Hoodie. The vast majority of the team hoodies we sell come from the mid-range options and appear to be chosen dependent on the design and specific features wanted: Premium Hoodie, Zipped Hoodie, Two-tone Zipped Hoodie and Two-tone Hoodie.
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