UMBRO join forces with Albion

First of all it was a new club badge and now we have a new kit supplier. UMBRO have joined forces with the Baggies for the next two seasons. UMBRO will replace current kit suppliers Diadora who have supported Albion for the past three seasons.

UMBRO have worked with Albion in the past, they supplied the Baggies kit back in the late Seventies early Eighties during boss Bryan Robson’s first period with the club.

UMBRO are a huge British sportswear company and support major clubs like Premier League Champions Chelsea and also provide the kits for the English national team.

Albion today announced that they were very happy with the deal, the Baggies Director of Sales & Marketing Tim Gardiner said, “We are delighted to have UMBRO back on board.

“To be working with the likes of UMBRO and T-Mobile underlines the calibre of brands we want to be associated with.

“It also shows how far the club has progressed in the past few years.

“I’m sure our supporters will be excited by this news and will be looking forward to wearing Albion and UMBRO branded gear from the summer onwards.”

The last paragraph says it all, it is exciting and really good news that we can attract someone like UMBRO to produce our kits, BUT I am not so excited about the hole the new kits are leaving in my wallet.

Next season we will have at least two more new kits meaning that we will have had six new kits in three seasons. At £40 a top Albion are onto a winner. A number of fans will stump up for the new kits and leave Baggies supremo Jeremy Peace rubbing his hands in glee.

A Baggies season ticket holder I know said, “They should give their supporters some credit for being slightly more intelligent than the average Chelsea fan.”

To say he wasn’t happy is an understatement. He has paid out £160 this season for four tops and will most probably stump up again next season. It’s an expensive game being a football fan and Albion have joined the long list of Premiership clubs releasing kits each season.

Chelsea ‘fans’ are not exactly hard to come by and Chelsea have a worldwide fan base that will spend £40 each season on new kits. It’s a little different at Albion, what reason do we have for going against tradition and releasing kits every season? T-Mobile extended their deal so why change anything else?

We now have two more kits on the way with a new club badge and a new kit supplier, hopefully all the extra money from the kit sales will mean no hike in Season Ticket prices, well we live in hope.

It’s great news for Albion, UMBRO are a huge company and the kits should be top quality, I just hope that we stick with the same kits for the next two seasons.

Fingers crossed we will be wearing the new kits in the Premiership next season and reverting back to a kit with stripes down the back would be a good start.

To read the full story go to www.wba.co.uk

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