How amateur clubs can make members happy and earn money from merchandising
Merchandising around football clubs is the sale of products and souvenirs featuring the club's logo or name.
This includes a wide range of items, such as posters, shirts, scarves, caps, mugs, and keychains.
Posters and art
These products are popular among football fans because they allow them to show their loyalty and love for their favourite club. They are also an important source of income for clubs. In the Netherlands alone, Ajax, Feyenoord, and PSV earn 14 million euros, and those are only the measurable figures directly from the clubs.
Amateur club merchandise
What you often see is that clothing is well-stocked, but there is little other merchandise. This is often due to a lack of technical knowledge and time, despite the immense love for the local club and people's willingness to spend money on it.
Since the advent of print-on-demand, clubs with little technical know-how can still start a merchandising line. Who handles customer service? What if something goes wrong? And so on.
Creativity
A lunchbox with your local club's logo is nice. An artist designing posters for the club is great. CLUBKUNST by Hans Breuker capitalises on this. Unique, artistic posters and canvases specifically made for the club and even customisable are the future of merchandising for local football clubs.
Football popularity
The popularity of football has increased enormously in recent decades. Several factors have contributed to this. Firstly, football is a simple sport that is easy to understand. The game is popular worldwide and played at all levels, from amateur to professional. This means there is always a match available for people to watch.
The club feeling
Another reason for football's popularity is its social component. Watching football is often a social activity, with friends and family gathering to watch the match and cheer for their favourite team. Football matches have a significant impact on the community and are often seen as a way to bring people together.
Love for the club
Merchandising plays an important role in the growing popularity of football. Fans want to show their love for their favourite club, and this can be done through merchandise. Football clubs know this and respond by offering a wide range of products, from official match shirts to souvenirs. Fans can buy and wear these products to show their loyalty and support for their favourite club.
The rise of social media has also contributed to the popularity of football and merchandising. Football clubs use social media to reach and engage fans. Through posts on Instagram and Twitter, fans can stay up-to-date on the latest news, club performance, and new merchandise products.
Why amateur clubs can start with merchandising
In conclusion, the growing popularity of football can be attributed to several factors, including the simplicity of the sport, its social component, and the role of merchandising and social media. Football clubs understand the important role merchandising plays in engaging fans and generating revenue. Therefore, they offer a wide range of products to engage fans and show their loyalty and support for their favourite club.