Saints have announced that they will be changing kit suppliers next season and returning to a brand that they last used 30 years ago after mutually ending their agreement with current suppliers Under Armour.
Saints will be moving to Danish brand Hummel whom they used for a four season period starting with 1987/88 and ending after season 1990/91,
During that time the club played in two different home strips ,the first a variation on the Danish strip of the 1986 World Cup finals for the first two years and the second a return to the traditional striped kit associated with Southampton Football Club.
At the time the Danish kit was widely reviled by the bulk of the Saints support and in 1988/89 season the paper version of the Ugly Inside launched the campaign Save Our Stripes (SOS) which was taken up by the fans back then and listened to be the club and in 1989 after a 13 year absence the traditional stripes returned
For 1989/90 we returned to our beloved stripes, a design that football fans the World over associate us with and what distinguishes from the modern day penchant for clubs to change shirt designs only retaining the traditional colours, a plan that is fine if used every now and then to represent great kits from the past.
Even that return was not without controversy, ironically like this season there was an issue with the sponsors logo.
The team photo of that year saw the new kit with the sponsors logo Draper on the front in script and it was this that the season was started with however when the replica shirts went on sale these had a black patch logo on the front different to the shirts worn in games.
If I remember rightly there had been an issue in putting the logo on the shirts at the factory and Hummel's solution was to remove the old logo and cover the damage up completely with a black patch version.
This did not go down well with the fans and after many complaints the compromise was that for the match kits the club put a black patch over the logo to replicate the replica shirts, perhaps we became the only club in history where the players on the pitch were wearing replica shirts and not the supporters .
The patch stayed on for the remaining two seasons of the shirts duration and indeed what would be to prove Hummel's contract.
In the late 1980's Hummel were one of a new breed of kit manufacturers who were looking to capture the English market, alongside us they had several other top flight clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa who had an identical kit to ours but in claret & blue.
The penchant was for garish kits with seemingly no reflection of the football club's history, as mentioned the Danish kit was hated by almost everyone at the time and perhaps the reason why Saints supporters appeared to be late on jumping on the replica shirt bandwagon that took off in the late 1980's.
Indeed the first shirt that truly sold in great numbers back then was when we went to Admiral in 1991/92 season after leaving Hummel, for the first time since 1976 we had a shirt that was firstly traditional stripes and secondly was not weighed down by a big patch on the front a la the Hummel kit, which was a shame because logo's aside the design of the shirt itself was superb.
So it seems that Hummel are trying to break in again to the UK shirt market , most of the teams they have signed up have been lower League such as Fleetwood Town & Oldham, but they do have Everton in the Premier League.
It seems like Under Armour are pulling out of the UK market hence the mutual ending of the deal with Saints who were their sole top flight club.
This season there are 7 different kit manufacturers in the Premier League, Adidas lead the way with 7 clubs, Nike & Puma have 4 each, Umbro 2 and than Under Armour, Hummel & Kappa with a single club each.
So it is farewell to Under Armour after 5 seasons( It is 5 seasons ignore the 4 years quoted in the official press release below)
Southampton Football Club is delighted to announce that it has agreed a partnership with the iconic sportswear brand, Hummel.
The legendary Danish brand has a proud sports history and is one of the most recognised team sport brands in the world, yet have a real focus on paving the way for a better tomorrow by creating positive change through sport, a vision that aligns perfectly with the club’s own mission of turning potential into excellence on and off the pitch.
The appointment of hummel follows an extensive search to find a new partner that shares the club’s values and desire to push the boundaries. The partnership also sees the club reunite with a brand who will already be familiar with many supporters, with their famous chevrons and bumblebee trademarks having featured on several cult classic Southampton kits between 1987-1991, including the design introduced in the 1987/88 season which was based on Denmark’s 1986 World Cup shirts.
As the club’s Official Kit Supplier, hummel will design and develop match, training and travel wear across the club’s men’s, women’s and academy teams, along with a comprehensive retail offering.
TOGETHER, WE SHARE THE SAME VALUES OF TURNING POTENTIAL INTO EXCELLENCE ON AND OFF THE PITCH.
ALLAN VAD NIELSEN
HUMMEL'S CEO
Allan Vad Nielsen, hummel’s CEO said: "After 30 years apart, we’re extremely proud and honoured to be back as an official partner of Southampton FC.
"Football is engrained in our brand DNA at hummel and the partnership with Southampton represents another huge step of our ambitious growth plans and expansion internationally.
"Southampton has continuously proven its pioneering and innovative approach in the game and along with its strong values and history, this is a perfect fit for hummel. Together, we share the same values of turning potential into excellence on and off the pitch, and we are truly looking forward to be working with the club on future product collections and fan activations.”
Southampton Football Club’s Chief Commercial Officer, David Thomas, commented:
"From the moment we first met the hummel team it was obvious there was a great connection between us, not only because of our past history, but also because of the potential of what we could achieve together in the future.
"hummel’s core mission of wanting to change the world through sport aligns perfectly with our disruptive approach to how we behave on and off the pitch.
"We hope these shared values will create a unique partnership that not only produces great kits for our players and fans but also redefines the positive impact two like-minded organisations can achieve together.”
The club can also confirm that it has mutually agreed with Under Armour to end its existing partnership at the end of the 2020/21 season, following Under Armour’s shift in marketing strategies.
Under Armour and Southampton FC have valued the relationship over the last four years and will continue to celebrate the on and off-pitch accomplishments shared together.
The club thanks Under Armour for being a great partner and wishes them continued success in their future endeavours.