Have you noticed recently that in the past few months, there have been a lot more soccer lifestyle clothing offerings? I know I have! And that's because soccer apparel, such as the one I create, bridges the gap between hard-core soccer fans and casual soccer fans, between official jerseys and cheap knock-offs.
Long are the days where you can only be a real fan if you have a team jersey. Back in the day, fans were forced to either purchase a costly official jersey or buy a knock-off of southeast Asia in order to show their true fandom. But are they really true fans if they are stealing from their own club? Probably not.
One of the reasons I love soccer so much is because it’s accessible to everyone.There is a reason soccer is a global sport and that is because everyone can take part, even if it's just by kicking stones of the ground. In the same way, I want everyone to enjoy being a fan, even if its only for one crucial game a year. Because for me, it shouldn't matter if you watch one game out of the year or you watch all previews, matches and matches recaps. If you want to show your team pride you can and you shouldn’t have to buy a costly jersey to do so. Take for example the Messi shirt or the YWNA Hat, these are items that both a casual or a die-hard fan could wear on any given day. This is how I think soccer lifestyle brands bridge the gap between casual and die-hard fans because they create something that caters to both! Casual fans love it because of its affordability and die-hard fans love it because even in the most mundane of days, they can still show their team pride.
In addition, I think soccer lifestyle brands will see a huge surge in popularity because of its accessibility. When I started All Time Soccer, I just did it because my jerseys were getting worn out due to multiple uses and washes. It’s just what happens to clothes. I wanted an alternative that had three important components: affordability, fandom and third the ability to wear and wash many times without getting worried of it wearing out. Hence, I had someone create a design of Messi for me and I went ahead and stamped it on a shirt. At the time this was only for me, but then I thought that there must be a ton of people out there who like me, love their jerseys but they still want to show some team pride on their everyday. And it’s because of this accessibility that soccer lifestyle apparel is so attractive because it offers a way to shell you with fandom on the daily but it is also affordable enough so you don't have to limit yourself to a number of uses. And incidentally, it kicks knock-offs off the curb.
This is one of the reasons why me, and so many others like me, are creating our own path into what it means to be a fan of a sports club. Some will do it with Basketball, others with Baseball but I will continue with soccer because I love it, even if there are greener grasses somewhere else, (looking at you NFL). You will see in the coming months more and more sports lifestyle brands pop up to steal the show. Mark my words.
~And if it doesn't happen, let me know too, I am okay with being proven wrong~
So there you have it, some of the reasons why Soccer Lifestyle apparel is here to stay, let me know what you think.
Do you agree, do you disagree? What are some of your favorite soccer lifestyle brands?