New Shirt Can anyone confirm that we will be getting a new shirt or symbol next year? And what brand will the shirt be? Finally anyone know around what time of year the new shirt will be displayed to the public?
Re: New Shirt If past history is anything to go by, we'll see it when the Revolution play their first game and you'll be able to buy it by August (if it is Reebok) or not at all (if it is still Umbro).
Well, it doesn't take much to appreciate that the Revs contract with Umbro was an abject failure. Then again, when Atletica outfitted the Revs a few years ago, there was a point where the club equipment manager had to pull replicas out of the pro shop, then converting them to match jerseys when shipments didn't arrive in time. Who knows who the Revs are going with for 2004. I just hope it's a manufacturer who can supply the merchandise with consistency and high degree of availability. On suggestion made years ago: get the designs out and available for order prior to the holidays if possible. Hell, from a marketing standpoint that would appeal to the existing sensibilities of the club, only make them available in time for the holidays to those who re-up or buy new season tickets for 2004 - everyone else having to wait until the start of the season. Of course this won't happen. I'd love to see this happen, but it won't happen. Hell, you can have a small Scottish club like Caly Thistle who's not already half-way through the 2003/2004 season, yet they already have some proposed designs for 2004/2005 up here: http://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s14/st36885.htm There's no reason the Revs can't do the same thing. The Magpie
LOL! Well, look at it this way - if the Revs were to come up with something similar to what's being done at Caly Thistle (just one example in this case), it would be one simple way to keep Revolution fans engaged with the club over the course of the off-season, this rather than allowing fans to become detached due to a lack of news or other things to stimulate interest. So put some preliminary design ideas out there, let fans offer input and feedback... engage the ticket-holders in an effort which helps generate interest while also giving them some greater sense of participation than simply handing over $$$ for tickets. I mean, It seems quite likely (I'd certianly hope that's the case) that the Revs will go with a new uniform supplier for 2004. The contract with Umbro seems to have been an abject failure in most every conceivable sense. That being said the primary questions are as follows: 1. Assuming we're getting one, who will our new uniform supplier be? 2. When will the unifrom designs and/or design ideas be unveiled to the public? 3. When will merchandise be made available for purchase? Maybe a better question is this: have the Revs even started the process of reviewing their relationship with Umbro, do they plan to, and if so, how far along the process is of working towards 2004? The Magpie
#2) manufacturers have their sample 2004 uniforms ready now. They have to because of the lead time. Shown to the public? February or March. #3) Ready for purchase? April. The adidas catalog for 2004 has been out for a couple of months now. Puma, Reebok, Atletica, Hummel, Umbro, etc. all compete against each other and face the same time requirements. The sales in America aren't in replica lits. The meat of the sales are in team / league unifroms. Expect an off the rack design which would allow the kids to waer a uniform "just like the Rev's."
"Expect an off the rack design which would allow the kids to wear a uniform "just like the Rev's." Call me a cynic, but I'll believe it when I see it. The Magpie
"Expect an off the rack design which would allow the kids to wear a uniform "just like the Revs." Or you could also say that we should expect the Revs to wear a uniform design that looks just like any run-of-the-mill youth team whose colors are red and blue. It all depends on how you look at it. Back a few years ago when Nike did the Burn and Mutiny among others, the basic design was a main jersey color, and then a wide stripe (8" or so) across the front and back in the secondary color, with a thin white stripe around it. The Eurosport catalogue had the same design in a variety of color schemes that teams could buy. So from a manufacturing standpoint, it may make sense to do things this way. But it still doesn't stop the Revs from having their own distinct look with the red side panels, wide red stripe on the shorts and red socks. No reason they couldn't offer that same design in a variety of color schemes. We've moved away from several MLS teams looking the same (although the all-whites still do), and it would be a good idea to let teams keep the basic look they have now, from here on in. If there are a few basic blue-print designs, then let the pro clubs be the leaders in setting that standard, and not have the "Westview Flames" determine how a multi-million$$ pro league is going to look. Tom
Well, I think it's safe to say that companies such as Reebok, Adidas, Nike, etc. have gone from creating custom designs for professional clubs, to using existing models and or/designs that will eventually be made available for consumer purchase. In other words, the Revolution may use the same model jersey as the "Westview Flames," just with different colors, numbers, sponsorship patches, etc. Hell, that's how some supporters have been able to truly get designs just like the Pros. At least one MLS supporters group has found a way to take advantage of this: * They order the basic jersey used by their club from a supplier such as Eurosport or equivalent. * They then send it to the local company who actually puts together the teams's official uniforms, having them, for a cost, putting together uniforms for the fans just like the pros. I.e., they can create a true "official" match jersey with all the design elements (league numbering & lettering, club logos, sponsorship patches, etc.) featured. You couldn't do that if a custom design not available to the general public were used. So determining the likely design for next season probably shouldn't be too difficult. 1. Wait for the various manufacturers to come out with their 2004 designs. 2. Find the "signature" design for that year from each manufacturer. 3. Find the right color option that would best match your MLS club. 4. Affix the club and league design elements. Really is that simple. So unless the Revs outthink us all, determining the design would be as easy as someone getting their grubby hands on the 2004 Reebok catalog, provided they are the manufacturers for next season. The Magpie
New Shirt Is this good? What other Kits in the League have they done in the past? BTW, Happy Thanksgiving to you all. George and Susan
Doc: I think if you stand by the main gate at the Razor and count the folks coming into the park wearing Revs shirts, the majority still are the older Reebok numbers from 1996-1999. While this may be more a testament to the quality of their manufacture (esp the 1999 one, a real keeper!) the fact is they were in the shops and on the bodies of more Revs fans than anything made since. Hopefully, that will continue in 2004. And Happy T'giving to you. PS: Off topic but a nice little holiday prezzie from Fox Sports World. Chicago Fire and San Jose are currently ranked 29th and 33rd in the top 50 clubs in the world. The Fire are right between Barca and Dynamo Kiev and the Quakes between PSG and Lazio. If that is so, where might the Revs be? More to contemplate as the winter's flames flicker. JIM DOW
Mega Wow We may not be ready to take on ManU but things are definitly on the rise. Can't you see it? "New England Revolution--2004 MLS Cup winner and ranked 27th in the World Club Rankings"
Originally posted by Jim Dow ....While this may be more a testament to the quality of their manufacture (esp the 1999 one, a real keeper!) the fact is they were in the shops and on the bodies of more Revs fans than anything made since. Not only were they available in the Pro Shop and elsewhere (like MVP and TJ Maxx), they were affordable, especially when marked down. Going with Reebok, who have a better track record supplying merchandise and is local to boot, has to be a good thing. Now if we could only get them before the season begins.... Turkey time! amy
Re: New Shirt Ha ha Ours. They also did Colorado for a while. I still have nightmares about the stop light jersies
I remember that you could buy Revs Reebok merchandise at places like Olympia Sports, World Foot Locker... and I'm talking warm-up jackets, kits, t-shirts, etc. It's the only instance in the history of the team that I've seen such wide-spread availability. I still have a Reebok kit or two and I'll say this, they hold up. Will be interesting to see if Reebok is the manufacturer, what the designs may look like, when they'll be introduced, and what availability there will be. The Magpie
Yeah, Colemans and the like too on the north shore. The second design was a lot better than the first ones up there, I just can't find a picture of them at the moment. I think at this point the design is more or less entrenched, so I wouldn't expect any radical departures in any case.