NEW KIT - FANS NOT HAPPY
Wycombe fans were given the chance to decide between two newly proposed first team kits(see below)in the recent programme with Swindon
Town. The vote coincided with the announcement of MIZUNO as the new supplier of the Wycombe strip from the start of the
1996/97 season. The quartered design has been very popular since it was reintroduced to the Wycombe kit at the start of the 1990/91 season following a
twenty year spell of wearing just plain light blue shirts and dark blue shorts. The traditional quartered design was
first worn by Wycombe in the 1890's and most supporters are keen to retain the kit that has a unique colour combination in English football.
Despite given the chance to vote , however , the general feeling by Wycombe fans at the game was one of great dissapointment. Both the choices
introduced red into the colour scheme - NEVER previously used in the first choice kit, and in effect only gave the option of voting
for the design that you least disliked or not vote at all! The outcome of the vote was a 62% voting in favour of the striped
design (shown on the right hand side above). The Club claim their were "hundreds" of votes with 26 papers spoilt.
The Club's point of view is they have got to significantly change the design from previous versions in order to
encourage sales and generate much needed revenue. However, many supporters feel that the use of red is totally alien to
Wycombe Wanderers and an insult to the long history of the Club. In addition, although the Club has previously stated that the quarters would be retained, both designs spoil the simple clean design that has been the key to the success of previous designs.
A change is obviously needed as MIZUNO will now be the manufacturers but there are many areas that can be improved and therefore 'changed' in order to generate new sales. eg an improved collar, embroided badge, different material. The introduction of the suggested design could be a serious marketing error that may lead to loss of potential sales and
alienation of supporters - even possibly resulting in a complete boycott of sales due to the bad feeling caused. Manchester United, Newcastle United and Liverpool,
the top three clubs in English soccer, have all retained their traditional colours schemes for their first choice kits, as
all have experienced significant drops in sales when a deviation has been made from the norm.
The Club should think long and hard before making their final choice as the consequences of placing either of the
above creations on the market place could have serious consequences on the marketing credibility of WWFC - particularly
with regards to supporter/club relations. KEEP IT CLEAN - KEEP THE QUARTERS!
Contact us with your views at the usual address or contact the Club direct via the addressess on our
Club Information Page
