Last year, the fans took to the stands clad in blue and
orange, but as the season wore on, with much wear, the
blue began fade. The FC Goa shirts that the players were
clad in were far from the ones their fans wore, and while
the quality of the shirt is not even remotely proportionate
to the frenzied belief of the fans in their team, many fans
were left wanting more. Many questioned where they
could get their hands on original merchandise. The answer
was, nowhere, as the original jersey was not made available
to fans by the club, and this left many fans disgruntled in
the process.
Over in England, another old and legendary club in the
Premier League has fans experiencing equal amounts of
angst. A section of Newcastle United fans, tired of products
being marketed by the club that they weren’t happy with,
started manufacturing Adidas jerseys (the official jersey
being produced by Puma) with retro badges used by the
club in previous eras, naming the new jersey, The Magpie
Shirt. The immensely popular jersey sold out within hours
of its launch, signalling to the club the power of a fan
movement when not satisfied with club merchandise.
Carlos Noronha is a die-hard FC Goa fan. Only
recently, he emerged the winner in an FC Goa contest,
wherein the winner was being given a jersey. However,
when he received his prize, it wasn’t a replica of what the
players wore, but the non-branded version of the shirt.
Granted, there was no mention that it would be a replica
with branding, and no doubt Carlos was pleased with his
winnings, but when receiving a jersey directly from the
club, one can’t help but feel optimistic. When quizzed
about his winnings and whether he would be pleased with
a fan initiative such as The Magpie Shirt taking hold in Goa,
Carlos replies in the affirmative, saying, “I think that the idea
is good, and that fans would spend on great merchandise,
even if it did not come through the club’s official channels.
At the end of the day, if a Premier League jersey sells at
approximately Rs 3,500, I think fans would be open to
buying a branded FC Goa jersey within the range of Rs
2,000-3,000.”
However, there seems to be good news around
the corner for fans that remain curious as to what the
team’s marketing endeavours for the upcoming season
are. Rahul Raichand, the Chief Marketing Officer of FC
Goa, shares the franchise’s plans for marketing this year,
saying, “Just like last season, Adidas will be FC Goa’s
kit partner. This time around, they are planning a retail
strategy to sell the original jersey to the club’s fans. The
plans include a home and away jersey which will be
available on sale at stores in Goa. Additionally, Adidas is
exploring the idea of a range of official FC Goa T-shirts,
flip-flops and polo t-shirts. Most merchandise will be
available at the stadium during match days.”
When the Newcastle conundrum was presented
to him, however, Rahul went on to add, “We cannot
comment on the Newcastle jersey designs. However our
designs are from Adidas’ global football collection and are
similar to the FC Goa Jersey from last year which became
quite popular with the fans. Since its inception, FC Goa
fans have shown their love and support for their team.
We have planned an excellent line of merchandise for this
season which we are sure the fans will appreciate.”
As the fans walk to the stands this season, what
they will sport is anyone’s guess. With the club assuring
fans that they will be able to get their hands on official
merchandise, the future seems optimistic for those who
are looking to get in on the official fandom.
