Football merchandise: why we ain’t seen nothing yet

Outlook

Manchester United fans inside Club Brugge's Jan Breydelstadion (Getty Images)

Fan apparel retailer Kitbag is about to enter a new world.

The company, recently sold by Findel to US outfit Fanatics, has a partnership with Manchester United – by some measures the world’s biggest club in what is certainly the world’s biggest sport. It currently sells 934 products from the club, by my reckoning.

By contrast, Fanatics lists nearly twice as many bearing the logo of the Dallas Cowboys, one of the biggest names in the NFL, which is certainly America’s biggest sport. The total is a staggering 1,819.

Fanatics wants to push our football over there, and plans to expand its US offering dramatically over here. Its chief executive Doug Mack, with whom I’ve spoken, thinks UK football teams could do a lot more with their merchandising.

The numbers suggest he’s right and that he may be able to expand this revenue stream for them if they’re willing to play ball.