US Lecce seflf-produce their own football kits

After seven seasons, US Lecce returns to play in Serie A. Few months ago the Giallorossi has presented its three jerseys, all in a single event and inspired by a symbol of the city and of the territory: Lu Sule, Lu Mare and Lu Ientu. The three kits do not present major changes compared to those worn by the team in recent years, the home shirt will have yellow and red vertical stripes, the second blue and the third all white. However, there are some details that make this shirt very special, including the absence of the main sponsor at the center of the chest and the fact of being self-produced, thanks to the M908 brand, launched last summer. At the end of the expiry of the contract with Legea, who dressed the Giallorossi for five seasons until 2018, Lecce football has decided to change course, wearing a new brand designed for both the technical line and merchandising line.

M908 will be the first homemade technical sponsor to tread a field of the highest Italian series. A strong message of what is the mentality and the ambitions of the team to build a solid and far-sighted project, the one that would arise from a provincial team.
The name comes from 1908, the year in which the U.S. Lecce were founded, and the jerseys will also be made this year in China.
It is not just a choice that allows maximum freedom and creativity, but above all a very brave decision, considering how important the sponsors' revenues are for smaller clubs like US Lecce. In fact, Vice President Carlo Liguori said a year ago:

"In the short term, the club will lose money, but in the long run we will reap the benefits and be ready to reinvest them for the good of this team".

On the other hand, in doing so the merchandising revenues will be almost totally perceived by Lecce and will be made available to grow scouting and the youth sector, two areas neglected in the last year for the same Liguori admission.
Since May 2019 M908 has also made its official debut in the world of tennis, remaining for the moment connected to the Salento, with a partnership with the Mario Stasi club of Lecce.

In Serie A and B it is still an exception that of self-produced shirts but there is a very similar precedent. During the 2013/2014 season, AS Roma wore jersey without technical sponsors, self-produced with the collaboration of Asics, pending the contract already signed with Nike, which would become effective from the following season. Other teams like Lecce have chosen not to show main sponsors on the chest of the jerseys but this is certainly a unique case. A similarity can also be made with the HS Football case, which from 2013 to 2018 sponsored the Udinese Calcio uniforms. In common with the M908 is the fact that the founder of the brand Massimiliano Ferrigno, at the time of the agreement with the Friulian club, was held for the club's marketing department. A family deal for the club that managed to get a fair amount of visibility by sponsoring other teams like the SPAL and becoming the main sponsor of the National Amateur League. As for Hs and M908 the road is still long but it looks similar to another brand born in the provincial fields like Macron, the third most worn sports brand in the world behind the giants Nike and adidas.

Even outside there are examples of this kind of business, the Aston Villa before the arrival of Kappa this season was sponsored by Luke 1977, a brand created by a Villans fan to further strengthen the bond with the city. Bristol City instead is currently sponsored by Bristol Sport, a cultural association that promotes and finances sporting activities and teams in the English city.

Relying on minor brands or a popular shareholder is not a symptom of poor economic health but a courageous choice, the two clubs which played the last English Championship season are economically healthy, arrived in the upper areas of the ranking. US Lecce is also bringing this model to Italy, with still some big gaps in terms of communication and e-commerce management. If you wish to contact a merchandising manager on the official website, you will be notified of a WhatsApp number of a private person. All very unprofessional.