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| Football fever |
| Aabhas Sharma / New Delhi Aug 22, 2009, 00:36 IST |
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A visit to any sporting goods retail outlet will tell you how serious European football clubs are about making their presence felt in India. And the fans are lapping it all up big time. With the 2009-10 European football season kicking off last weekend, brands are stocking up on football merchandise in a big way. Fans of clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Arsenal now have easy access to their favourite club’s playing stripes and an assortment of other accessories.
While Nike retails merchandise for Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona, Adidas has Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan products.
Club jerseys remain the biggest object of affection for most football fans and the brands know it. At the stores you will find matchday jerseys (both home and away) as well as training kits. A jersey will cost you between Rs 2,500-3,000, depending on your favourite club. A Chelsea jersey, for example, retails at a price of Rs 2,799. There is an assortment of other kinds of merchandise too. This includes polo t-shirts, track suits, t-shirts and shorts.
A Manchester United polo t-shirt costs Rs 1,699 while a regular t-shirt is for Rs 1,299.
A few select outlets also have sweat shirts, shorts, caps, wrist-bands and even water bottles. The caps cost Rs 500 while the shorts are for around Rs 600. Wrist bands are priced around Rs 350 while water bottles come for Rs 700.
As far as accessories go, bags are extremely popular. Both shoulder and travel bags are available. A Liverpool travel bag costs around Rs 2,000 while shoulder bags retail for around Rs 1,200. Similarly, a Manchester United bag would cost you Rs 2,200.
It’s not only the sport majors who are housing club products. Shops like Archies Gallery too have an assortment of club products. However, the authenticity of these products cannot be guaranteed. Nevertheless, at an Archies store, you will find key rings retailing at Rs 150, caps for Rs 300 and wallets for Rs 450. Here, you will find club merchandise from the likes of AC Milan and Real Madrid apart from the English giants.
Manchester United fans have another reason to rejoice. The club has announced that it will be opening the club cafe, called the Manchester United Cafe, in October, at Mumbai. The cafe will have a selection of merchandise available. However, the price points of these products haven’t been revealed yet. Till then, be content with what’s on offer but there’s surely more to come for football fans in the country.
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