Brighton have signed an extended deal with Nike until 2030, meaning Albion supporters can look forward to five more years of dull and uninspiring kits.
The club made the announcement on social media, saying: “We are delighted to announce that the club has extended its partnership with Nike as our Technical Kit Supplier until 2030.”
None of the replies suggested Albion supporters shared in this delight. Twitter responses included: “Horrendous news”, “Boooooo”, “Money Money Money”, “Same shit different year”, and my personal favourite, “What part of that is in any way shape or form delightful?”
A more descriptive reply read: “My main gripe with Nike (apart from horrendous pricing) is the fact we just have big standard kit templates.”
“Nothing unique and styles you see other clubs wear up and down the land. We are Brighton, top half Premier League team who could have something tailored to what we want.”
There is no mention in any of the press releases about Brighton being promoted into the ‘elite’ group of clubs for whom Nike produce bespoke, unique designs. These include Barcelona, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
Which means we can assume the Albion will continue to be handed templates shared with every other club Nike supply around the world.
Nike first started making Brighton kits in the 2014-15 season. They showed their creativity straight away with an orange and black third shirt, identical to one which could be bought for £10 in Sports Direct and worn by Dog & Duck FC in Sussex Sunday League Division 5.
Sticking an Albion badge and an American Express logo on it turned the orange shirt from a £10 template to something costing £50.
One Brighton supporter on North Stand Chat infamously responded by buying the £10 template and sticking their own Brighton badge and Amex logo on.
Things have improved since then, although some would say not by much. Whenever Nike release a new Albion away kit, the first thing most people do is see which other clubs they supply have the same design.
Normally, the search leads straight to Portsmouth. This was true even for the home kit in the 2020-21 season, when Brighton moved away from their traditional stripes to an all-blue number supposed to mirror the popular Adidas shirts of the 1980s.
On the subject of Adidas, most Albion supporters were hoping the club would sign up with the German supplier in place of Nike. Or Kappa instead of Nike. Or Hummel. Or New Balance. Or Puma. Or a return to Errea. Or anyone but bloody Nike really.
Money though talks. Nike can pay the most. And every season, without fail, Brighton report record shirt sales (along with record season ticket renewals). All the while people are buying Nike kits, there is no incentive for the Albion to consider a change.
The club’s global profile as a Premier League regular and recent Europa League competitor helps with that. As does Mitoma Mania.
If Kaoru Mitoma leaves Brighton in the not-too-distant future and takes his army of Japanese fanatics with him, shirt sales will presumably drop off.
Hope was given in the summer that a change might be forthcoming when Brighton announced that this season’s yellow away shirt would be used for one year only. A yellow away shirt almost identical to League One side Birmingham City.
The Albion normally repurpose the away shirt from one campaign as the third choice kit in the next, giving it a two-year lifespan.
Rather than the yellow being in use for only a single season because it would be Nike’s last, we can now assume it would now appear to be a cash-making move luring supporters into buying a new home, away and third choice shirt every 12 months.
All made by Nike. And looking suspiciously like Portsmouth or Birmingham.
