WHAT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL CLUBS CAN LEARN FROM THE ADIDAS NAMES & NUMBERS PROGRAMME
There's more behind a successful names & numbers programme than a print on a shirt When fans buy a new football shirt, they see a player name and a number. Nothing more. They don't see the design reviews, approval processes, stock planning or in-season replenishments. They don't see the last-minute transfers, the pressure on the club shop during a launch weekend, or the discussions around whether a numbering system will actually perform on a new shirt fabric. And that's exactly how it should be. Because the best names & numbers programmes are usually the ones nobody notices. They simply work. [...]
EMBROIDERY HEAT TRANSFERS WITH FREESTANDING ELEMENTS? NO PROBLEM
Individual stars. Freestanding letters. Separate design elements. These kinds of details have become a natural part of modern embroidery-style heat transfers — whether on football shirts, fashion pieces or merchandise products. But how do these elements actually stay perfectly in place during application? For designs like these, we work with special positioning templates that hold all elements together during the application process and are removed together with the carrier sheet afterwards. In this article, we’ll give you a behind-the-scenes look at how these solutions are created and how standalone elements are applied with modern embroidery-style heat transfers. How standalone elements [...]
LIMITED – AND THEN? HOW CLUBS CAN GET MORE OUT OF SPECIAL EDITION JERSEYS
A special edition jersey can be far more than just a quick sell-out. In practice, long-term fan value and brand value are created when the exclusivity is visible, emotionally engaging, and connected to additional meaning — not just artificial scarcity. Because yes, a sold-out jersey creates attention. But the more interesting question usually starts afterwards: Will this jersey still matter weeks or months later? Or was it simply the next fast drop? A lot of clubs experience exactly this moment today. The launch works. The hype is there. The first sizes sell out within hours. Internally, everyone celebrates. And honestly, [...]
3D SILICONE VS. 3D EMBROIDERY: WHY CLUBS APPROACH THEIR LOGOS DIFFERENTLY
3D heat transfers are a big topic right now – especially 3D SILICONE . Many clubs are using this clean, modern look for their logos on the shirt, as it works perfectly with today’s performance materials. At the same time, not every jersey follows that direction. In certain collections, clubs go for a more classic embroidered look. So what’s behind these different choices? And how do you decide which solution fits your jersey best? 3D doesn’t always mean the same thing At first glance, 3D SILICONE and 3D EMBROIDERY have a lot in common. Both create a raised structure and [...]
FLEX FOIL VS. MODULAR NAMES & NUMBER SYSTEMS: WHICH WORKS BETTER FOR FOOTBALL FANSHOPS?
For many football clubs, the jersey is the most important merchandise product they sell. And hardly any fan wants a jersey without personalization. The name of their favorite player. Or their own name on the back. To make this process quick and efficient in the fanshop, many clubs still rely on a system that has barely changed for years: complete name and number sheets made from flex film. The principle is simple. The full layout – name, number and club script – is plotted on a single sheet, weeded, and then applied to the jersey in one step. For many [...]
FUNCTIONAL HEAT TRANSFERS: WHEN YOUR LOGO DOES MORE THAN JUST LOOK GOOD
A logo can look good. Or it can serve a function. Functional heat transfers turn a branding element into an active component of the product. They take on tasks — physical, digital, or operational. So the key question is not: Which technique is possible? But rather: What function should your product fulfill — and can your logo take on that role? What “Functional” Really Means Functional heat transfers combine two levels: Visual branding A concrete additional function The result: A logo that doesn’t just create impact — it works. This function can take many different forms. In general, four levels [...]
