SPORTING BRANDS FEEL WAY THROUGH DEMAND BUMPS OF ‘PROUDLY DIFFERENT’ WOMEN’S GAME
unpredictability of the Women’s World Cup, with the US knocked out early and a first-time champion assured, is forcing major global marketers such as Adidas and Nike to move fast to adapt to shoppers’ quick shifts in preferences and demand.
The tournament in Australia and New Zealand promises to be among the most popular standalone women’s sporting events ever held, with Fifa (International Federation of Association Football) expecting viewing figures of some 2 billion, despite time zone differences that make it difficult for many Europeans and Americans to tune in.
Adidas and Nike and retailers like DICK’s Sporting Goods and Fanatics have made significant investments in merchandise. Total sponsorship value grew to at least $349 million, from $342 million in 2019, according to GlobalData, with many brands aligning themselves with themes of women’s empowerment.
At DICK’s, where 76 clothing and products tied to the 2023 US Women’s National Team were available online on Monday, more than two-thirds are discounted by 25 percent to 35 percent, including jerseys, T-shirts and hoodies, according to a check of its website.
Nike’s marketing ahead of the Women’s World Cup featured a football fan telling her father that “the competition is better than ever,” with cameos from a roster of past and current stars, including U.S. players Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, French player Grace Geyoro, and Barcelona forward Asisat Oshoala.
The retailer also released a collaboration with designer Martine Rose worn by the United States Women’s National Team ahead of their first match.
The collection included tailored pieces such as trousers, a suit jacket and a trench coat featuring the Nike swoosh, along with a slip-on mule resembling a football cleat.
Overall for Nike, which sponsors the US, England, and others, only 8 percent of women’s team products have sold out thus far during the tournament, according to data collected by Centric Pricing and Refinitiv. That’s down from 13 percent of Nike’s women’s team products which sold out during the same tournament in 2019, the data shows.
Doubled production
At rival Adidas, which sponsors Sweden and Spain—the teams that go head to head in Tuesday’s semifinal—21 percent of women’s team products have sold out so far over this year’s tournament, up from 8 percent in 2019.
Adidas doubled its production of Germany women’s team jerseys for this World Cup, compared to the 2019 tournament, and was still on the verge of selling out when the team fell out of the running early. “That tells you something about the exponential growth of the sport,” said Adidas spokesperson Jan Runau.
Adidas also supplied kits for the Philippine national squad, and replicas were snapped up the moment online preordering was opened.
Replicas weren’t the only merchandise purchased by fans of the Filipinas.
Filipinos who are based here and those who flew in to watch the tournament found it challenging to score items like scarves, bonnets, key chains and ref magnets either in Auckland’s Fifa Fan Festival or at venues where the games are taking place.
A store manager inside the Fifa Fan Festival told The Inquirer that they’re surprised with how the stocks quickly ran out, especially after the Filipinas scored a landmark 1-0 win over cohost New Zealand in Wellington.
One in three fans of women’s soccer are new to soccer full stop, according to Yvonne Henderson, CEO of UK-based industry association Women In Football. “The fanbase is unique, it’s diverse, it’s quite youthful and it has strong progressive values,” she said.