..The Basques, like many in Spain, have struggled to find a suitable shirt sponsor, a widespread problem emanating from the dominance of a handful of big clubs through a sink-or-swim TV deal.

So this season each Sociedad player will wear a different name of one of the club’s 25,000 members, or ‘socios’, in the blank space where a sponsor would normally appear.

The first public display of the stunt was made on Thursday night for the 2-1 win over Sevilla, having previously done it for a TV ad.

The club call their initiative ‘We carry you on our shirts’. The names, chosen at random, will be rotated throughout the season.

While it is unlikely to raise the millions of euros a sponsorship deal would generate, the idea could see membership and season-ticket sales boosted.

Last season Valencia decided to promote the club’s Twitter profile on their shirts, while Sevilla charged fans to put small photos of themselves within shirt numbers.

From 2003-05 Atletico Madrid, who had done a deal with Columbia Pictures, promoted a different blockbuster movie each month, with the Spiderman shirt particularly in demand. They also allowed fans to buy a blank shirt in case they didn’t fancy that month’s romantic comedy hit.

What a really nice thought of the club. I often wonder would it would be like to support a club that actually cares for its fans.

I can see the Chelsea player running round the pitch with BLUEBEARD written on his shirt

Moi - Grammar Fascist would be a good one.

The Basque dimension is another barrier to them nabbing a sponsor, as most Spanish companies wouldn't have Sociedad at the top of their lists of teams to get involved with.

 

Athletic Club only recently started their first ever shirt sponsorship deal, and it was with a local oil company from the region. Osasuna's shirt deal with a local milk producer nets them a meagre €600,000 a year.

Edited December 21, 201213 yr by Lofty 1905

Moi - Grammar Fascist would be a good one.

 

 

If you but knew ... the very few comments I make here are just the tip of the iceberg!  

I can see the Chelsea player running round the pitch with BLUEBEARD written on his shirt

if it was good enough for Johnny Millar:

 

Note that back in 1986 there was already an established Norwegian CFC Fan Club. In other words, our international fan base isn't a new, Abramovich era development.

I especially like the idea of having movie related logo's on shirts, could make for some pretty unique kits.

I especially like the idea of having movie related logo's on shirts, could make for some pretty unique kits.

NOOOOOOO.....MMMMM.....On second thoughts...KILLBILL 4