The Rosco
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Have been hearing a strong rumour in the clothing industry that junior RL clubs will only be able to purchase their playing attire ( and possibly other gear as well ) from officially licensed suppliers.
This licence fee is said to be many thousands of dollars, and must be paid by any supplier to a junior RL club.
There would be hundreds of local junior clubs that would use a local supplier, who probably sponsors the teams, to provide their playing strips. This will end.
So many local jobs and businesses will suffer, to the benefit of Chinese suppliers. No, not everything is made in China. Yet. This is just killing another part of a once proud Aussie industry. And once it's been killed off, it ain't ever coming back.
The free competition that is driven by an open market means that end user pricing is kept to a fair level. This will end.
Have you ever wondered why an official NRL jersey is $180 ? . . . . or a polo shirt $60 ?
These garments cost less than $20 to land here from China. Decorated, printed, cut and sewn, and shipped.
The licensing costs will not be borne by the supplier in the long run. It's the poor old mums and dads that let johnny play RL that will pay. Let's see . . . very few suppliers in charge of a hugely in demand product. They have to pay thousands for that privilege. They have hardly any competition. They won't rip us off, will they ?
The clubs will be up for a massive rise in costs. Massive. The days of the local junior clubs in a battlers area giving away free shorts and socks to attract the u/6s are gone.
But the good thing is the NRL will be able to cut a larger slice of the junior RL pie for themselves. Their take from the licensing fees, plus a healthy margin of all products licensed to themselves will ensure many self congratulatory back pats.
Now, the other codes who are slamming our junior numbers better do the same thing immediately. They have to, right ? Otherwise won't we look like a laughing stock when it will cost parents/clubs $150 to dress lil Johnny for his rugby league season, or only $70 for his soccer season ? We might see an exodus of RL juniors going to play soccer . . . oh hang on . . .
This licence fee is said to be many thousands of dollars, and must be paid by any supplier to a junior RL club.
There would be hundreds of local junior clubs that would use a local supplier, who probably sponsors the teams, to provide their playing strips. This will end.
So many local jobs and businesses will suffer, to the benefit of Chinese suppliers. No, not everything is made in China. Yet. This is just killing another part of a once proud Aussie industry. And once it's been killed off, it ain't ever coming back.
The free competition that is driven by an open market means that end user pricing is kept to a fair level. This will end.
Have you ever wondered why an official NRL jersey is $180 ? . . . . or a polo shirt $60 ?
These garments cost less than $20 to land here from China. Decorated, printed, cut and sewn, and shipped.
The licensing costs will not be borne by the supplier in the long run. It's the poor old mums and dads that let johnny play RL that will pay. Let's see . . . very few suppliers in charge of a hugely in demand product. They have to pay thousands for that privilege. They have hardly any competition. They won't rip us off, will they ?
The clubs will be up for a massive rise in costs. Massive. The days of the local junior clubs in a battlers area giving away free shorts and socks to attract the u/6s are gone.
But the good thing is the NRL will be able to cut a larger slice of the junior RL pie for themselves. Their take from the licensing fees, plus a healthy margin of all products licensed to themselves will ensure many self congratulatory back pats.
Now, the other codes who are slamming our junior numbers better do the same thing immediately. They have to, right ? Otherwise won't we look like a laughing stock when it will cost parents/clubs $150 to dress lil Johnny for his rugby league season, or only $70 for his soccer season ? We might see an exodus of RL juniors going to play soccer . . . oh hang on . . .
