The future is here.
At this time of year, as football teams around begin to release their new kits, it’s not unusual to read questionable press releases about the latest new material that make athletes even better at being athletes.
One example that comes to mind is when the FAI released a new Republic of Ireland kit in 2010 which featured hooped socks and claimed the hoops aided the players as they could confuse their opponents when doing step-overs.
A more substantial kit innovation in the past was when Canterbury of New Zealand manufactured jerseys for Portsmouth and included an adhesive line on the chest of the goalkeeper shirt for better grip, they also put reflector badges on the sleeves so that players could ‘pick each other out easier’.
David James // Portsmouth // Phone Background. (For @jmbFIFA) pic.twitter.com/Y9sHA7TJMs
— off (@tradewithjames) July 8, 2014
All efforts of innovatation, silly or otherwise, have, to the best of our knowledge been about the players' kits up until now.
But German club Schalke 04 have taken it a step further, and have come up with a new way to revolutionse their fan's replica shirt for next season. Incredibly, they plan to insert a microchip into each replica jersey sold next season.
Zusammenarbeit mit einzigartigem Innovationscharakter: @AllyouneedFresh wird Ärmelsponsor des #S04. https://t.co/rtFVTaIdKE pic.twitter.com/6jhBm2ZYue
— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) May 17, 2017
Conspiracy theorists may be having a field day, but the said reason for the chips is so fans can pay for their food and drink in the stadium as part of a deal with their new sleeve sponsors. Supporters will have their sleeves scanned at the stadium shops and food stalls instead of paying with cards or cash. It definitely isn't so the German government can monitor their every move.
AllyouneedFresh, the German supermarket who will provide the chip, have signed a 4 year deal with the club worth up to €5m per year and will be supplying many of the goods in the stadium in and around matchdays.
Schalke Marketing Director Alexander Jobst said in a statement;
We are very pleased to have won a long-term partner with AllyouneedFresh with the highest reputation for us and are proud to be able to present a world-novelty with the integrated chip with payment function. This once again underscores our position as the leader of the Bundesliga.
It'll be interesting to see if fans getting their arms scanned at football grounds will make life easier in a cashless society, or whether German citizens will accept having a suspicious microchip placed in their clothing if they want to support their football team.
Either way, it's certainly innovative. One wonders what's coming down the line in the next wave of football kit releases ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
