Clubs still without kits on sale due to supply issues

The EFL season kicks off this week with the Premier League returning a week later however, less than half of FL and Premier League clubs have both their new home and away kits available to buy online ahead of the season, as manufacturers face supply chain issues.

Only 44 out of 92 clubs currently have both their 2022-23 season kits on sale.

Premier League clubs including Crystal Palace and Leeds United are among those who have neither kit available.

Some have blamed the delays on disruption and factory shutdowns in Asia due to Covid.

It means some clubs won't have their new kit on sale before the season starts, which for the Championship is 29 July, for League One and League Two is 30 July and for the Premier League is 5 August.

Out of the 92 clubs in the top four leagues:

• 44 teams have both kits available for sale on their website

< >22 teams have only their home kit available7 teams have only their away kit available19 teams have neither the home or away kit available

One EFL chief executive, who did not want to be named, told the BBC his club had signed off kit designs in October, with orders placed shortly afterwards, but neither their new home or away kit were available to sell yet due to Covid disruption at factories in Asia.

He said it was difficult to quantify the cost to the club until it saw the impact on sales, but added that some clubs would face a financial hit.

"We can manage our cash flow, but it will impact on some clubs' cash flow, I'm sure, because July is a month when there's not much cash coming into the business," he said.

"We're in a position where that hasn't caused any disasters for us. But for some clubs I would imagine it's pretty difficult."

He added that the delay would also be disappointing for fans.

"If you're a parent or a grandparent who's going to buy a kit for a young child's birthday in July, which you would normally have done, you've not been able to do that, you've got to wait," he said.

Leeds United and Crystal Palace wore their new kits for a pre-season friendly - but their home and away kits are not available for fans to buy yet

Kieran Maguire, a senior lecturer in football finance at the University of Liverpool, said some clubs were being affected by the impact of Covid in Asia, where many factories are based, with production limited due to restrictions.

He said a shortage of container ships and disruption at ports was also contributing to the issue.

However, he told the BBC the financial impact on most elite clubs would be limited as they are generally paid a fixed amount by manufacturers for the season, with only around 7% commission per unit sold.