New kit

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crapname
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Re: New kit

Post by crapname » Mon Jan 27, 2020 7:30 am

All terrible.

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Re: New kit

Post by MikeinBlack2 » Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:12 am

I went for 3 as I quite like the quartered idea. Maybe the away kit will remain hooped?
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lo36789
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Re: New kit

Post by lo36789 » Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:35 am

Old Git wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2020 10:02 pm
Totally agree. None of them are proper Darlington shirts. Black and white hoops are distinctive and unique and I bet loads of other teams would like to have that.
To be fair that first one is pretty similar to our kit from 1889 (black strip down the middle).

We had stripes, quarters and a solid black vertical strip all before we ever had hoops.

In fact I think in our 127 year history I am not sure we have worn hoops for even 50% of it.

I like the quarters throwback that's why 3 gets my vote.

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Re: New kit

Post by Alfie » Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:53 am

Maybe missed it, but is there anything showing what the back looks like - the same for all 4? Also anything about plans for shorts and socks?

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Re: New kit

Post by EDJOHNS » Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:57 am

Sorry but all this,"It is our heritage" comes from a far younger generation than I.
Not once for over 40 years did I see "Hoops" APART FROM WHEN the 3 thin hoops made their debut from 1966-71.(Edited to stop Gramps bloody whinging!!!!!)
I would not mind so much if we actually had hoops, we don't. We keep having black and white horizontal stripes with black backs. Bloody awful IMHO.
Last edited by EDJOHNS on Mon Jan 27, 2020 4:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: New kit

Post by al_quaker » Mon Jan 27, 2020 9:21 am

lo36789 wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:35 am
Old Git wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2020 10:02 pm
Totally agree. None of them are proper Darlington shirts. Black and white hoops are distinctive and unique and I bet loads of other teams would like to have that.
To be fair that first one is pretty similar to our kit from 1889 (black strip down the middle).

We had stripes, quarters and a solid black vertical strip all before we ever had hoops.

In fact I think in our 127 year history I am not sure we have worn hoops for even 50% of it.

I like the quarters throwback that's why 3 gets my vote.
http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Darling ... ington.htm

It's only relatively recently that hoops have become the norm based on that

Looking at our history, a 'proper' darlington shirt is black and white. That's the common thread running throughout our historical kits. All 4 of the available shirts fulfill that criteria.

I'm sure we will be back in hoops the season after next, so I'm not sure what the furore is in certain quarters.

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theoriginalfatcat
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Re: New kit

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Mon Jan 27, 2020 9:24 am

Hoops are always popular so it seems strange that there is no hoop option, as isn't the exercise to give the fans what they want?

Personally I don't particularly like any of the kits.
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Re: New kit

Post by LiddleMix » Mon Jan 27, 2020 9:25 am

I'm sorry but there is no way any of us should be voting for Option 2!

I get that the younger generation see Hoops as the clubs identity, personally I grew up watching us in white shirts with a bit of black but Option 2 is Fulham's blooming identity!

https://www.oldfootballshirts.com/en/te ... s1430.html

https://www.oldfootballshirts.com/en/te ... 13094.html

https://www.oldfootballshirts.com/en/te ... 71832.html

At least the other 3 look like they could be Darlington kits. Not overly keen on any of them as I'd have been happy to have proper hoops that go all the way round, but I could live with any of the ones that aren't Option 2!

lo36789
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Re: New kit

Post by lo36789 » Mon Jan 27, 2020 9:42 am

A tradition is always decided upon ultimately they don't just happen by chance.

Why don't we alternate hoops and other if we start now and do it for the rest of time it becomes tradition right and is our identity.

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Re: New kit

Post by Darlogramps » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:00 am

Or given that clearly a significant percentage of our fanbase view hoops as being part of the club’s identity, let’s provide a hoop option as part of the vote every season.

Then fans get to decide exactly what they want. If they don’t like the hoop option, then they won’t vote for it. If they do, then that’s what the majority want so what’s the issue?

Seems more democratic than trying to control what they get to vote on.
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New kit

Post by Darlogramps » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:04 am

EDJOHNS wrote:Sorry but all this,"It is our heritage" comes from a far younger generation than I.
Not once for over 40 years did I see "Hoops" until the 3 thin hoops made their debut in 1966.
I would not mind so much if we actually had hoops, we don't. We keep having black and white horizontal stripes with black backs. Bloody awful IMHO.
Over forty years before 1966? So you started supporting Darlington in the early 1920s? Making you nearly 100. Stop talking wibble.

And as the historical kits link posted earlier shows, we were wearing hooped kits in the early 1950s, so your timeline is well out.

Ted, stop talking wibble.
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Re: New kit

Post by MB86DFC » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:09 am

al_quaker wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 9:21 am
lo36789 wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:35 am
Old Git wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2020 10:02 pm
Totally agree. None of them are proper Darlington shirts. Black and white hoops are distinctive and unique and I bet loads of other teams would like to have that.
To be fair that first one is pretty similar to our kit from 1889 (black strip down the middle).

We had stripes, quarters and a solid black vertical strip all before we ever had hoops.

In fact I think in our 127 year history I am not sure we have worn hoops for even 50% of it.

I like the quarters throwback that's why 3 gets my vote.
http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Darling ... ington.htm

It's only relatively recently that hoops have become the norm based on that

Looking at our history, a 'proper' darlington shirt is black and white. That's the common thread running throughout our historical kits. All 4 of the available shirts fulfill that criteria.

I'm sure we will be back in hoops the season after next, so I'm not sure what the furore is in certain quarters.
Very nice to see the shirts dating back through the years. It appears the hooped design was our identity for most of the first half of the 20th century, but the main reason I am fond of the hoops was the success we had wearing hoops in 1995/96, 2007/08, and the rise through the leagues since 2012/13. Even the back to back promotions in the early 90's were in hoops, although this was before I started watching. I get the commercial aspect of not wanting to repeat the hoops, but for me the choices are a bit disappointing .

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Re: New kit

Post by al_quaker » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:11 am

Including a hooped kit in the vote means it will probably always win - the awful kit in 17/18 (I think) showed that. That's democratic and perfectly acceptable. Except, it appears that this years hooped kit hasn't sold as well as previously, which is odd as it's kind of the perfect hooped kit in many ways. It's perfectly plausible that people will always vote 'hoops' but then grow increasingly tired of buying hoops. Is it hoop fatigue? Decreased kit sales obviously harm our club. Obviously, there's no guarantee that next years kit will sell better, but there's only one way to find out if it is 'hoop fatigue'.

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New kit

Post by Darlogramps » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:12 am

al_quaker wrote:
lo36789 wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:35 am
Old Git wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2020 10:02 pm
Totally agree. None of them are proper Darlington shirts. Black and white hoops are distinctive and unique and I bet loads of other teams would like to have that.
To be fair that first one is pretty similar to our kit from 1889 (black strip down the middle).

We had stripes, quarters and a solid black vertical strip all before we ever had hoops.

In fact I think in our 127 year history I am not sure we have worn hoops for even 50% of it.

I like the quarters throwback that's why 3 gets my vote.
http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Darling ... ington.htm

It's only relatively recently that hoops have become the norm based on that

Looking at our history, a 'proper' darlington shirt is black and white. That's the common thread running throughout our historical kits. All 4 of the available shirts fulfill that criteria.

I'm sure we will be back in hoops the season after next, so I'm not sure what the furore is in certain quarters.
It clearly doesn’t show that at all.

From 1912 for about 40-45 years hoops were “the norm” according to that. Then for 35 years we had a white and black kit. And since the mid-1990s hooped kits have been fairly regular since, particularly recently.

What’s wrong with people wanting hoops as part of the club’s identity? Given hoops clearly are preferred by a significant percentage of the fanbase, not having any hooped option to vote on seems fairly undemocratic.

And personally I think if decisions about our club’s identity are being driven because of commercial factors, that’s a little disappointing. Eroding the identity in order to earn a little extra cash seems short-sighted.
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Re: New kit

Post by al_quaker » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:23 am

Darlogramps wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:12 am
al_quaker wrote:
lo36789 wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:35 am
Old Git wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2020 10:02 pm
Totally agree. None of them are proper Darlington shirts. Black and white hoops are distinctive and unique and I bet loads of other teams would like to have that.
To be fair that first one is pretty similar to our kit from 1889 (black strip down the middle).

We had stripes, quarters and a solid black vertical strip all before we ever had hoops.

In fact I think in our 127 year history I am not sure we have worn hoops for even 50% of it.

I like the quarters throwback that's why 3 gets my vote.
http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Darling ... ington.htm

It's only relatively recently that hoops have become the norm based on that

Looking at our history, a 'proper' darlington shirt is black and white. That's the common thread running throughout our historical kits. All 4 of the available shirts fulfill that criteria.

I'm sure we will be back in hoops the season after next, so I'm not sure what the furore is in certain quarters.
It clearly doesn’t show that at all.

From 1912 for about 40-45 years hoops were “the norm” according to that. Then for 35 years we had a white and black kit. And since the mid-1990s hooped kits have been fairly regular since, particularly recently.

What’s wrong with people wanting hoops as part of the club’s identity? Given hoops clearly are preferred by a significant percentage of the fanbase, not having any hooped option to vote on seems fairly undemocratic.

And personally I think if decisions about our club’s identity are being driven because of commercial factors, that’s a little disappointing.
I didn't read the dates properly! But I think the point still stands that we haven't always worn hoops, and that other kit styles form part of our history

There's absolutely nothing wrong with people wanting hoops to form part of the identity. I don't think I've ever said that it was wrong. And hoops will, obviously, still form a huge part of our identity going forwards. If next seasons kit doesnt sell well then I'd imagine we won't veer away from hoops very often in the future at all.

Maybe it is disappointing that decisions about what kits we are wearing is driven by commerical factors, but that's the reality of the world we are living in. We have to try and maximise our revenue in whatever way we can, particulalry when revenue streams are so constrained in other areas. It's disappointing we have to cover them in advertising too, but I'd rather we try and maximise our revenue to put the best product out on the pitch we can. It may not work, but I don't see the harm in trying for one season to see if it does work.

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Re: New kit

Post by Darlo_Pete » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:32 am

I've been following Darlo for 46 years & I'm fed up with hoops. It'll be a nice change to have something completely different, we can always go back to hoops sometime in the future. I will certainly buy design 3 & I haven't bought a shirt for a while now.

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Re: New kit

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:54 am

MB86DFC wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:09 am
I get the commercial aspect of not wanting to repeat the hoops
I'm not sure I do. Will people buy a kit they don't like?
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Re: New kit

Post by Darlo_Pete » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:59 am

theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:54 am
MB86DFC wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:09 am
I get the commercial aspect of not wanting to repeat the hoops
I'm not sure I do. Will people buy a kit they don't like?
I doubt if they will, but there will be plenty of people that will &they will buy the kit. Whatever kit is chosen there will be people that like it & hate it. I've not bought the recent hooped shirts because I didn't like them.

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Re: New kit

Post by LoidLucan » Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:00 am

Number 4 reminded me of something way back in the days when crazy barnets were in....

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bstqj8Gn6 ... ys6gt55hi

But the daft dots in the background on the white rule it out. Number 1 is silly and way off the mark and Number 3 is just far, far too busy and might be laughed at as too offbeat. So it's Number 2 for me.... simple, clear, defined and acceptable.

As for buying a shirt, I just get one as a matter of course whatever it looks like as another way of putting a bit of extra money into the club, even if I think I look like I should never be allowed out of the house :D
Last edited by LoidLucan on Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

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New kit

Post by Darlogramps » Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:02 am

al_quaker wrote:
Darlogramps wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:12 am
al_quaker wrote:
lo36789 wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:35 am
Old Git wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2020 10:02 pm
Totally agree. None of them are proper Darlington shirts. Black and white hoops are distinctive and unique and I bet loads of other teams would like to have that.
To be fair that first one is pretty similar to our kit from 1889 (black strip down the middle).

We had stripes, quarters and a solid black vertical strip all before we ever had hoops.

In fact I think in our 127 year history I am not sure we have worn hoops for even 50% of it.

I like the quarters throwback that's why 3 gets my vote.
http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Darling ... ington.htm

It's only relatively recently that hoops have become the norm based on that

Looking at our history, a 'proper' darlington shirt is black and white. That's the common thread running throughout our historical kits. All 4 of the available shirts fulfill that criteria.

I'm sure we will be back in hoops the season after next, so I'm not sure what the furore is in certain quarters.
It clearly doesn’t show that at all.

From 1912 for about 40-45 years hoops were “the norm” according to that. Then for 35 years we had a white and black kit. And since the mid-1990s hooped kits have been fairly regular since, particularly recently.

What’s wrong with people wanting hoops as part of the club’s identity? Given hoops clearly are preferred by a significant percentage of the fanbase, not having any hooped option to vote on seems fairly undemocratic.

And personally I think if decisions about our club’s identity are being driven because of commercial factors, that’s a little disappointing.
I didn't read the dates properly! But I think the point still stands that we haven't always worn hoops, and that other kit styles form part of our history

There's absolutely nothing wrong with people wanting hoops to form part of the identity. I don't think I've ever said that it was wrong. And hoops will, obviously, still form a huge part of our identity going forwards. If next seasons kit doesnt sell well then I'd imagine we won't veer away from hoops very often in the future at all.

Maybe it is disappointing that decisions about what kits we are wearing is driven by commerical factors, but that's the reality of the world we are living in. We have to try and maximise our revenue in whatever way we can, particulalry when revenue streams are so constrained in other areas. It's disappointing we have to cover them in advertising too, but I'd rather we try and maximise our revenue to put the best product out on the pitch we can. It may not work, but I don't see the harm in trying for one season to see if it does work.
The counter argument to that is the people who do see hoops as the club’s identity will be alienated by not having that option, so are less inclined to buy it, in which case the whole exercise becomes self-defeating.

I’m not convinced on the argument of “hoop fatigue” costing us shirt sales, but without masses of in depth, qualitative evidence from fans, there’s no way that argument can be proved either way.

But I don’t like that fans have been denied at least a chance to vote on an option a significant proportion views as being part of the club’s identity. When you start eroding the club’s identity for commercial reasons, you’re on a slippery slope in my opinion.
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Re: New kit

Post by al_quaker » Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:09 am

Darlogramps wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:02 am

The counter argument to that is the people who do see hoops as the club’s identity will be alienated by not having that option, so are less inclined to buy it, in which case the whole exercise becomes self-defeating.

I’m not convinced on the argument of “hoop fatigue” costing us shirt sales, but without masses of in depth, qualitative evidence from fans, there’s no way that argument can be proved either way.

But I don’t like that fans have been denied at least a chance to vote on an option a significant proportion views as being part of the club’s identity. When you start eroding the club’s identity for commercial reasons, you’re on a slippery slope in my opinion.
You may well be right - it could be a disaster. But it may also work, as not everyone believes hoops are integral to our identity. We will find out roughly this time next year whether its been a success or not. If people like the change then great they can buy it, if they don't then it will be one season before we inevitably go back to hoops.

Now, I'll be rioting if we don't finally get an orange away kit - we seem to have had every colour but orange recently :lol:

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Re: New kit

Post by JasonDeVos » Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:23 am

Darlogramps wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:02 am
al_quaker wrote:
Darlogramps wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:12 am
al_quaker wrote:
lo36789 wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:35 am


To be fair that first one is pretty similar to our kit from 1889 (black strip down the middle).

We had stripes, quarters and a solid black vertical strip all before we ever had hoops.

In fact I think in our 127 year history I am not sure we have worn hoops for even 50% of it.

I like the quarters throwback that's why 3 gets my vote.
http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Darling ... ington.htm

It's only relatively recently that hoops have become the norm based on that

Looking at our history, a 'proper' darlington shirt is black and white. That's the common thread running throughout our historical kits. All 4 of the available shirts fulfill that criteria.

I'm sure we will be back in hoops the season after next, so I'm not sure what the furore is in certain quarters.
It clearly doesn’t show that at all.

From 1912 for about 40-45 years hoops were “the norm” according to that. Then for 35 years we had a white and black kit. And since the mid-1990s hooped kits have been fairly regular since, particularly recently.

What’s wrong with people wanting hoops as part of the club’s identity? Given hoops clearly are preferred by a significant percentage of the fanbase, not having any hooped option to vote on seems fairly undemocratic.

And personally I think if decisions about our club’s identity are being driven because of commercial factors, that’s a little disappointing.
I didn't read the dates properly! But I think the point still stands that we haven't always worn hoops, and that other kit styles form part of our history

There's absolutely nothing wrong with people wanting hoops to form part of the identity. I don't think I've ever said that it was wrong. And hoops will, obviously, still form a huge part of our identity going forwards. If next seasons kit doesnt sell well then I'd imagine we won't veer away from hoops very often in the future at all.

Maybe it is disappointing that decisions about what kits we are wearing is driven by commerical factors, but that's the reality of the world we are living in. We have to try and maximise our revenue in whatever way we can, particulalry when revenue streams are so constrained in other areas. It's disappointing we have to cover them in advertising too, but I'd rather we try and maximise our revenue to put the best product out on the pitch we can. It may not work, but I don't see the harm in trying for one season to see if it does work.
The counter argument to that is the people who do see hoops as the club’s identity will be alienated by not having that option, so are less inclined to buy it, in which case the whole exercise becomes self-defeating.

I’m not convinced on the argument of “hoop fatigue” costing us shirt sales, but without masses of in depth, qualitative evidence from fans, there’s no way that argument can be proved either way.

But I don’t like that fans have been denied at least a chance to vote on an option a significant proportion views as being part of the club’s identity. When you start eroding the club’s identity for commercial reasons, you’re on a slippery slope in my opinion.
I agree with Gramps shock.

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New kit

Post by Darlogramps » Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:27 am

The point isn’t about it “only being one season” which is a little patronising.

The point is the club have decided our identity (or at least what a significant proportion view as our identity) is expendable at the cost of one year of kit sales, which may or may not work.

I do get the commercial argument, but it runs counter to the values we’ve been trying to instil since 2012. A fan-owned club denying it’s fans a chance to even vote on something many regard as part of the club’s identity. It’s like a bad joke.

To me this feeds into the wider issue of club engagement and connection with fans. I’d actually argue a lack of identity is part of the reason we’ve struggled to attract and keep fans. It’s hard to build up an identity when you play at four different home grounds in 13 years, for example.

To deny them even the option to vote on hoops is symptomatic of that.
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Re: New kit

Post by Makka Pakka » Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:14 pm

As was tweeted recently the designs were chosen from Puma's limited range. Maybe there just weren't any hooped designs different enough from the last two seasons (which were very similar).
I do like them all and have voted 2.
"At a meeting held at the Grammar School on Friday last - Mr Phillip Wood M.A., in the chair - it was resolved to form an Association Football Club for Darlington and neighbourhood. The opinions of those present were so unanimous as to the desirability of this step, that a committee was formed to complete the organisation of the club, and Mr Craven, 17, Garden Street, was appointed secretary pro tem." - The Northern Echo, Monday 23rd July 1883

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Re: New kit

Post by al_quaker » Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:19 pm

Darlogramps wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:27 am
The point isn’t about it “only being one season” which is a little patronising.

The point is the club have decided our identity (or at least what a significant proportion view as our identity) is expendable at the cost of one year of kit sales, which may or may not work.

I do get the commercial argument, but it runs counter to the values we’ve been trying to instil since 2012. A fan-owned club denying it’s fans a chance to even vote on something many regard as part of the club’s identity. It’s like a bad joke.

To me this feeds into the wider issue of club engagement and connection with fans. I’d actually argue a lack of identity is part of the reason we’ve struggled to attract and keep fans. It’s hard to build up an identity when you play at four different home grounds in 13 years, for example.

To deny them even the option to vote on hoops is symptomatic of that.
Personally I find it a little hard to link all those items with the decision not to offer hoops this year. Maybe it's because I'm not as much a believer as others are that our identity is hoops. BUT I accept that there will be some fans very disappointed in the decision, including maybe for some of the reasons you lay out. For that reason I'm go to leave it there, and that I hope kit 3 wins as that's the one I would purchase :thumbup:

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loan_star
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Re: New kit

Post by loan_star » Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:31 pm

One of the best ever kits we had was the Hummel one from the 80s, not a hoop in sight.

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Re: New kit

Post by D_F_C » Mon Jan 27, 2020 1:16 pm

I don't think we've played in hoops for that much of the last 30 years, so to say it's our identity doesn't really work for me.

The club are probably in an impossible position because if they keep hoops, they'd potentially lose cash and some people would complain, if you lose hoops you might gain some extra £, but have some people complain.

You can't please everyone, so I think the club have done the right thing

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Re: New kit

Post by StevieMardenboro » Mon Jan 27, 2020 2:44 pm

I have loved pretty much all of our hooped shirts - and I do associate the kit with Darlo success: Back to back titles under Brian Little, the great 95-96 team, the FA trophy and our rise through the non leagues but my reaction when I saw these was 'Oh good something a bit different.'

I wonder if its an age thing. I've watched Darlo since 83. Almost all of the first 20 years were not in hoops so I don't see it as being central to the club's identity. Totally understand that many perhaps most feel differently.

I like all four of these proposed kits. All much better than our last few none hooped ones which have been horrible.

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Re: New kit

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Mon Jan 27, 2020 2:53 pm

D_F_C wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 1:16 pm
The club are probably in an impossible position because if they keep hoops, they'd potentially lose cash and some people would complain, if you lose hoops you might gain some extra £, but have some people complain.

It's not an impossible position - make hoops one of the options - then let the fans decide. Surely then the most popular kit wins and sales will benefit. Unless we're saying that an less popular choice will sell better than a more popular choice?
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Feethams the Panda. 28 Jan 2012.
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Mister e
Posts: 411
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2019 3:08 pm
Team Supported: Darlington

Re: New kit

Post by Mister e » Mon Jan 27, 2020 3:10 pm

For those fans pining to keep hoops maybe we could ask the rugby club to do spaghetti hoops in their food outlets 😁😁😁😁

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