England Hockey’s switch to kit manufacturers Mizuno is placing a significant financial burden on Masters players, an insider says.
While age group players in England U16s, U18s and U21s have been supplied with the new kit, Masters players have been told by England Hockey to buy the new kit themselves.
Each player received a discount on the playing shirt but was then given a kit list with additional items it is mandatory for them to have at full price.
“You’ve already spent £200 to £300, maybe more on Adidas kit, and then you’re being asked to spend the same again on Mizuno because England Hockey have decided to change the contract,” an insider told THP.
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In my option the quality off the kit is rather poor
That is happening nearly every year in Australia and is costing all Masters players a great deal of their own money.
To say nothing of the associated costs to represent either your state, Australia or Southern Cross at competitions.
International air fares, even to SouthAfrica in a couple of weeks were beyond three thousand dollars with travel insurance. Europe is the same or even more. Even internal travel inAustralia is not cheap, due to the distances involved.
If England Hockey genuinely think that “there is general support for the new kit”, then they are out of touch and have not done their homework. I have a wardrobe full of expensive kit covering 20 plus years of England masters hockey with multiple changes of sponsorship. I am not buying another tracksuit at my age!
The Masters Kit isn’t even the same as the Full England squads kit either.
To be fair parents of children in the England Age group system have also had to pay out twice in 12 months. Whilst they are loaned the playing shorts/skirts and shirts they have to buy socks and all the training kit too.
To be fair, the kit is a bit of a mixed bag. Playing shirts OK and I’ve had worse trackie trousers. It’s the shorts that are an utter joke. I have ‘Large’ in both red and blue (mandated). The blues are Stanley Matthews type shorts, whilst the reds would be typical ‘Gary Lineker’ shorts in his prime. Lay them on top of each other and the sizing differential is crazy. Leave aside there’s no England badge on either pair, and on the red I have just number printed, whilst on the blue its just initials. I think I’ll be digging out some older kit …..