Massive change predicted for every NRL club's jersey after $160 'problem' identified
The Kangaroos jersey recently sold out after the price to buy it was dropped dramatically.
NRL legend Peter Wynn has revealed to Yahoo Sport Australia how a reduction in the price of Kangaroos jerseys has led to unprecedented demand, and hopes a similar situation will occur with club kits. Peter Wynn's Score – owned and run by former Parramatta and representative star Wynn in the heart of Eels territory since 1988 - has sold out of the once friendless Kangaroos jersey on the back of a dramatic drop in price and renewed interest in the international game.
It's a similar story at most other outlets, with more than 4000 green and gold jumpers shifted during the recent Pacific Championships. Australian rugby league jerseys that once sold for $160 are now retailing for just under $100 after ARL commission chair Peter V'Landys made good on a promise to lower prices.
And it may lay the platform for a similar reduction on NRL jerseys in a move that would be applauded by fans at every club. "I’m not sure it’s (jumper sales) an area where we need to be making revenue," V’landys told the Daily Telegraph at the start of the year.
"In fact, I think we’d generate a lot more revenue if they were cheaper. Charging $160 is counter-productive and it’s definitely a problem we need to look at. The game is in its best financial position ever so we’ve got to look at all the costs."
Kangaroos jerseys sold through the roof during Test matches
International Rugby League chairman Troy Grant said the impact was immediate. "I think one of the big things for this season was the availability, at affordable prices, of the Kangaroos jersey," he declared. "I said to PVL some time ago, it's probably the least-owned Australian national jersey that's out there.
"You see cricket shirts everywhere, you can get Wallaby shirts, you can get Socceroos shirts, but you couldn't see many Kangaroo jerseys out there. I think they sold 4000 in four weeks because they made them affordable."
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Peter Wynn hopeful for reduction in price of NRL jerseys
It's led to hope there will a similar reduction in the price of club jumpers. Wynn told Yahoo Sport Australia: "There's a huge licensing fee involved with producing an NRL jersey and everyone gets a big cut from the sale of a jersey, so the NRL would have to have the same approach (as with the Australian jumper).
"I do know if they were cheaper, we'd sell a lot more. We've seen it with the Kangaroos. When I first went into business, there was huge demand for the Australian Kangaroos jumper. Then it dropped off dramatically and we hardly sold any.
"The resurgence of interest in the international game thanks to the likes of Tonga and Samoa has really reinvented the supply and demand for the Kangaroo jersey. And the reduced price certainly gives everyone the opportunity to buy the jersey, from adults down to the kids. I haven’t seen this much interest since the early 90s."
