By Andy Marston, Sports Pundit
In a bold move to reconnect with fans and club heritage, Dutch second-tier club Willem II have committed to a three-year period with no sponsors on their iconic shirt.
The club’s kit, once voted the greatest in Dutch football history, will feature no branding: no front-of-shirt, back, or sleeve sponsors. The only word printed on the back? Tilburg, the club’s home city.
Instead of paying for visibility, 18 partners agreed to financially support the club without appearing on the shirt. “They didn’t want the visibility but just to support giving the shirt back to the fans,” said GM Merijn Goris.
Despite being relegated, the club saw a doubling of sponsorship income compared to the previous year. And they also currently rank 10th in ticket sales across all Dutch clubs.
Willem II sold more shirts in the first three days after the launch than in the whole previous season altogether, as highlighted by Dawid Prokopowicz (one of my favourite people to follow on LinkedIn).
Why It Matters:
By removing logos from the shirt, the most sacred object for many fans, the club has reinforced its identity, boosted its revenue, and deepened its community ties.
In doing so, they have also reframed the role of sponsors themselves.
The 18 partners have effectively paid to not be visible, aligning with the club’s values over logo placements. In a market that is full of noise, that choice to stay silent could potentially cut through louder their logo can.
Such a move is obviously easier said than done. A lot of credit belongs with the sponsors for both seeing and buying into that vision. And time will tell if they see the rewards for doing so.
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