Mandatory uniform purchases every 2 years?

[Anonymous]

Our club - BRYC - has sent notice that the club requires the purchase of a new team uniform per its Nike contract every two years. We are now in a new uniform cycle. In prior years, we used to be able to purchase the individual uniform pieces as needed (e.g., could buy 1 jersey, no socks, and a pair of shorts), which would help to lighten the burden of the uniform costs. This year, however, we've been sent a link to purchase an entire bundle without the ability to delete items - which includes three jerseys, shorts, socks, practice t-shirt, and warm up pants and a nike training jacket. The cost without tax and shipping is $280. The superfluous black nike training pants and training jacket add an additional $100 to the costs. I find this whole process completely ridiculous, particularly when I have uniforms that currently fit my two girls and don't need to buy anything new. If anything confirms that travel soccer is a complete racket, it's this.

My question is whether other clubs are like this? Is there a mandatory two year uniform change? And do the uniforms normally cost $300 with the addition of mandatory, useless gear?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our club - BRYC - has sent notice that the club requires the purchase of a new team uniform per its Nike contract every two years. We are now in a new uniform cycle. In prior years, we used to be able to purchase the individual uniform pieces as needed (e.g., could buy 1 jersey, no socks, and a pair of shorts), which would help to lighten the burden of the uniform costs. This year, however, we've been sent a link to purchase an entire bundle without the ability to delete items - which includes three jerseys, shorts, socks, practice t-shirt, and warm up pants and a nike training jacket. The cost without tax and shipping is $280. The superfluous black nike training pants and training jacket add an additional $100 to the costs. I find this whole process completely ridiculous, particularly when I have uniforms that currently fit my two girls and don't need to buy anything new. If anything confirms that travel soccer is a complete racket, it's this.

My question is whether other clubs are like this? Is there a mandatory two year uniform change? And do the uniforms normally cost $300 with the addition of mandatory, useless gear?

Yes this is standard practice for all travel teams.

[Anonymous]

Yes. It is very common. The item that always got me was the backpacks. You don't need a new one every two years.

[Anonymous]

It’s completely ridiculous but yes, it’s pretty standard (though I’d add that as someone whose kids used to play with BRYC, the extra items are new).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our club - BRYC - has sent notice that the club requires the purchase of a new team uniform per its Nike contract every two years. We are now in a new uniform cycle. In prior years, we used to be able to purchase the individual uniform pieces as needed (e.g., could buy 1 jersey, no socks, and a pair of shorts), which would help to lighten the burden of the uniform costs. This year, however, we've been sent a link to purchase an entire bundle without the ability to delete items - which includes three jerseys, shorts, socks, practice t-shirt, and warm up pants and a nike training jacket. The cost without tax and shipping is $280. The superfluous black nike training pants and training jacket add an additional $100 to the costs. I find this whole process completely ridiculous, particularly when I have uniforms that currently fit my two girls and don't need to buy anything new. If anything confirms that travel soccer is a complete racket, it's this.

My question is whether other clubs are like this? Is there a mandatory two year uniform change? And do the uniforms normally cost $300 with the addition of mandatory, useless gear?

Yes this is standard practice for all travel teams.

In my son's ECNL team, we were not required to purchase training gear, as that was optional so the price was considerably less. I believe it was around $150, which I didn't think was bad. The additional, useless items are what gets me. Are those warm up items normally required, too?

[Anonymous]

you don't have to buy anything but the game jerseys, shorts and socks. We had a bunch of parents push back because the kids never wear the warm ups, they prefer hoodies, not even the team hoodies but their favorite hoodie, they never wear the winter jacket, they prefer their warmer coats,

it's not their contract it's the club makes money off selling more gear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our club - BRYC - has sent notice that the club requires the purchase of a new team uniform per its Nike contract every two years. We are now in a new uniform cycle. In prior years, we used to be able to purchase the individual uniform pieces as needed (e.g., could buy 1 jersey, no socks, and a pair of shorts), which would help to lighten the burden of the uniform costs. This year, however, we've been sent a link to purchase an entire bundle without the ability to delete items - which includes three jerseys, shorts, socks, practice t-shirt, and warm up pants and a nike training jacket. The cost without tax and shipping is $280. The superfluous black nike training pants and training jacket add an additional $100 to the costs. I find this whole process completely ridiculous, particularly when I have uniforms that currently fit my two girls and don't need to buy anything new. If anything confirms that travel soccer is a complete racket, it's this.

My question is whether other clubs are like this? Is there a mandatory two year uniform change? And do the uniforms normally cost $300 with the addition of mandatory, useless gear?

Loudoun has 10 items costing $350. There is an option for individual purchase, but that is still at least $200.

[Anonymous]

How good is your kid? If they are great, tell them you are not interested in paying this much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you don't have to buy anything but the game jerseys, shorts and socks. We had a bunch of parents push back because the kids never wear the warm ups, they prefer hoodies, not even the team hoodies but their favorite hoodie, they never wear the winter jacket, they prefer their warmer coats,

it's not their contract it's the club makes money off selling more gear.

Unfortunately, we don't have the option to buy individual products. The website only allows the purchase of a bundle and we cannot delete items. As such, all items in the bundle must be purchased or no purchase can be completed. They will not release a website with options for individual purchase until after fall. I assume the timing on this is to keep parents from opting for cheaper options. It's a crap move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you don't have to buy anything but the game jerseys, shorts and socks. We had a bunch of parents push back because the kids never wear the warm ups, they prefer hoodies, not even the team hoodies but their favorite hoodie, they never wear the winter jacket, they prefer their warmer coats,

it's not their contract it's the club makes money off selling more gear.

My U16 has 3 different club backpacks. 3 years first club; 2 years 2nd club; club folded and another club. We aren’t buying another gdamn backpack. Just using a neutral one. Not buying the warm up pants. Will likely buy the training jacket since he does wear those in practices, game warm ups. My kids literally never wear the pants—even in 30 degree weather. They have enough black Nike and Adidas warm ups.

The worst was a Futsal team (not Bryc) required uniform purchase 2 years in a row but then they just wore the outdoor uniforms because a few kids didn’t have the futsal ones. I was done after that.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford the 2500 - 3500 to make yourself feel like your kids a selected travel player, you can afford the 300 for a uniform. send your kid to El Salvador and get a free kit if they could actually make a team. #whiteprivledge

[Anonymous]

My kids club is clever about this, they roll the cost into the yearly fee and then give you a gift card to pay the costs at the store.

[Anonymous]

If this is on soccer.com there is a way to get the website to allow you to order individual items without buying the entire kit at once. I used it last year when I needed to space our purchasing full kits for two kids. A parent on another team who’s a web developer figured it out.

[Anonymous]

VYS mandates the warmups for Eagles and Phoenix, and for the other teams, they are optional. Backpacks are always optional. The website lets you buy in bundles or alacarte.

I always buy a 2nd training jersey, because it gets way more wear than the game jerseys, and with practice 3x per week, you’re constantly having to make sure it is washed.

This year I bought 2x game jerseys (home and away), which is probably over-the-top, but I can’t count how many times the whole family has been stressed turning the house upside down to find the right jersey on game day. It also gives more jerseys for tournaments where you may be wearing the same color multiple times on consecutive days. At $45, it’s like the cost of 8 Starbucks, and I get the benefit for 2 years.

Buying every 2 years sounded like a racket initially, but at the end of the time period, the old jerseys always looked like belly shirts on my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VYS mandates the warmups for Eagles and Phoenix, and for the other teams, they are optional. Backpacks are always optional. The website lets you buy in bundles or alacarte.

I always buy a 2nd training jersey, because it gets way more wear than the game jerseys, and with practice 3x per week, you’re constantly having to make sure it is washed.

This year I bought 2x game jerseys (home and away), which is probably over-the-top, but I can’t count how many times the whole family has been stressed turning the house upside down to find the right jersey on game day. It also gives more jerseys for tournaments where you may be wearing the same color multiple times on consecutive days. At $45, it’s like the cost of 8 Starbucks, and I get the benefit for 2 years.

Buying every 2 years sounded like a racket initially, but at the end of the time period, the old jerseys always looked like belly shirts on my kids.

My DD is 15, DS is 13, and it is still a racket all these years later. I don't need new uniforms every 2 years. In fact, I could even hand down uniforms to the younger siblings to avoid such wasteful spending and wear. Plus, I always buy the jerseys big so that they fit the kids later.

I mean, aside from the costs, it is a huge waste.