New Jerseys Please - A call to all Fans

[Aweflee]

Of course... And tricolour panties for the fairer s*x sponsored by 'Sambodino's' sandwich bar in the middle of Tellamore!!

[Lone Shark]

I think it's actually not that bad at all. After all, the red bit was out of their hands - as I said before, the sponsors insisted, and to take any chances with sponsors in this environment would be madness. OY13 compared us to Tyrone a while back, but I did hear the numbers regarding the upcoming deal between Ladbrokes and Derry, and we're getting about the same - which is not bad going at all when you bear in mind that they appear on national TV a lot more than we do.

I agree that the number on the front of the jersey crowds that section a bit, but the GAA are generally trying to bring this in because it aids referees and it also aids photographers. I'm not sure how much leeway there was with the GAA logo itself on the right either - however if we were thinking outside the box, we should be trying to sell these in airports and stuff, since it's the closest jersey to the national one in existence. Americans and the like would lap it up.

I'd have gone for simpler sleeves perhaps too - one yellow stripe within white rather than several - but generally speaking it's fine. I'll be buying one anyway.

[azoffaly]

I remember the Offaly jersey was the most popular replica jersey after the Dublin one, for precisely the reason Lone Shark mentions.

[Bord na Mona man]

Offaly jersies are fairly popular up in Ulster too.
I have met manys the person wearing an Offaly jersey abroad on holidays.
Usually the person is sporting a tache, perm and jailhouse tattoos, leading you to believe they are from Ferbane, Doon or Pullagh direction.

It's always a bit of a surprise when they reply to you in a heavy Belfast accent.

[bracknaghboy]

1. No need for the green strip down the side.
2. No need for the yellow stripes on the sleves.
3. No need for crests on the sleves. One crest on the chest is enough for any jersey.
4. No need for the green line at the top and bottom of the white.
5. No need for anything on the collars.

If none of the above were present I wouldn't have so much of a problem with the red Carrols logo. However as it stands it looks to me like someone sat down and tried to cram as much as possible into the design. Very gaudy looking indeed. It reminds of that thing we had in 2005.......the reason I remember that is beacuse its the onw the hurlers wore when Kilkenny beat us by 64pts or whatever it was.....Uggh the thoughts of it.

[birr are magic]

the same one offaly lost to down in the football bye 30 points

[GreatDayForTheParish]

The very fact that the jersey was changed at all is nothing but good news. To paraphrase young Obama from Moneygall, 'CHANGE', any change was sorely needed. In addition to this, as stated at the start of the thread, the new design should at the very least help fill the coffers of the county board. And in the current economic climate that is no bad thing. There is a recession on apparently, or so I'm told.

As for the design itself, I think it's quite good. The basic colour design is admirable, an honorable mention in particular must go to the continuation of the green band on to the sleeves. A very welcome nod, and return, to tradition. Asides from that it's all very favorable apart from the red Carrolls Meats logo. It's too garish, gawdy and just not right. Dearly would I love to have the sponsors logo as it was last year but I'm inclined to agree with the Lone Shark on this one. If the sponsors insisted then there really is nothing the county board could have done. To refuse them, in the current economic climate, would have been unacceptably risky. There is a recession on apparently, or so I'm told.

Throughout the course of this thread there have been numerous loud and vociferous opinions regarding the desire for the return of a more 'traditional' jersey. I always treat such dewey eyed nostalgia with a degree of caution. Were the jerseys of the 1980's really that good? Or was it not just that the many Croke Park days and summer Sundays of that decade were really that good. No doubt when those jerseys were released 'back in the day' they were considered unappealing for a variety of reasons. Our counterparts of tewnty odd years ago probably harked for a return of the 1950's garment. And the most recent issue will probably be a collectors item come 2030. And so on and so forth as fashion and nostalgia goes.....

Finally I hope that the county board kicks on now and improves, drastically, the variety of associated Offaly apparel available. Also the setting up of a shop in O'Connor Park, as pointed out by the Lone Shark, makes such blindingly obvious sense that it's continued omission is nothing short of criminal. Financially the county board could not loose. There is a recession on apparently.

[Coolestown1562]

I think it's actually not that bad at all. After all, the red bit was out of their hands - as I said before, the sponsors insisted, and to take any chances with sponsors in this environment would be madness. OY13 compared us to Tyrone a while back, but I did hear the numbers regarding the upcoming deal between Ladbrokes and Derry, and we're getting about the same - which is not bad going at all when you bear in mind that they appear on national TV a lot more than we do.

Just a few observations/ questions/ comments on the debate on the new jersey and the like. Im not picking on the shark's comments just one line in the above stood out. 'The sponsors insisted' got me thinking.
1st- Are we the only county with the same sponsor since they were introduced in 1991?
2nd- Are the county board actually getting a fair deal out of the sponsorship agreement?

A couple of years back an Offaly minor team got to a Leinster Final and when Carroll's wouldnt commit any sponsorship a Dublin based Offalyman offered to purchase tracksuits for the team. Now these tracksuits included the Carroll's logo and no mention of the sponsor. On his arrival in O'Connor Park at the teams last training session he was informed that no photograph was to be taken for the local press, which was his only prequisite to paying for the tracksuits. And so he set off back to Dublin without even a photo taken.

A recent OY manager also queried the possibility of outside funding and he was told that if he did he would be shown the door.

I would suggest a consortium of sponsors, come together and pool there money in.
E.g. If Banagher Concrete, Carroll's and Accelerated Drain Cleaning plus someone like the Bridge House or the Court Hotel came together surely they would be able to improve the conditions and welfare of the players. Erect proper signs all over the county from Kishawanna bridge in Edenderry to Carrig and Riverstown showing who the sponsors of Offaly GAA are.

[Over The Black Spot]

A couple of years back an Offaly minor team got to a Leinster Final and when Carroll's wouldnt commit any sponsorship a Dublin based Offalyman offered to purchase tracksuits for the team. Now these tracksuits included the Carroll's logo and no mention of the sponsor. On his arrival in O'Connor Park at the teams last training session he was informed that no photograph was to be taken for the local press, which was his only prequisite to paying for the tracksuits. And so he set off back to Dublin without even a photo taken.

I would suggest a consortium of sponsors, come together and pool there money in.
E.g. If Banagher Concrete, Carroll's and Accelerated Drain Cleaning plus someone like the Bridge House or the Court Hotel came together surely they would be able to improve the conditions and welfare of the players. Erect proper signs all over the county from Kishawanna bridge in Edenderry to Carrig and Riverstown showing who the sponsors of Offaly GAA are.

Not that I'd doubt you Coolestown but that's disgraceful if true about the sponsor for the tracksuits. Unfortunately though, it's not surprising given some of the individuals that have been involved at county board level at times.

Pooling together a number of companies would be a good idea if the level of funding coming from Carroll Cuisine is an issue, which I'm not sure if it is? someone might have the exact figures in question. We may not be in great position with regard to Carrolls as gone are the days of the local owner doing his bit for the local GAA by pumping back in some funds and the new setup there probably dictates that value for money rather than any emotional ties are the deciding factor when it comes to sponsorship of this kind.

One other little thing, I'm sure how happy they'd be in Carrig & Riverstown with signs relating to Offaly GAA. After all, this is the same C & R where Offaly played Down in a Walsh Cup game and one of the adult players of the club turned up for stewarding duties sporting a Tipp jersey.

[Coolestown1562]

[quote="Over The Black Spot"
One other little thing, I'm sure how happy they'd be in Carrig & Riverstown with signs relating to Offaly GAA. After all, this is the same C & R where Offaly played Down in a Walsh Cup game and one of the adult players of the club turned up for stewarding duties sporting a Tipp jersey.[/quote]


I love it. Classic

Regarding the tracksuit issue, its a fact. It also happened in 1999 to a minor team which reached the leinster semi final and were refused generous sponsorship.

[Archangel]

Everything by O'Neills is over-designed, but I like the new jersey. BIG improvement over the previous.

[Bord na Mona man]

A couple of years back an Offaly minor team got to a Leinster Final and when Carroll's wouldnt commit any sponsorship a Dublin based Offalyman offered to purchase tracksuits for the team. Now these tracksuits included the Carroll's logo and no mention of the sponsor. On his arrival in O'Connor Park at the teams last training session he was informed that no photograph was to be taken for the local press, which was his only prequisite to paying for the tracksuits. And so he set off back to Dublin without even a photo taken.

I would suggest a consortium of sponsors, come together and pool there money in.
E.g. If Banagher Concrete, Carroll's and Accelerated Drain Cleaning plus someone like the Bridge House or the Court Hotel came together surely they would be able to improve the conditions and welfare of the players. Erect proper signs all over the county from Kishawanna bridge in Edenderry to Carrig and Riverstown showing who the sponsors of Offaly GAA are.

Not that I'd doubt you Coolestown but that's disgraceful if true about the sponsor for the tracksuits. Unfortunately though, it's not surprising given some of the individuals that have been involved at county board level at times.

Pooling together a number of companies would be a good idea if the level of funding coming from Carroll Cuisine is an issue, which I'm not sure if it is? someone might have the exact figures in question. We may not be in great position with regard to Carrolls as gone are the days of the local owner doing his bit for the local GAA by pumping back in some funds and the new setup there probably dictates that value for money rather than any emotional ties are the deciding factor when it comes to sponsorship of this kind.

On the sponsorship deal.
Most sponsors will expect exclusive sponsorship.
If they are forking out tens of thousands for the overall sponsor rights, they aren't going to appreciate another person or business taking an opportunity to attach their name to a team for a fraction of the cost.

While I doubt the intention was to undercut the main sponsor, I can understand why the county board would want to keep the main sponsor sweet.

I think the most extreme of this was the ambush marketing of Paddy Powers, who were putting logos on player's hurleys back in 2003. For a couple of hundred euro per player, they were getting exposure, publicity and the whole works. I'd say firms who were paying tens of thousands to get their names on the jersies, the advertising hoardings etc. were livid.

[Bord na Mona man]

Everything by O'Neills is over-designed, but I like the new jersey. BIG improvement over the previous.

I have to agree, while everyone might have their own views on the design, I think it is an improvement.
You get tired of the same jersey every year.

From now on the county should change design every 3 years as standard.
Not every 5 or 6 years, when the design gets dated, supporters get bored with it and revenue is lost by not modernising it.

[True Red]

Jays the two lads dont look happy here at all?

C'mon lads smile....its not that bad

[black and red exile]

God the Red in the middle looks dreadful. Its just a personal opinion but I think we will all look like Killavilla supporters. It looks so different from the traditional strip.