A few days ago I decided that I needed a new travel mug and almost at the same time I thought we had a rugby one in Edinburgh. How cool would that be? A short (the only friendly) trawl of the Edinburgh part of the SRU shop online revealed that they had nothing of that nature in stock.
That then reminded me that I once thought I would like an umbrella from the brand in Edinburgh and discovered that umbrellas are also something that Edinburgh fans do not need for some reason.
I started to wonder why the offer is so meager? Which weird and/or beautiful items are we as fans of Edinburgh missing?
It is a wide field to explore, so because of some conciseness, I have limited my search to items on websites that belong to clubs that we have played this season or in the not too distant past.
The whole thing started with me looking for a travel mug, so let’s go that away first.
Here are a few of Ulster’s and Newcastle Falcons stores respectively.
Both are cracking and if I supported one of these teams, I would certainly have made a purchase.
Neatly follow from there, both wasps and brive have brought quite pint glasses in their stores. Saracens go one step further and have red and white wine glasses for sale. They are £ 26.50 each, but would certainly be a nice gift.
Perhaps the ultimate gift for the wine connoisseur was available on the Brive website.
I know that I have Tennsen and Rugby World Cup glasses in my closet, along with some plastic mugs in Edinburgh/Scotland, but would anyone would like a rugby pint -mok from Edinburgh with an etched logo on it? We are sponsored by Glen Moray, but there is no Edinburgh Whiskey Glass. While we are there, would Edinburgh -shaped ice cubes float the boat?
For the better dressed person Falcons, London Irish and Wasps, all club tires have available in their respective stores. I would love a rugby strop of Edinburgh, perhaps not the arch variety.
We have a few saffers in front of us and they love a braai and despite our sometimes/always unpredictable weather, it is not unknown that our scots have a BBQ or two. What is that better than an apron to wear while you use the tongs. Here is a few that you could have if you were a Brive or London Irish supporter.
And after you retire from a busy day, what better than coming home to your club doormat, you slide into your club -dress dress and lean back on the couch with pillows that are decorated with the red hand.
And at the end of the evening, and perhaps more focused on children, a comforter in stock over a brand.
If you want a dog collar, then Sarries have one, they actually have a few to choose from.
And submitted under various cardiff stock a laptop bag and for the Falcons Program Collectors provide a binder for them.
If you are a seasonal card holder from Edinburgh, you remember that the Christmas card we received from the club contained a cardboard carved tree decoration. Wasps go one step further and actually have a Christmas tree decoration in the brand in their catalog.
Finally, whoever among us would not want a badge -shaped car -shaped car -air freshener from Edinburgh? It is a cheap item and would easily sell that I would imagine. Here is an example of London Irish that only costs £ 3.50
Ok, it’s a bit fun, but the serious point that this underlines is that there is clearly a market for these articles, otherwise the respective clubs would not store them, so why don’t Edinburgh follow? Of course, some of these items that you would not give a house space, but I know I see at least 3 or 4 that I would buy, but there is no responsibility for taste.
It is interesting to note that when viewing the various catalogs, the common denominator when having a limited variety of items is that those teams are all supplied by Macron. For example, Edinburgh and Cardiff only have 2 pages with accessories for sale, but Ulster and Wasps have so many accessories/gifts for sale that they must mention them under category. Wasps have 15 different categories of gift. That may just be a coincidence, but it makes you wonder.
#Merch