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Paddy Power have announced it’s controversial ‘sash’ style Huddersfield Town kit was just a hoax, releasing the real kits alongside a campaign aimed at shirt sponsors.
The campaign, titled ‘Save Our Shirt’, is calling on brands, including fellow bookmakers, to stop sponsoring football shirts.
The intention of the hoax jersey was to shine a light on the issues around shirt sponsorships, with Paddy Power now completely removing their logo from ‘The Terriers’ kit with the launch of the campaign.
? Here it is!
? #htafc can today reveal the ACTUAL @UmbroUK home kit!
? The shirt is part of @paddypower‘s new #SaveOurShirt campaign; an initiative that is backing a move towards unbranded football kits, effectively returning the shirt back to the fans.
More ?
— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) July 19, 2019
Victor Corcoran, Managing Director of Paddy Power, shed light on the campaign: “As a sponsor, we know our place, and it’s not on your shirt. So today we are calling on other sponsors to join the Save Our Shirt campaign, and give something back to the fans.”
As title sponsor of the club, the bookmaker are entitled to use the front of Huddersfield’s kit for advertising, however, by relinquishing this they are hoping to encourage other sponsors to do the same.
Along with the campaign and re-release, Paddy Power have donated part of their sponsorship to the Huddersfield Town Foundation, and have announced they will be setting up an amnesty outside the John Smith’s Stadium on the first day of the season, where they will exchange 500 new kits for previous branded versions.
With over half of all teams in England’s top two divisions being sponsored by bookmakers for the upcoming season, Corcoran hoped that the decision taken by Paddy Power would encourage others to follow suit, stating: “Shirt sponsorship in football has gone too far. We accept that there is a role for sponsors around football, but the shirt should be sacred.”
