Real Sociedad put fans' names instead of shirt sponsor
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Spanish club Real Sociedad have paid tribute to their fans by bearing the names of club members on the front of the players' shirts instead of paid advertising.
Each player wore the name of a randomly selected club member out of a pool of 25,000 as they took to the field against Sevilla on Thursday.
Sociedad calls the fan-appreciation initiative "We carry you on our shirts".
It is hoped that, while not bringing in any real cash, the idea will encourage fans to sign up and become a member in order to earn the opportunity for their hero to carry their name on the front of the shirt.
"The fans are the soul, the nourishment and the reason for Real Sociedad," said Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay.
"For this reason, we decided to unite two of the most important things at Real Sociedad – The fans and the shirt."
Last season, almost half of all La Liga clubs had no shirt sponsor, leading to creative options coming to the fore as they looked to make money.
Valencia put their Twitter handle in place of a sponsor, while Sevilla let fans pay to have their faces used to create the numbers on the back of shirts.
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| Real Sociedad players have a message for their fans: 'We carry you on our shirts' Photo: realsociedad.com |
Each player wore the name of a randomly selected club member out of a pool of 25,000 as they took to the field against Sevilla on Thursday.
Sociedad calls the fan-appreciation initiative "We carry you on our shirts".
It is hoped that, while not bringing in any real cash, the idea will encourage fans to sign up and become a member in order to earn the opportunity for their hero to carry their name on the front of the shirt.
"The fans are the soul, the nourishment and the reason for Real Sociedad," said Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay.
"For this reason, we decided to unite two of the most important things at Real Sociedad – The fans and the shirt."
Last season, almost half of all La Liga clubs had no shirt sponsor, leading to creative options coming to the fore as they looked to make money.
Valencia put their Twitter handle in place of a sponsor, while Sevilla let fans pay to have their faces used to create the numbers on the back of shirts.
