In football fan culture, there are a few items of clothing that are synonymous.
The football scarf, the football shirt and classic trainers are three that instantly spring to mind.
For some, official club merchandise and training kit are the must have threads whilst for others and the more discerning fan, high-end designer labels are what matter.
The casual sub-culture needs no introduction in regards to British football but in recent years there is another contender on the scene.
Unofficial fan merchandise could be said to bridge the gap between club branded sportswear and designer gear and on the Rangers scene, that niche is targeted by Every Other Saturday
Named after the famous Rangers terrace song, EOS aims to provide a reputable clothing service to fellow Bears and to exploit a gap in the market.
VitalRangers caught up with Rab, one of the guys behind the Rangers fan merchandise venture which was launched in February 2017, to get a better understanding of their operation.
EOS was asked of their motivations and influences, to which they responded,
“The motivation to operate EOS is to provide high quality Rangers inspired clothing to our support, we felt that there was no-one else offering genuinely good quality clothing to the supporters and that we could change this. We’re motivated by the desire to keep designs in line with what people want to wear to games, or now when supporting the team from home. It doesn’t have to be big and bold slogans but it can be a nod to former squads, notable players, club successes as well as designs that offer up a freedom to produce something that quite simply, looks good.”
“EOS is influenced by several things. Firstly the support. It must be something that different generations of Rangers fans can wear to games that could as easily be worn alongside branded clothing that we all see at the football or with official Rangers merchandise.”
Amongst the ‘core support’ at away games and on European shores, it is said that the purest essence of a football club’s support is found and that is hard to argue with.
EOS can be pleased with their impact on this section of the Rangers support as their brand is visible, particularly with t-shirts, hoodies and stickers.
We asked Rab what he enjoyed most about the fan merch operation, “I enjoy that the customer base is exclusively Rangers fans,”
“There’s few industries where you can work with a customer base who are as passionate about something like this. It’s great for reaching out to customers and through social media you can get a real grasp of what it is people would like to see next”
“Rangers consumes all our lives, when we are doing well or when we have struggled, it’s often the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last before you go to bed. So getting to spend so much time fulfilling orders, designing the next t-shirt, engaging with other Rangers fans, it’s very much something that never feels like work.”
The brand has a strong following amongst the youth in the Rangers support and especially with the fans in and around the Union Bears ultras group. This demographic within the fanbase can often be edgy and boisterous, but always loyal and passionate.
Youth culture dictates a demand for expression and to be different. In this void, brands like EOS meet the need in ways that official club merchandise cannot.
In closing we asked Rab and EOS about the demand for their products and how that contrasts to official Rangers goods and the multi-million partnership with kit suppliers, Castore.
“It tells us that there is always going to be demand for something that the club aren’t typically going to fit onto the website or The Rangers Store.”
“Fan merchandise can be responsive to quick changes too, for instance when Ryan Kent scored against Celtic last season with the famous celebration afterwards, we were able to have this illustrated and put on a sticker during the winter break. It’s also a design RFC/Castore aren’t likely to touch.”
“There is also the RFCHSV designs we’ve been able to release to serve the growing number of supporters who are engaged in the Rangers – Hamburg fan friendship and the links between the clubs.”
“What RFC/Castore put out in their casual range is often generic too, there’s little personality to it. Some of the range appears like it could be done by an agency who’ve never been to a Rangers game or follow the club to any real extent. I actually think Castore are uniquely placed to get the casual range right as Rangers are their number one client but currently an opportunity is being missed to maximise their appeal to the support.”
Fan culture and the market that serves it is massive but much of it is untapped and not executed effectively. With other influences from Europe, including the ultras and casual scene, it is here to stay, especially at Rangers as this insight on EOS evidences.
The need for genuine, original fan content and expression at football grounds is imperative. Fans provide the passion, the colour and noise that is conspicuous by its absence in these times of Covid and behind closed doors games when the professional game is essentially a TV product.
Without fan culture, especially atmosphere and its manifestation at games, football becomes a santitised, clinical commodity and that is not healthy for the soul of the game.