When it was announced that both Kerry and Donegal would have to wear change kits for this year’s All-Ireland Senior Football Final, one comment on social media ticked the boxes for funny and prescient.

The composer, a Dublin fan, reckoned that the Kingdom switching from green and gold to their usual back-up, the blue of Munster, would be a good omen as “four of their last six All-Ireland appearances have been won by a team in blue”.

So it proved again as the blue won out over the white of Donegal. Incidentally, it was the first time since the 1972 final against Offaly that Kerry had played a decider in colours other than green and gold – in the same period, seven semi-final appearances saw them switch to alternatives.

Three of those finals were against Mayo – in 1997, Kerry did make allowance for the colour-clash by playing in jerseys with a wider gold band than usual while in 2004, the Connacht county played in red. Two years on from that, though, both teams played in their primary kits, as strange as that may seem and even allowing for the fact that the shades of green were different.

That a Kerry–Mayo clash nowadays would without question require one or both teams to play in a completely different kit is perhaps as indicative of the changing of commercial considerations as much as it is to do with pragmatism or visibility.

Earlier this week, Armagh-based sportswear manufacturers McKeever launched a new range developed in conjunction with Kerry footballer David Clifford. While some of the more hysterical reactions compared it to Nike’s link-up with Michael Jordan, it is certainly worth remarking on how Clifford’s levels of fame have reached such a point that an initiative like this is even considered.

While we’re often guilty of lamenting the greats of the past and the lack of such specimens nowadays, it’s worth appreciating just what we have in Clifford – and of course being down on our knees that he wasn’t part of the exodus to Australian rules football.

Wherever he goes, Clifford attracts a crowd and we’ve yet to hear of him turning down a request for an autograph or a photo with a fan. The rule-changes to football and the improvement they have brought about have only served to showcase his wares even more. He recently collected his sixth All-Star Award and he won’t be 27 until January, so by the time he finishes up he could possess a record that will be almost untouchable.

For McKeever, securing Clifford’s services represents a coup and how this new range fares will tell us much about the changing nature of sportswear in Ireland.

While the GAA Special Congress held in October was largely centred around ratifying the permanence of the new football rules, the first motion up for discussion that day surrounded the rules on playing gear. Up to now, any kit worn by teams or sold to the public had to be of Irish manufacture but there was always a concern that such a regulation would fall foul of EU competition law if challenged.

Now, the situation has changed so that kit does not necessarily have to be made here but any company wishing to enter the market must still secure a licence from the GAA. The association recently circulated a document inviting expressions of interest from potential kit supplies and outlined the timeline by which the process would operate.

Replica market

The closing date for expressions of interest was earlier this week and tenders will be made between now and early January before applicants are shortlisted and contracts are finalised.

Whenever the topic has appeared in the media in the past, there have always been excitable news items about the possibility of adidas or Nike getting involved – in the case of the former, there is a legacy sentiment from the days when their Irish licensees made the Kerry strip in the 1980s and 1990s but back then there were issues regarding the branding that appeared on kits in games and that in turn affected their success with the replica market.

In the bigger picture, Ireland is a tiny market and any foreign players are only going to get involved if they feel there is a return to be made.

The Munster Rugby kit has been made by adidas since 2007 and so there is a possibility that one of the higher-profile counties could be a target for a big name. Or it may be more likely that the mid-range operators like Macron, Joma or Erreà become common names on GAA kits.

As ever, though, first up is best-dressed and, with a near-monopoly at present, O’Neills won’t be giving up their position of supremacy too easily.

With Azzurri having recently signed a deal with the Waterford County Board for the naming rights to Walsh Park, they are likely to stay with their native county for the foreseeable future.

The aforementioned McKeever will be looking to add to their current portfolio of Armagh and Westmeath, and all the more so if the Clifford range proves to be a success.