Rowing has been a high performance sport in the UK for over 2 decades, featuring on the podium across all boat classes at the World Championships and Olympics alike.
With a world class domination of the sport, domestic rowing in the UK itself has grown enormously in recent years. Membership to British Rowing increasing significantly following the success at the London 2012 Olympics.
Following standout performances from GB crews over the 2016 World Cup season, the Rio 2016 Olympics is already proving to hold equally impressive results and pique the interest of the public once again.
Infamously, there is a high ‘buy-in cost’ to rowing, with expensive equipment and boathouse costs meaning membership costs are on the steep side.
Furthermore, the specific requirements of the sport mean rowers need to invest in kit that allows sufficient movement while training but also clinging to the body.
With these high costs, you would hope the kit you invest in for training and competing would stand the test of time. However, this is often not the case. In the unsaturated rowing kit market, there are few bespoke rowing kit manufacturers that offer kit that last at affordable price.
Colours bleed, stitching comes undone, uni-suits shrink and sponsor logos peeling off. All of these are far too common across the board for rowing kit and the time has come to step up the game in this kit area.
Rowing is a sport steeped in tradition. The kit offered to clubs across the UK and the world has not revolutionised in recent years. The standard cut and sew contrast panelling with embroidered club crest and emblems as well as heat transferred sponsors is as prolific now as it was 10 years ago.
The technology used in boats and blades as well as training is not the same as it was 10 years ago, so why has the kit not caught up?
If we look to elite and club athletes in cycling, athletics and team sports, the kit they wear in training and competition has developed significantly even in the last few years. Using a mixture of technical, wicking fabrics and print techniques to give a professional finish to wear proudly.
What’s the alternative?
Sublimation rowing kit becoming standardised will revolutionise rowing across the board. By using sublimation, the ink will be pressed in to the fabric using heat – no more colour bleeding after 3 washes. Furthermore the ability to print whatever pattern you desire wherever you desire on your rowing kit doesn’t hinder the design customisation. This helps a great deal in defining your clubs brand – there are only so many colour combinations available, no matter how daring you decide to go!
When looking to support running costs, clubs often search for sponsorship opportunities to support their running as well as funding to help promising athletes. By using sublimation rowing kit, the days of dodgy, limited heat transfers or embroideries in single locations are over. No more peeling or preventing movement of the Lycra from sponsor logos.
This means the options to maximise the potential coverage for any sponsors – supporting your case when offering further branding options for potential sponsors.
Ultimately, moving away from traditional embroideries and heat transfers will open up design and sponsorship opportunities for any club. What’s more, getting rid of these accessories will increase the wicking capacity, helping athletes regulate body temperature as they are training in the summer and winter.
Functionality is important above all, which is what makes sublimation rowing kit such an obvious step forward.
What can we do for you?
Interested in sublimation rowing kit, or any other type of team kit?
We’ve developed our uni-suits and rowing kit range to make the most of the advantages of sublimation. Our men’s and women’s rowing kit patterns have been developed specifically to suit the demands of the sport while keeping physiological differences in mind.
If you are interested in exploring the sublimation options available to you with competitive pricing points, talk to one of our sales agents today on 01905 425324 or email sales@scimitarsports.com to receive your free bespoke rowing kit quote.
