The Girona FC shirt, co-leader of LaLiga EA Sports along with Real Madrid, has been one of the most requested gifts this Christmas, it has already exceeded 9,000 in sales, the same as those sold throughout the entire last campaign, and, when Only now completing the first round, the forecast challenge reaches 13,000, figures that certify an exponential increase and that, according to the club's president, Delfí Gelí, explains to EFE, "have exceeded all the calculations planned at the beginning of the season."
In 2015, Girona FC sold only 800 shirts in the Second Division. In 2024, nine years later, the sales numbers are excellent and marketing income could exceed one million euros.
Girona, in the words of Míchel, has entered a new dimension in every sense, also in merchandising: half the League has been played, but the club has already exceeded the 9,000 shirts sold from last season, its ceiling. And the figures only include those sold from the club: without counting those that Puma can sell directly or indirectly, through distributors and third parties.
The entity expected to be around 9,000 shirts again, but the latest forecast already reaches 13,000. A new order is expected for the second half of January to satisfy a growing public because the stock has practically been exhausted. In principle, it should serve to get you to the end of the course. Of the order that arrived the first week of November, before Black Friday, of 3,000 t-shirts, there is almost nothing left.
"We are in an incredible sporting moment that means a media boom, no longer at a local or national level, but at an international level. Before there was no possibility of having a Girona shirt. Those of us who know the club see that it has changed like the night and the day. It's excellent news," says Geli.
In 2015, in Second Division, the only store the club had was a small space in the reception of the Montilivi offices: it sold about 800 shirts and the income from merchandising did not reach 40,000 euros. If they are met, the forecasts this year will exceed one million euros.
The 2016-2017 season coincided with the opening of the online store and the first promotion to Primera, so the number grew to 2,000 shirts, a record to date, and the 2017-2018 season, the first in Primera, reached up to the 7,000 game kits sold.
On October 29, 2017, the Montilivi store opened. Today Girona has two stores: the one in Montilivi and the one that opened on May 5 in the city center, on the Rambla de la Llibertat. "An emblematic site of our city where many things come together," according to Geli.
"The people of Girona, our people, have the store next to their house and, in addition, it is a place where many people pass by who come to visit our city. This gives us an extraordinary plus. It is a point of reference for the entire the people who come to Girona. Everyone wants to take a souvenir, be it a t-shirt or anything else," argues the president.
Likewise, he points out that "it has been a very important step forward." On the day of the inauguration he already spoke of "one more step in the growth of Girona", a step that they needed to take "so that Girona is alive in the city" and to be close to the fans, "in the heart of Girona".
The general manager of Puma in southern Europe, Javier Ortega, has highlighted that the brand wants to "continue going hand in hand with Girona. We are very happy not only to see the growth of the club, but to be able to continue contributing things that make it the club is bigger." Cristhian Stuani, captain, and Taty Castellanos also participated in the inauguration.
The store, a five-minute walk from Girona Cathedral and the unmistakable Game of Thrones stairs, has two floors and a total space of 275 square meters. Sales in the club's two official stores represent approximately 80% of the total and the remaining 20% are made online.
Half of the purchases in the online store correspond to the province of Girona, but sales outside the territory are growing: the province of Barcelona already represents 30% of sales. Beyond Catalonia and the rest of Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, France and the Netherlands stand out, especially after the signing of defender Daley Blind in the summer.
Geli points out that the foreign public "did not know Girona before and today they want any souvenir from the team." "We are no longer putting not the club, but the city and the province on the lips of the best television stations in the world. Many people know us and follow us. We did not expect to reach this point so soon. These are moments to take advantage of and enjoy," he added. .
"All this shows the growth of Girona at a social level, at the level of families, of children: everyone wants to be from Girona, to have the shirt, to come to a game," he argues. This season the club had already blown its record of subscribers, with 9,700, and members, about 13,000.
In the preview of the Copa del Rey victory against Elche, Míchel stated that "the merchandising thing is spectacular. I have been asked for shirts from many places in Spain. We are very pleased that people are valuing what we are doing, so many children. We are a humble team that is fighting at the top and I see that there are many people who value it and who are with us. If this can be seen in the club's merchandising, perfect. I hope we continue like this."
