Bangladesh’s new official national football jersey will cost Tk 1,600, while fans can pay Tk 1,700 for a version carrying a player’s name and number, Dour founder and CEO Abid Alam said after Tuesday’s launch in Dhaka.
The company unveiled the new home and away kits at the National Sports Council auditorium in the presence of State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque and Bangladesh Football Federation president Tabith Awal.
The launch had originally been planned for last month, but several delays pushed the event back.
Abid defended the increased price, pointing to improved fabric quality and the costs of producing, marketing and distributing the jerseys. He also said Dour pays a substantial royalty from sales to the BFF, although he did not reveal the amount.
“I don’t think it is too expensive,” Abid said, arguing that the Bangladesh jersey remains competitively priced internationally.
He went further by claiming that the new Bangladesh shirt ranks as the cheapest national-team jersey in the world, based on his knowledge of the international market.
Dour will also offer a cheaper fan edition for around Tk 700, the same price as the previous version. Abid said that price could rise by no more than Tk 50.
The company plans to move beyond online sales and take the Bangladesh jersey into physical shops, including overseas markets. Abid named Singapore and South America as potential destinations and said Dour also wants the shirt stocked at locations such as the FIFA Museum.
Corporate demand has already started to grow. Abid said Robi and Banglalink were among companies that had placed orders, with corporate clients buying between 1,000 and 1,500 jerseys.
Some companies placed orders before seeing the final design, according to Abid.
Overall sales have reportedly reached around 35,000, although Abid could not provide an exact figure. Dour now aims to sell 100,000 jerseys by December as Bangladesh prepare for the FIFA ASEAN Cup and SAFF Championship.
The home and away kits have received their launch, while the third jersey still awaits approval. Dour has submitted the design and proposed several colour options, with the company potentially launching the third kit after the SAFF Championship.
Abid said Dour had been ready to launch the collection since June. The company instead waited for a suitable window in the schedules of VIP guests and avoided releasing the Bangladesh jerseys during the crowded period of World Cup kit launches.
