What a week in Bundesliga kit news.
Wednesday night saw Borussia Dortmund unveil their new home jersey, only for them to be accused of ripping off the design by league-mates Borussia Monchengladback the very next day.
Well, leaving that dispute aside, Schalke have confirmed their plans for a new high-tech feature on their new home shirt.
It's all kicking off in the Bundesliga https://t.co/8NUioxwjGt
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 18, 2017
Just like the Premier League, next season’s Bundesliga will see teams sport individual sleeve sponsors for the first time and Schalke have gone down a fascinating route with their deal with German online supermarket AllyouneedFresh.
But the agreement will not just see a basic logo stitched on to the sleeve. There will be much more going on.
Schalke have revealed that the shirt will see a chip integrated into the fabric which will ALLOW supporters to pay for food and drinks at the several kiosks around the Veltins-Arena.
Not only will it eliminate all of that frustrating change-fumbling with cold fingers on a winter matchday but it will surely speed up the process of queuing for half-time treats too.
The chip is currently in the developmental phase but will come as a fascinating novelty for fans in the stadium.
“This further underlines our positions as a leading innovator within the Bundesliga,” Schalke head of marketing Alexander Jobst said.
Technology, eh?