Rules Change: Japanese J-League Teams Allowed to Have Different Sponsors on Goalkeeper Kits

Dec 29, 2023

by Chris

On July 1, 2023, the Japanese J-League released new kit regulations. It brings an important change - the league now allows teams to have different sponsors for their goalkeeper kits.

Japanese J-League Allow Different Sponsors For Goalkeepers

Brand-new Shimizu S-Pulse 2024 kits, featuring different main sponsors for players and keepers.

Shimizu S-Pulse became the first team to take advantage of the new rule, with Star Micronics Co., Ltd. sponsoring their goalkeeper kit.

In addition to the goalkeeper kit sponsorship changes, another rule change now allows J-League teams to have custom kit typefaces. This means that teams can now have unique and customized fonts on their uniforms.

The official J-League Equipment Regulations are similar to those of other countries, but kept more compact than those of FIFA and UEFA. J-League allows many more sponsors than the big European leagues - six for the shirt alone.

Footy Headlines has imagined what it could look like for Bayern with a similar rules change - in this fictional case, Neuer has the logo of Audi instead of Telekom.

What do you think about the new rule change allowing different sponsors on goalkeeper kits? Let us know in the comments below, can check out the full Japanese J-League Equipment Regulations (you can translate them with Google Translator).