Will Sunderland wear their new Nike kit when the League One season resumes? Here's what the EFL rules say

We take a look at the current situation, and what it could mean for the complicated commercial deals surrounding kit suppliers:

WHAT’S THE SITUATION AT SUNDERLAND?

Sunderland’s kits are currently produced by Adidas under a deal which was set to expire at the end of the season.

But Nike are set to become the club’s new kit supplier after the Black Cats agreed a deal with Just Sport Pro Club earlier this year. That deal is set to commence on June 1, 2020 - after the final fixture of League One was scheduled to take place.

However, the third tier now looks unlikely to resume until June at the earliest, with July viewed by many as a more realistic return date.

That means that when the season resumes, Sunderland will be tied-in to a kit deal with Nike with the Adidas agreement having expired.

Simply-put, contractually the Black Cats should be playing in a Nike kit when the 2019/20 season eventually resumes.

EFL regulations, however, may mean that is not possible.

WHAT DO THE EFL RULES SAY?EFL rules prohibit changes in kits throughout the season - with clubs potentially handed hefty fines if they switch shirts during a playing season.

Regulation 38.1 states: “No changes either in the kit or combination of colours of kit shall be permitted during the course of the Season.”

There is a caveat to that rule though, with the EFL reserving the right to allow clubs to play in a ‘one-off’ special kit or to allow sides to play in different shirts during a play-off campaign.

As stated in regulation 38.2: “Notwithstanding the aforementioned, each Club is authorised on one occasion per Season to play a Home match in an alternative kit. The League reserves the right to relax this restriction in respect of play-off matches after consultation with Clubs.”

WILL THIS AFFECT MANY CLUBS?Such regulations will likely only pose difficulties for clubs in a similar position to Sunderland - those who are changing kit suppliers over the summer months.

For those clubs staying with the same supplier, these contractual issues are unlikely to be a major hurdle.

WHAT IS THE MOST LIKELY OUTCOME?

The most likely scenario is that the EFL will relax their restrictions on changing playing kits, and allow clubs to switch their shirts once the season resumes.

If the league were to force clubs to play in the kits they began the 2019/20 season in, it could open up a number of legal and contractual issues - so this seems the logical solution.

This is likely to be one of a number of issues being discussed by football’s governing bodies in the coming weeks as they bid to plot the path back to playing games.

There are, however, far more pressing concerns at the moment - not least the uncertainty surrounding players’ contracts.