i totally vote for YES...

it is not im so damn rich..but usually i buy the jersey at lower price/off season..buying online (oversea) also another way 2 save cost.

better to contribute to the club we support..if we buy ori jersey, at least we have some contribution to the club...if u buy pirates, u will make the FAKERS rich...u dont have to buy many (if u say the ori jersey cost too much)..at least buy one...

Eg: Since i'm MU fans, i can say some of money MU pay to buy ashley young come from my money (buy jersey)...if u buy fake???

if u cannot afford to buy brand new, can go to used but Ori jersey...ebay/mudah etc...

KOREK me if im wrong

This is not (entirely) correct.

There is a difference between sponsorship contract and licensing / royalty contract for sale of merchandise. There is but a small link but big difference (normally). The main offer and consideration in a sponsorship agreement is exlusivity to manufacture vs payment of agreed fee. When a sponsorship is signed for example between club and shirt sponsors (for example, between Liverpool and Adidas), the normal terms would be - an exclusive monopoly for Adidas to produce official replicas for Liverpool FC for the agreed duration; in return, LFC is paid a fixed sum (GBP10 a year etc)

The agreement would not mean that Liverpool FC does not generate any revenue from sales. In fact its the opposite - during tenders, normally manufactuers would try to woo the club by promising payment of higher royalties to the club etc and other perks.  FYI, intellectual property rights of parties do not change hands and there would be clear terms / license of use agreed. For example, Adidas produces liverpool's 2010/11 home shirt. The IP's / trade marks that can be identified here are at least three, ie (i) Liverpool FC's name / club crest / slogan (ii) Adidas' stripes / name (iii) Carlsberg logo. So, for sale of each shirt, royalties would have to at least be paid for these 3 rights holders. The amount or portion is entirely up to parties' negotiations and may of course be waived in entirety if the owner so wishes. Thats why original replica jerseys are normally expensive - cos it not only covers costs of manufacturing, it also covers payment of the respective royalties. This is where the club gets its share of the $$$. If player's names are printed, the players will be entitled to royalty payments as well (normally the player would sell his rights to the club in return for higher salary or for a fixed fee etc, so in reality this again is paid to the club).

So ya, buying original jerseys does generate income for the club / association (and the player).

back to the question in the poll, i think TS is not clear as per what pyroboy pointed out - is the question wheter :-

1) must all (purported) fans should buy an original jersey of his supported club in order to be called a supporter? or
2) should fans buy original or fake jerseys?

My view on 1) is NO. I share the same view as Pyro and a few others - you can support the club in any way you like - you don have to own anything to be called a fan. BUT conversely, if you own a pirated / fake item, you cannot call yourself a fan (in my view) - how can you claim to "support" the club when you are depriving it of revenue? It is indirectly killing the club's earnings (which no real fan would claim to do!) and the only person earning are the pirates! Not to mention it is illegal.

Same applies be it EPL clubs, or local clubs etc. You don have to support by wearing the club jerseys - heck u can go naked if the stadium allows - more important is the passion towards the club - including attending matches etc.

PS: the liverpool FC example is but an example - I do not have benefit of sight of its agreement with Adidas and the figures etc are mere assumptions for illustration purposes only.