Football season is clearly upon us. You can tell by the abundance of crimson and burnt orange, asking anyone their weekend plans or by browsing the empty shopping aisles on any given Saturday.

For Anton Huber, the vice president of Team Fever, this means high season for his seven Team Spirit stores. I quizzed him at the Pelham location to find out what was hot for the fall.

“When it comes to must haves, any new design is always a hot item,”Huber said. “No matter what the price.”

Women tend to purchase items that associate with the schools, like an burnt orange–colored tee or a houndstooth jacket, while the overall shopping habits of fans are showing a return to a classic look.

“We are seeing people purchase game day apparel that they can wear from the office to the stadium,” Huber said.

The University of Alabama gear has always been the largest seller for Team Fever, but the store offers selections from Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, Florida and UAB. Huber has plans to add more local teams to the store’s inventory including Samford, University of Alabama-Huntsville and South Alabama.

Team Fever has planned for early shipments of colder gear this year given the early and harsh winter last year. He has already seen an interest in fleeces and pullovers from all fans.

As for Team Fever’s future, it is looking bright. Surprisingly enough, the economy has had no effect on their fan base.

“We have actually seen our numbers go up this year,” Huber said. “Some families have admitted that they skipped out on the annual vacation in order to participate in the football season.”

Huber goes on to say that it is truly something to see a packed out stadium given this economy.

“Our fans are clearly dedicated and wouldn’t miss the season for anything,” Huber said.

With the Tuscaloosa location opening last month in Midtown Village, Team Fever has a growth rate of about one store every year and is proud to announce their newly launched site, Teamfever.com.

Jessica Vance can be reached by e–mail at jvance86@hotmail.com.