Farewell, sweet Umbro. The worst kept secret in football is out: it was confirmed this morning that Nike have done a deal with the Football Association to become England’s new technical supplier. The new kits will be launched next spring.
I’ve already had my say on the cultural side of these developments – more than once – and have very little to add now that the deal has been rubber-stamped and announced to the public.
The Football Association’s announcement gives all the vital information about the new deal, which covers:
- Playing kit and match balls for all England teams
- Training kit
- Wembley partnership
- St George’s Park “sponsorship and support:
The deal also extends between what the FA calls “Club England”; county FAs and the FA Cup will also be supplied by Nike for the duration of the deal.
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Really not sure what to make of this, Chris. I certainly feel sad that England will no longer have a kit manufacturer of English origin, but at the same time it’s a free market and Nike deserve their chance to produce England’s kit like anyone else. I think as long as we don’t end up with one of their template kits, it could actually turn out ok. One way or the other, however, it can certainly be considered the end of an era.
Keep in mind that Nike actually owns Umbro. Hopefully they’ll be smart about keeping some of Umbro’s design and marketing teams in house as they will be key in Nike staying true to traditional English design elements for next spring’s line.