Liverpool confirm new Adidas kit deal: Premier League leaders move on from Nike and new partnership will reportedly see them pocket more than UK£60m per year.
Contract:
- Multi-year deal kicks in from 1st August
- Adidas to supply match kit, training kit and culture wear to all Liverpool men’s, women’s and academy teams and LFC Foundation staff
Context:
Liverpool and Adidas have been linked with a deal since last October. The value of the new contract has not been disclosed but the Reds will reportedly earn more than UK£60 million (US$77.5 million) per year.
Liverpool have partnered with Nike for the last five seasons, which saw them get a guaranteed UK£30 million (US$38.7 million) per year from the US sportswear giant, as well as a royalty of around 20 per cent on net sales of club products. The new pact with Adidas is purportedly an uplift on the current Nike arrangement and sees Liverpool team up with the German brand for a third time, having done so from 1985 to 1996 and then from 2006 to 2012.
A deal worth north of UK£60 million annually would put Liverpool up amongst the rest of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ in terms of English soccer’s most valuable kit partnerships. Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea all reportedly earn between UK£60 million and UK£65 million (US$83.9 million) per year. Manchester United are the outlier courtesy of their tie-up with Adidas, which is reportedly worth UK£90 million (US$116 million) per season.
As well as Manchester United, Adidas’ Premier League club kit roster for the current campaign includes Arsenal, Aston Villa, Fulham, Leicester City, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. Nike, meanwhile, are due to continue their partnerships with Brighton and Hove Albion, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur next season.
Comment:
“Everyone at the club is incredibly excited to welcome Adidas back into the LFC family,” said Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan. “We have enjoyed fantastic success together in the past and created some of the most iconic LFC kits of all time.
“Adidas and Liverpool share an ambition of success and we couldn’t be more excited to partner together again as we look forward to creating more incredible kits to help drive on-pitch performance. We’d like to thank Nike for their support over the last five years and wish them well for the future.”
Bjørn Gulden, chief executive at Adidas, added: “We are extremely excited that Adidas and Liverpool Football Club are teaming up once again. The club is one of the biggest and most iconic names in world football with a huge fan base.
“The jerseys worn during previous partnerships are some of the greatest ever created. We are honoured to once again provide the players with cutting-edge technology to perform at the highest level and are looking forward to creating more classics for the fans.”
Coming next:
Liverpool, who are currently 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League, next face Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Uefa Champions League round of 16 tie on 11th February.
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