Man City sign Umbro deal
MANCHESTER City Football club today revealed a 10-year kit deal with historic North West sportswear brand Umbro.
The deal returns the ambitious Premier League club to the Umbro fold after a 12-year absence. No financial details of the deal were disclosed but the partnership is understood to be worth £25m over the 10 years.
The kit was launched at the Deaf Institute bar in Manchester, where Umbro revealed that it would invest £100,000 in creative projects in the city over the next three years. Up-and-coming Manchester band Kid British performed a set at the launch to emphasise this.
Martin Prothero, Umbro’s senior vice president of football heralded an “exciting new partnership”, which he said was all the more appropriate given Umbro’s takeover by US giant Nike and Manchester City’s buyout by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
He said: “This is an exciting opportunity for both Umbro and Manchester City to build on their collective heritage and create truly iconic modern football brands.
“MCFC were the first beneficiaries of our tailoring heritage in 1934, the same year they won The FA Cup wearing Umbro kits. MCFC will be the first club side to benefit from our tailoring process for the 2009/10 season which means the best sportswear products for players and fans alike.”
Garry Cook, chief executive of Manchester City commented, “We are thrilled to announce this key partnership. We are building a successful and sustainable football club for the future and our partners are integral to that.
“Umbro share our commitment to innovation, the city of Manchester and creating world-class experiences for its customers and our fans.”
David Pullan, brand and marketing officer at Manchester City said, “This partnership will help both MCFC and Umbro to cement their places at the very heart of the city of Manchester and to continue to grow in prominence across the globe.
“The club is delighted to work with such a progressive and innovative brand and looks forward to further developing our partnership over the coming decade.”
Now based in Cheadle, Umbro was founded in 1924 in Wilmslow by the Humphreys brothers.
