Prostar signs for football minnows

ONE of the minnows of international football has signed a deal with a Yorkshire sports kit manufacturer as it embarks on a bid to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

The Turks and Caicos Islands, which consists of 40 different islands in the Caribbean, is ranked 179th in FIFA's world rankings and has, unsurprisingly, never qualified for the finals.

Wakefield-based Prostar has landed its first international team kit deal with the islands' football association (TCIFA).

The deal comes ahead of the team's qualifying matches against nearby rivals St Lucia, with the winner going on to play Guatemala to enter the CONCACAF qualifying group stages of the World Cup, which is to be held in South Africa in 2010.

Prostar has created a new design for the TCIFA's home and away kits. The first choice strip features turquoise to reflect the islands' tropical seas and the second strip is white. Both team strips feature a new shirt badge based on the islands' traditional emblem.

TCIFA was formed in 1996 and gained admission to FIFA in 1998. The team won its first match in September 2006, beating the Cayman Islands 2-0.

Although ranked so low in the FIFA rankings, the team features centre forward Gavin Glinton, a former team mate of David Beckham at LA Galaxy, and is coached by Matthew Green, who has spent time in Hull.

The islands, which have won various awards for their unspoilt beaches and beauty, are a British Overseas Territory.

The deal forms part of Prostar's strategy to increase its presence in the professional football market. Although it has provided the kit for Football League club Wycombe Wanderers, who play in League Two, for the past 10 years, it has ambitious plans to add another 11 professional clubs over the next three years.

Prostar, one of the biggest names in the amateur football kit market, is the football products brand of parent company Star Sportswear.

Star, an £11m turnover company with 100 staff, moved out of family ownership for the first time in more than 90 years following a management buyout last year.

The company was established in 1901 and supplied the socks for the first triumphant Mount Everest team in 1952.

Shane Bray, of Prostar, said: “For Prostar this kit deal is another significant landmark, supplying our very first national team.”

Stephen Wilson, of the TCIFA, said: “We take our football seriously and are excited to be taking part once again in World Cup competition. With our close ties to the UK, we look forward to working closely with Prostar and welcoming the support of as many British-based football fans as possible.”