One of the biggest clubs in England is getting rid of adidas and slipping into something a bit more American.
Liverpool announced on Thursday morning that it has reached a record jersey deal with Michigan-based company Warrior Sports. The deal is worth $38.6 million annually over the course of six years, making it the largest jersey deal in England and second-biggest in the world behind Barcelona's deal with Nike (worth an estimated $40.6 million).
A company primarily associated with ice hockey and lacrosse, Warrior Sports will replace adidas as Liverpool's jersey manufacturer beginning June 1, 2012. Warrior Sports will produce Liverpool's home, away and alternate jerseys, as well as the club's training gear.
Liverpool's deal with the American firm might be worth the most in England, but it is not the first of its kind. In 2011, Tottenham agreed to a five-year jersey deal with Baltimore-based Under Armour.
What do you think of Liverpool's record deal? Expecting to see more Premiership teams signing deals like this with American companies in the future?
Share your thoughts below.
Cool… this could been even more interest stateside.. MLS needs to end the league wide contract with adidas.. let clubs have more control.
Henh, to be honest, it’s interesting but don’t think I really care. Soccer is an outlet for my nationalism, but that nationalism doesn’t really extend to cheering on any US corporation that engages in some business venture abroad. And I kind of like the way the Liverpool Adidas shirts looked.
*this could mean
Big fan of Warrior’s hockey gear. Their gloves are fantastic, and the sticks are great too.
Your a idiot!
I agree with diane
did some quick research… Warrior is owned by New Balance(based in Boston go figure). Not a bad company. Unlike Nike and Adidas they do not outsource their manufacturing to third world countries. All american and UK made.
There’s probably a very good reason MLS has an exclusive partnership with Addidas, one that they probably find net-advantageous over the supposed unaesthetic appeal of their kits…
So Liverpudians blame all their Benitez caused problems on two American owners only to get rid of them so they can become even more A-M-E-R-I-C-A-N. Ha ha, I’ll be laughing all the way at them as they qualify for nothing.
wow- almost a quarter of a billion dollars over 6 years. how many liverpool jerseys do they really expect to sell in that time?
“Your a idiot!” Classic example of “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Making two errors in a three word phrase that calls someone else an idiot. Brilliant!
17,437.
I wonder how much the jersey deal has to do with the Generation Adidas deal? My guess would be that while the teams are stuck with Adidas for jerseys, the pros from this and other avenues outweigh the cons. Does anyone actually know?
Pretty sure the American, Boston-based owners, are the ones making the decision to bring in a Boston-based (New Balance) jersey sponsor
Anything that helps the American economy is good.
I have to admit though, I think Liverpool’s current jersey is quite nice, but then I’m a fool for a sublimate background. They really make a plain red, in this case, shirt look a lot more interesting. Definitely one of the better Adidas jerseys.
Great for Pool. As a Gunner fan, this makes me sick to my stomach. Why? Arsenal mgmt s**t the bed by signing a long-term jersey deal worth roughly 7mm per year 1/2 a decade ago. This is KILLING them in terms of transfer funds and is a little talked about issue.
sports and leisure website thread comment proofreading…. classic example of someone with way too much time on their hands and a complete lack of valuable input or social interaction.
Brilliant!
Isn’t Nike an American company? Seems like US already has a pretty big footprint on jersey sponsorship.
Very convincing. It seems I’m an idiot.
its probably all made in China anyways. who cares?
do you mean “you’re an idiot?” why is dingdong an idiot for expressing that?
I’m confused…I thought this deal was made many months ago.
thank you.
Did Warrior have to apply for a work permit?
They’re going to become a legitimate producer of soccer gear overnight. They’re probably more focused on long-term benefits than the short-term return from jersey sales.
As much as I hate the Adidas MLS jerseys, the league is probably right to go with a league-wide contract. NY, Seattle, and LA would be fine, but clubs like Columbus, Colorado or NE would struggle to negotiate a solid deal.
I just hope that when the Adidas contract runs out, the league signs with Nike. Hell, even with Warrior. These Adidas shirts are ooooold.
excellent realization.
+1
-1
+1
Addidas jerseys are so gross. Would much rather see MLS partner with NIKE or Under Armour
Didn’t realize Warrior Sports was that big. I thought they were a niche lacrosse gear supplier. Must be the Boston connection that made this happen. I didn’t think soccer was “edgy” enough for the Warrior brand.
One day for MLS, but Adidas sponsorship has kept the league from folding, Although the contract through 2018 is a bit too long!
MLS needs to create a rule that any new expansion team gets to chose their own sponsor based on the new club not being in existence when the original contract was created!
Reebok jersey (owned by Adidas) needs to be seen on 4 teams!
Portland, san jose, sporting kc, and Crew
Seems odd that your first venture in to the soccer/football world would be with one of the biggest clubs in the world. If they mess this up no one will be interested in buying socce uniforms from them.
enough with +1 and -1… its obnoxious and overused.. you have done it multiple times
how would one mess up wearing a shirt.
Heh, just read on a guardian article where they sold almost 900,000 worldwide last year for 4th best.
Wearing a shirt No…designing a shirt yes. Just look at the KC Wiz rainbow when MLS started.
Da eff is Warrior Sports?
Actually still made in the US/UK unlike Nike and Adidas.