July 14 – Nike’s summer of success has continued with the unveiling of its Ordem 4 ball as the Official Match Ball for the 2016/17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
The US sportswear giant now supplies its new match ball to leagues including the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and Italian Serie A. Adidas supply the match ball for the World Cup Finals as part of its FIFA sponsorship agreement.
Nike has claimed major summer success over its European rival adidas at both the Copa America Centenario and the European Championships.
Nike reported that at the European Championships, 62% of all minutes played in the tournament so far have been by players in Nike boots (compared to 29% for their nearest competitor adidas). And of all the goals scored, 65% came from players in Nike boots (compared to 29% for the adidas).
At the Copa America, hosted in the US, Nike were sponsors of the winners, Chile, whose striker Eduardo Vargas top scored with six goals wearing the Nike Mercurial Superfly. Of all minutes played in the tournament, 58.5% were by players in Nike boots (compared to 34% for adidas).
The Ordem 4 ball has been developed for elite players and, according to a CONCACAF release, “has been refined around three key elements: construction, material and graphics. The geometric 12 panel fuse-welded construction employs a new 3D printed ink technique. Finally, the ball’s graphics follow the design principle of ‘Flow Motion,’ applying a luminescence that ensures excellent visibility while the ball is in play.
CONCACAF’s 24-team Champions League competition kicks off August 2 and will complete in April 2017. The winners will play in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup. Current champions Club America will compete in the 2016 edition in Japan later this year.
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