September 14 – New Balance has expanded into Russia with the its first kit deal with a Russian Super League club FC Rubin.
Rubin, who have twice been Russian champions, have undergone a number of commercial and management changes at the club which has ambition to return to winning the Russian league and European competition.
The agreement covers match and training kits for the team and coaches with the full 2017/18 New Balance range to be unveiled next week. The deal term or value was not announced.
Rustam Sayakhov, General Manager of FC Rubin Kazan added, “FC Rubin Kazan is happy to work with such a strong global sports brand such as New Balance. There have been several changes in the club recently, including in the technical sponsorship area. Every detail matters when ambitious targets are set, and the club needs to win. We are confident that, with the new structure and with the high quality of New Balance match and training kits, we will have every chance to meet our goals in the coming football season.”
New Balance have a strategy of picking of key teams in major markets rather than blanket supplying all the team in a market. The company tends to pick teams that have an ambition that matches its own growth ambition.
New Balance sponsorships include Liverpool, Athletic Club, Celtic, FC Porto, Sevilla, LOSC Lille, and national football teams, Republic of Ireland, Costa Rica and Panama. Liverpool’s new season kit launch celebrating the club’s 125 years is the most successful in terms of consumer sales the club has ever had.
Richard Wright, New Balance global football general manager said: “New Balance, as a brand, is growing globally and plans to become one of the top three athletic brands in the world… We believe that a technical sponsorship contract with FC Rubin Kazan will be the first step in the development of the New Balance football culture in Russia and will also contribute into further global brand expansion in Football.”
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