Reports this morning suggest that Liverpool FC are ending their long-standing association with adidas for a record-breaking deal with American brand Warrior Sports.
The deal is the largest of it’s kind in the English Premier League at £25m-a-year, eclipsing the £23.5m-a-year deal that Nike pay Manchester United and more than doubling the £12m-a-year that adidas currently held with the Anfield club.
Set to commence ahead of the 2012-13 season, the kit deal will be the first of it’s kind for Boson-based Warrior Sports – who are a subsidiary of New Balance.
Interestingly, Warrior Sports also announced a similar deal with the Boston Red Sox, who are also owned by Fenway Sports Group; the company now backing Liverpool.
The deal is seen as one of the first steps in John Henry’s attempts to make Liverpool FC more commercially viable and self sufficient, with a portion of the £25m going straight into the transfer fund.
Despite a lukewarm season, the Reds are still an inviting opportunity for any sportswear manufacturer, shifting over 900,000 football shirts a season – 4th overall in the world behind Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United.
What do you think to the deal? Is £25m too good of a deal to turn down? Or are you sad to see the three stripes disappear from Merseyside?
Let us know with a comment!
A lacrosse and hockey company making football kits for Liverpool? Makes sense..Besides why keep using Adidas kits? It’s not like Liverpool has a big history with Adidas or anything../sarcasm
money talks
the money’s good, but it shows liverpool are slipping, the lesser known brands are mainly associated with the low table/low leagued clubs.
you my fren is wum. ‘lesser known’ to an hermit living under a coconut shell. please com out and see the world. or maybe you r manure fan
I hope this is a really late April Fool’s joke!!!!
It doesn’t really matter about the history or the look of the kit when you can increase your income from ÂŁ11m a year to ÂŁ25m does it. This is a great deal for Liverpool fans not blinded by brand loyalty.
It was reebok a few years ago (which I know is now owned by adidas). The money is too good to pass up. What does brand loyalty mean on a kit anyway? No one cried when Carlsberg got bounced as the sponsor…
Anyone whining about this is absurdly selfish. You would rather have Adidas because YOU like the kits, than your club have a shed full of extra cash each season? Hilarious.
This is awesome! Barcelona wanted cash so they added a sponsor, liverpool change brands so they can buy the right players to make the team incredible. Suarez and Carroll already became essential to our squad, let’s see who else they can add. Warrior is the leading sports brand in Lacrosse (Canada’s national sport and is also huge in America), so they will definitely have quality products, let’s just hope they look sick too
Hockey is Canada’s national sport. Good for you.
actually lacrosse is canada’s official national sport but a lot more canadians play hockey than lacrosse. good for you.
I’m Canadian you moron I know my national sport. Hockey’s just played more, Lacrosse is in memory of The Natives
its either adidas doesn’t have the money to keep the team or they do not see liverpool as an attractive enough club to pay so much money to make their kits…
you guys decide.
please let this not be true as 13 million a year for a kit sponsor is not a lot in football now adays and i realy dont see liverpool trading adidas a ESTABLISHED football brand which liverpool make lots of money from just having the adidas name on the kit. Like for example i i said to you would you rather by a liverpool kitmade by adidas or Warrior sports kit
Adidas…
Lax is Canada’s national summer sport. Hockey is its national winter sport. Now shush.
actually, curling is canadas national sport.
@ T@di
Clubs really don’t make a lot of money from shirt sales. They get a very small percentage, with the rest going to the manufacturer. It’s safe to say that even if not a single Warrior shirt was sold, the club would still be millions of pounds better off each year than with Adidas.
sad to see adidas go. Warrior is good lacrosse company but would’ve preferred traditional football company to take over. at least its not nike!
Wow,this is very lame, imean warrior makes lacrosse uniforms. very stupid on their part. whatever i mean its not like anyone likes liverpool anyways haha
I don’t see why people are complaining that we’re losing Adidas. Yeah, surely the ‘three stripes’ will be gone, but isn’t it all about the badge that’s on it? The players play for Liverpool, not Adidas. This is such a change to six months ago; facing administration, the threat of relegation, time did not look good. Now FSG have changed the club around, and in the case of this deal, the 25m can go towards players/the stadium instead of paying off the debts.
Also, it had to be considered a masterstroke by FSG and Ayre with regard to the FFP rules coming into play, as the 25m from this and the 20m from SC will help pay for a player or two. This is without considering any money from TV rights or competitions. To put it simply, this kit deal could buy a Suarez and a youth player.
shame to lose the 3 stripes, but adidas have always seen liverpool as 2nd tier, all the better designs seem to go to chelsea
Skillet Boi you are retardedly clueless. They’re not a small brand, they’re unestablished in this sport, but I doubt Vandarel give Tranmere ÂŁ20m a year. Get smart son
@Disappointed
hockey may be more popular but lacrosse is still the national sport
hmm so, liverpools new american owners from boston dropped adidas, for a unestablished small boston sports brand that unsurprisingly also makes stuff for said owners other team, anyone smell fish? And i wonder if roma will be switching over to this brand
Hmm, so Liverpool’s new American owners use their contacts and business acumen to set up a deal that represents a fantastic financial achievement for the club. I smell ignorance…
though could sales actually drop. as many borderline/passive liverpool fans simply will not by the kits because of the un-recogniseable brand?
You guys spelled Boston wrong. 3rd paragraph. You’re welcome 🙂
like it ! new image to kick start the run . .
sad to see adidas go although the ÂŁ25 million sounds good. Hope the money is spent wisely and not foolishly like with Caroll. American owners will probably pocket the money!
 People saying its better for them financially, maybe but whos cares mates, its not about the money. Our tradition is adidas, this isnt a franchise its football club.
According to a historical football kits website, our first named brand was from umbro (73-85), then adidas (85-96), then the american (I think) reebok (96-06), then finally back to adidas (06-12). Out of the three brands, while adidas holds the majority of years being the kit provider at 15 (compared to 12 and 10), it is not half overall since we’re talking about ~37 years in total. Furthermore, the only reason adidas has the majority is because liverpool went to them twice, though both times were for much shorter lengths than either umbro or reebok (especially the second reign of adidas which is only 6 years). Thus in spite of adidas being a majority, I don’t think an argument calling it liverpool’s “tradition” would stand.
I agree but it was sad seeing carlsberg leave L’PoolÂ
its good that the carlsberg leave liverpool n hopefully no beer brand in liverpool with beer brand on the shirt will effect the sale…