Leeds United are heading in the right direction with one of the biggest, if not the biggest shirt sponsorship deals ever seen in the Championship with club investors Red Bull. Much was made of the value of the deal back in the summer when Red Bull came on board with a small investment into the ownership of the company.
In the world of Profit and Sustainability Rules and meeting financial targets, kit deals are important business, as are kit sales. For the very elite European clubs in the Champions League and top of the Premier League, shirt manufacturers are also crucial, as has been seen by Newcastle United’s new partnership with Adidas and the branding associated with the German clothes and footwear manufacturer.
Newcastle’s deal with Adidas is thought to be worth around £30m, significantly more than Leeds United’s, who share the same manufacturer. Leeds’ worth to Adidas will only grow with promotion, as new details around Adidas’ website operation have shown.
As reported by the Shields Gazette, Newcastle’s deal allows them to sell authentic club kits, training gear and club branded Adidas Originals clothing. That deal pales in comparison to what the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal get in relation with numerous accessories such as seasonal wear, footballs, scarfs, bags, hats etc.
Newcastle have now been elevated onto the official Adidas website wear people across the world can buy football club branded gear, with the Magpies joining the likes of Ajax, Celtic, Inter Miami and Lyon in being added with a link to the header of the Adidas website.
Several English clubs are still being omitted, including Leeds, Aston Villa and Leicester City. The gazette says Adidas sell 117 Man Utd items on their website, Arsenal has 109 items, Newcastle 39, Villa 14 and Leeds just four, due to the current commercial partnership agreement.
