RomaPress – Roma officially announced the long-awaited news that New Balance will replace Nike as their official kit supplier beginning next season.
“This agreement represents an important step for the club and our ambitions to continue growing,” said Guido Fienga, the CEO of AS Roma to the club’s official website.
“New Balance are globally recognised as leaders in their industry and we are convinced this new partnership will mark the start of many great new opportunities for our brand.”
“We are delighted to entrust the creation of our bespoke kits to them, and cannot wait to see AS Roma players wearing the new shirts.”
As reported by RomaPress, the Giallorossi originally struck a deal with the America-based company in December after they engaged in negotiations with multiple sporting apparel brands.
One of those brands included Adidas, who were among the first to contact Roma after they announced that they were prematurely terminating their deal with Nike in July.
The German organisation expressed very strong interest when they initially held talks with Roma executives Francesco Calvo and Ryan Friedkin in the summer. An Italy-based source from Adidas’ football division also division revealed to RomaPress that they even presented a higher annual figure than what the club was earning with Nike.
The sides, however, weren’t able to find an agreement after Roma were insistent on a significant increase on the percentage earned from consumer sales, which was among the primary reasons they were displeased with their Nike contract.
Motivated to increase their market share of the football market, New Balance were the first major brand to accept the Giallorossi’s demands on shirt sales — Roma, though, will earn a slightly smaller base figure than they did with Nike.
The club will become the first Italian club to wear unique kits made by New Balance, as the Boston-based brand expand their influence into a new sector.
“We are delighted to welcome AS Roma into the New Balance family,” said Kenny McCallum, the General Manager of New Balance Football.
“We are talking about more than just a football club here: the Giallorossi have a style and approach that is unmatched in their sport, showing a deep sense of social responsibility and community spirit.”
“We are immensely proud to be working with the club in order to bring our innovative approach to kit design and development to the beautiful world of Italian football.”
