New Balance made their presence known with a bang following a glitzy launch in Central London this week.
Wasting little time to make their mark in the industry, the brand signed up a number of big-name players to the stable, including Aaron Ramsey, Adnan Januzaj, Vincent Kompany, Samir Nasri, Marouane Fellaini, Tim Cahill, Alvaro Negredo, Jesus Navas, Fernando Nikica Jelavic.
It must however be noted that the brand received a handy leg up upon delving into football from one its subsidiaries, Warrior, who entered the market three years ago with a $40 million-a-year jersey deal with Liverpool in the 2012/13 season, along with further sponsorship acquisitions with Stoke City, Sevilla and Porto.
Vincent Kompany, Marouane Fellaini, Tim Cahill and Nikica Jelavic- all formerly with Warrior- will join the roster of existing Warrior-kitted clubs in the move over to New Balance. Club sponsorships will take effect at the beginning of the 2015/16 season.
Product executive Joe Preston believes this will be a seamless transition taking into account the considerable resources available at the mother ship. “Given the global reach we have with the New Balance brand, we are better served to move those assets over,” he said. “We want to take it to the next level.”