American sportswear giant Nike are on the verge of signing the deal to be the official kit provider for the England football team.
Nike are believed to be launching a new England away strip as early as next spring, despite the fact the existing deal with Umbro was supposed to run until 2018.
Consumers eager to wear the current strip may have to fork out for another new England kit, though Nike’s plans are not yet clear.
Change strip: How the England kit may look with the Nike swoosh
New order: Rooney and Co are set to be kitted in strips by Nike instead of Umbro
The move, which will earn the FA millions, will be seen as a fightback after German rivals adidas dominated the Olympics by supplying Team GB.
FA officials were last week ready to announce that a relationship with Manchester-based manufacturer Umbro was about to be terminated.
And while the FA refused to comment last night, Sportsmail understands an agreement has been reached for Nike to take over.
Done deal: An agreement has been reached for Nike to take over
Umbro’s link with England dates back to the 1950s, and their £20million a year deal runs until 2018.
It stipulated that only Umbro could supply the England team. But Nike announced in May their plan to sell Umbro – having bought them in 2007 for £285m – and made a proposal to the FA that the governing body seem ready to accept.
In a move first mooted in Sportsmail’s Sports Agenda column, Nike offered the FA the chance to sign a lucrative new deal or stay with a company facing an uncertain future, given how important the England contract has been to the brand for so many years.
Tradition: Umbro’s current £20m a year deal runs until 2018
Nike have also taken over the contract Umbro had with Manchester City. It was only in 2009 that the English champions signed a 10-year deal with Umbro, worth £6m a year.
City will wear Nike shirts from next season, and Nike England away shirts are due in spring.
The home strip was launched only in February and for two years, but the Nike ‘swoosh’ is likely to replace the Umbro badge on that kit as well next spring, which may not impress fans.
(Mail on line)
By David Ornstein BBC Sport
England winger Theo Walcott has rejected a contract offer from Arsenal but negotiations are ongoing between the club and player.
The 23-year-old, whose contract expires in 2013, wants to stay and is willing to continue negotiations.
But reports suggest Arsenal will sell him before the 31 August transfer deadline unless he signs an improved five-year deal worth £75,000 a week.
Walcott joined Arsenal from Southampton for £12.5m as a 16-year-old in 2006.
He has scored 42 goals in 222 appearances and won 28 England caps during his time at the club.
Walcott contributed 12 assists in the Premier League last season, many of which were for Robin van Persie.
Play media
England 3-2 Sweden: MOTD pundits on Theo Walcott impact
Van Persie moved to Manchester United for £24m on 17 August, three days before Alex Song joined Barcelona.
Walcott started the home draw with Sunderland on the opening day of the season but was left on the bench for Sunday’s draw at Stoke.
Arsenal waited until after the campaign began to open dialogue with Walcott’s representatives and feel they have enough cover in wide positions if he is sold.
Manager Arsene Wenger has Lukas Podolski, Gervinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Andrey Arshavin and highly-rated 17-year-old Serge Gnabry at his disposal.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, 19, started England’s Euro 2012 opener against France, with Walcott forced to settle for substitute appearances in all four of their matches in the tournament.
(BBC Football)
August 24, 2012 by The Hovian
Get it while it’s hot
It’s finally here, the most anticipated publication since the Almighty took a hammer and chisel to two great big fuck off stone tablets on top of Mount Sinai, and said to Moses “Ere y’are lad”. The first issue ever of Stand – Against Modern Football is finished and on sale now; and the Lord said “from small acorns shall grow mighty oaks”. Here’s a link to the site where you can buy it:
http://standamf.bigcartel.com/product/stand-fanzine-issue-1
You’ll notice the cover is a picture of the protests at The Goldstone Ground during the dark days of Archer and Bellotti, very apt I think.
Rolling of the press
I wrote a piece in issue 40 of The Seagull Love Review about STAND, as the guys behind this new national fanzine are mates of mine and the TSLR boys, who themselves do a stirling job producing Brighton’s one and only fanzine. STAND’s Tumblr have reposted my TSLR article here. Buy a copy of TSLR at the match to read more about it. Actually, buy both of the bloody things and let’s get Albion fans at the heart of what we hope will be a popular, fan-led movement to bring a bit of sanity back into the higher levels of the professional game of football.
I have written a 1500 word article in this first issue of STAND about the Albion, our struggles from Archer through to those NIMBY bastards on Lewes Council, and to hopefully show that not all modern stadiums and club stories are doom and gloom, and that there are still things in the modern game that are worthy and benign – and the current state of Brighton & Hove Albion is definitely one of them. We, as a club, are still among the good guys, and that’s something to be proud of in my opinion.
After all, Brighton fans wrote the rule books about fan power, taking on the shysters, the clowns, and the fucking crooks who always seem to weasel their way into football clubs and associations. We’re old hands at this kind of thing. And that’s why Build a Bonfire and We Want Falmer are such important books about this fight for the soul of the game. So get STAND AMF bought, contribute, spread the word.
(the Hovian )
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