Umbro, with 87 years of soccer history and
heritage and now a subsidiary of Nike UK, has revealed the new home and
away kit designed for the CSA. Kara Lang was at the Press conference.
Umbro will provide team kit until December 31st, 2014, but no date was
given for the women to use the kit in advance of the World Cup.
Commenting on the new partnership with the CSA, Gerald Woodman, President
of Umbro Canada said: “Through our partnership with the Canadian Soccer
Association, we will create, define and drive the culture of soccer in
this country. We will change the look of our game, both on and off the
pitch. Soccer is hitting unprecedented levels of participation and
importance in the Canadian sporting landscape. As soccer grows, our brand
deepens and strengthens in the eyes of the player and fan alike. We will
tie into the emotive elements of the game and the Canadian Soccer
Association will be at the very heart of these initiatives. We have a
great opportunity to celebrate the Centenary year of the Canadian Soccer
Association in 2012 and tell a great a heritage and authenticity story.”
Peter Montopoli replied that, “the CSA is pleased
to announce our new 4 year partnership with Umbro and we are excited by the
opportunity that this partnership brings as we continue our brand building
effort for the sport in this country. He added the next four years are critical
for the organization with the Women’s National Team participating in the 2011
FIFA Women’s World Cup, Olympic preparations for both the Men and Women,
qualification for the Men’s National Team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and a
record-number of youth teams. It is not only Umbro’s presence on the pitch that
is important for the organization, but their commitment to ensuring that the
Canadian Soccer Association brand has a strong retail presence.”
The new jerseys' design has met mixed response in the
soccer community, but the material and cut seem to be a big improvement. The
home jersey is red with a white and black Vee displayed across the front of the
chest. The CSA crest is placed on the left chest over the heart with high
quality embroidery.
Umbro has tailored the shirts, with modern features. The
back of the jersey features anatomically placed shoulder darts for ease of
movement accompanied with a twin needle cuff finish, and innovative open mesh
underarm panels for breathability. The moisture wicking polyester body also
significantly assists the players in keeping cool. In China, the women players
could have used a warm weather version.
The new away jersey has the same distinctive features as
the home version, but is white with a vermillion red and black Chevron.
The official uniform will be worn for the first time on
February 9th, 2011 by the men’s national team during their game against Greece.
No promises were made about the new jersey for the women's team in Cyprus, but
let's hope that they can try it before the World Cup.
The jersey goes on sale from June 1st, 2011 with a
suggested retail price of CDN $60.00.
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