It is based on a classic design used at the World Cup and European championships of the 1980s.

Adidas were criticized for their ‘Jabulani’ ball used at last year’s World Cup in South Africa where players complained it had an unreliable trajectory.

But CEO Herbert Hainer said on Friday they had tried to learn from their mistakes and promised the new Tango 12 would attract no such comments.

He said: “There is no-one better at developing balls than us. We have the most experience.

“We have tested the balls intensively, with teams and individual players like Bastian Schweinsteiger, David Villa.

“We have tested with goalkeepers, Petr Cech and Manuel Neuer. The ball was used in the Europa League. The comments we have received so far are all very positive.”

Speaking at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium, where the ball was on show, he added: “Of course, we are learning, but it is important to say this is the same procedure (as 2010).

“People criticize the ball, but as soon as the tournament starts there are other events going on and it is forgotten. Of course, we take every criticism seriously.

“We have to decide about two different facts. The design doesn’t have an impact on the behavior of the ball.

“The criticism of the Jabulani ball was that, when it was kicked hard, it flew further than they thought.

“There were two aspects — first, we tried to make the ball as round as possible so it can fly faster and, second, we played at altitude and the ball flew further.

“Of course, we are taking all the criticism and input. This ball has more stability than any other ball. The matt finish gives more grip, which players like. All we have heard so far is very positive…”

The Tango 12 features a modern interpretation of the hugely popular Tango design of the past with the colors of the flags of the two co-hosts incorporated into its design: red and white for Poland and yellow and blue for Ukraine.

“Everyone will like it,” he added, “… Apart from the goalkeepers — when they are beaten by it.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlXNFhDHxH8

 “Orlando Pirates gave us a brief to develop an anniversary jersey that celebrated the rich history of the club as well as the bright and exciting future. The design inspiration came from the strip used by the all-conquering 1973 team that won all cups that were on offer in that season,” says Kevin Jooste, the Football Category Manager at adidas South Africa.

adidas has also developed a special anniversary logo, using the round logo which dates back to the 50s and was used until the late 60s as inspiration. “For the inner-neck logo we used the original logo as an inspiration with 1937 accompanying it. As a result of close interaction between adidas and the Club, respecting the history and celebrating the future, we have created a jersey that all Buccaneers can be proud of,” adds Jooste.

As the defending league champions and MTN8 Cup winners, Orlando Pirates seem to be on their way to emulating the class of 1973.

“Whilst our focus is always on providing for the future, it is equally important that we look to commemorate our long and rich heritage. As one of the oldest football clubs in Africa, it is imperative that we celebrate these key milestones.

“With the Club turning 75th years next year, the Telkom Knockout Cup Final has presented a perfect platform for Orlando Pirates Football Club to mark the beginning of the celebrations, which will be carried throughout 2012” says Mickey Modisane, the Public Relations Officer at Orlando Pirates.

The new jersey features Climacool Technology- a combination of performance fabrics, open mesh and ventilation channels which keep cool air flowing in and heat and sweat flowing out. Climacool works by considering how and where the body produces heat and sweat and focuses on specific fabric and garment features in those zones. The effect is that athletes stay dry, comfortable and perform at their peak in even the most heated competitions.

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 Source: Orlando Pirates FC

As one of the world’s largest sport brands, Kappa sponsors a list of sports stars and teams, and a wide range of US, African and European football teams, who all try to make dreams come true wearing Kappa.

Michael Joseph, Head of Kappa South Africa expressed his delight at this new relationship.
“As Kappa have recently re-launched in South Africa, we felt it would be fitting to partner with a newly-promoted team that have the aspirations of Leopards.

“Over the years many renowned and successful football teams have worn the Kappa brand and we are confident that we have made the correct decision to add Leopards to this elite category of football clubs.”

This goes for, among others, Italian Sampdoria and Brescia,Dutch Feyenoord, German Werder Bremen,Spanish Real Betis, Swedish Hammarby and Danish FC Copenhagen.

“The new kit signifies new beginnings as Black Leopards find their feet back in top flight football,” says Desiree Pooe, Senior Manager: Sponsorships and Events at MTN SA. “As proud sponsors of Black Leopards F.C., MTN is excited about the launch of the new kit and welcomes Kappa as the team’s new kit sponsor. We look forward to reaching new milestones with Lidoda Duvha donning the new apparel with pride.”

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Source: Blackleopardsfc.com

Star footballers including Bafana Bafana captain Steven Pienaar, Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, John Mensah of Ghana and Yaya Touré of Ivory Coast attended the launch of the exhibition, where the Bafana Bafana kit is exhibited alongside new kits for PUMA’s other African teams – Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Algeria, Namibia, Senegal, Togo, Gabon and Burkina Faso.

South African artists Hasan and Husain Essop designed the new Bafana Bafana kit. The brothers are among a group of artists from the Creative African Network www.CreativeAfricanNetwork.com commissioned to design kits inspired by their country’s heritage, culture and traditions.

The kit, which Bafana Bafana will sport when they play against the Ivory Coast in the Nelson Mandela Challenge on Saturday 12 November, includes a rainbow graphic inspired by the phrase “Rainbow Nation” coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

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Source: Puma

PUMA®

Global sportlifestyle brand PUMA^® has revealed an inspiring and contemporary collaboration, launching technical football kits for PUMA’s 10 partnered African National football teams. Each kit is designed by a renowned artist from the Creative African Network (CAN) – a PUMA platform connecting and promoting artists from and in Africa. This unique collaboration is complemented by a month-long exhibition at the Design Museum, London that showcases the artists’ design inspirations.

Today’s unveiling at the Design Museum in London, brought together high profile football players and CAN artists from each of the 10 PUMA partnered teams, including Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, John Mensah of Ghana and Yaya Touré of Ivory Coast. With the 2012 Orange Africa Cup of Nations^® fast approaching, the event was the perfect platform for PUMA to demonstrate how the brand has fused its work within sport and art, seamlessly bringing together two worlds that don’t often collide.

Central to the project is PUMA.Creative (a programme of PUMAVision), that brings together individual artists and organizations, and provides them with a platform for creative exchange and international exposure. Through PUMA.Creative’s CAN programme, ten artists were commissioned to design a football kit inspired from the country’s heritage, culture and traditions-to create unique and inspiring designs for their home nation.

“PUMA has been at the forefront of integrating the two disparate worlds of sport and art, and today through a celebration of football, art, colour and culture, we have shown to the world how these two spheres can be uniquely combined,” comments Franz Koch, CEO of PUMA SE. “PUMA has a long standing history with Africa, and this event demonstrates how as a brand we continue to be fully committed to our relationship with the continent.”

PUMA does indeed have a celebrated history with African football, each year bringing something new and different to the football category. Art has also featured prominently in PUMA projects: to celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2010, the brand commissioned contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley for a series of portraits with African football players and to design African-inspired lifestyle products.

The PUMA partnered African national teams represented include Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Namibia, Senegal, Togo, Gabon, Burkina Faso and PUMA’s newest partner South Africa, which signed with the sportlifestyle brand in June 2011. The technical kits have been designed to maximise the player’s on-pitch performance. The jersey fits the body closely to avoid grabbing from the opponent, and the fabric features PUMA’s U.S.P Moisture Management technology, enhancing body performance by dragging moisture away from the body, enhancing air flow and keeping the body at the ultimate performance temperature.

Terence Parris, Head of Teamsports Marketing at PUMA SE comments, “African football continues to play a huge part in our global sports marketing strategy. Over the past decade, we have progressively developed our relationship with Africa, investing in grassroots projects, player relationships and African federation partnerships. The emotion and passion of African football perfectly complements our brand ethos and we are uniquely privileged to be in a position to work with a continent with such rich culture and heritage.”

PUMA has worked with the Design Museum in London to launch a month-long exhibition ‘Interpretations of Africa: Football, Art and Design’ to celebrate PUMA’s inspired new football kit designs for the 10 PUMA partnered African National football teams.

The exhibition will feature original artwork and sketches alongside development work and the resulting final football kits created by the artists involved, including Barthélémy Toguo of Cameroon, Zineb Zedira of Algeria and Godfried Donker of Ghana who have all become renowned in the art world for their emotive and captivating work. The other artists representing their nations are:  Saïdou Dicko of Burkina Faso, Ernest Düku of Ivory Coast, Owanto of Gabon, Hentie van der Merwe of Namibia, Samba Fall of Senegal, Hasan and Husain Essop of South Africa and El Loko of Togo.

Alex Newson, Exhibition Curator, Design Museum, London adds, “As a design challenge, creating a new national football kit is a complicated and demanding brief. The results of the collaboration between PUMA and the group of celebrated artists are remarkable and testament to the talent, pride and passion evident in both African art and football and this exhibition charts this unique journey.”

 Source: Puma

 PUMA will provide playing kits for Borussia Dortmund for the 2012/13 season and for multiple seasons to follow.  A full range of replica kits, fanwear and merchandise will also be launched at this time.  As part of PUMA’s commitment to the partnership, the global Sportlifestyle brand is providing football boots for players of all levels within the Borussia Dortmund club who don’t have existing boot contracts, this part of the contract is already in effect for the 2011/12 season, as is the individual shoe contract with Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp which was announced at the beginning of the current 2011/12 season.

 Franz Koch, Chief Executive Officer at PUMA SE commented: “We are really excited about this new addition to our football portfolio. Borussia Dortmund perfectly embodies the mix of sport and lifestyle, an ethos we share at PUMA.  The brand values emphasised by both companies of joy, enthusiasm and passion make this partnership a perfect match. Our association with Borussia Dortmund will allow us to further expand our position as the clear number three football brand.”

 Matthias Bäumer, General Manager at PUMA Germany says: “We are very pleased to be able to strengthen our portfolio with such a long-standing and successful Bundesliga club as Borussia Dortmund. The enthusiasm of this club and its unique fans will not only allow us to leave our mark in the field of Teamsports and merchandising, but provide our retail partners with innovative football product and marketing concepts.”

 Hans-Joachim Watzke, Borussia Dortmund Club President said: “Borussia Dortmund is thrilled to enter this new partnership with PUMA.  We share a great synergy with PUMA, we both have brand values that extend beyond simply performance on the pitch, and our work together in coming seasons will reflect this.  From our very early conversations with PUMA it was abundantly clear that they wished to make Borussia Dortmund fans integral to the brand’s football campaigns in Germany, to value them as we do.  This marketing focus was a key reason for us signing a partnership with PUMA, and we are excited about the prospect of implementing these plans for the 2012/13 season and beyond.”

 Borussia Dortmund will become the third current Bundesliga club to partner with PUMA, joining VfB Stuttgart and TSG Hoffenheim in the global Sportlifestyle brand’s football family.  PUMA also partners with numerous club teams such as Girondins Bordeaux, AS Monaco, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Tottenham Hotspur, SS Lazio and Olympiakos Piräus as well as international teams including Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland, South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Chile and Uruguay. Borussia Dortmund will also join a host of international player assets that have joined PUMA in recent months including Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero, Ramadel Falcao and Cesc Fabregas.

Source: Puma

The north London team is looking to
reach out its a potentially huge fan base around the world, and then
leverage that global interest in Spurs to hopefully sign a number of
new sponsorship deals.

At the heart of it all is the concept
that there is a huge, as-yet-untapped, “brand” at the core of the
club.

All this is based on a solid foundation
of a continued and growing demand for Premier League football around
the world, which is broadcast in 207 countries.

Around the world Premier League
football was watched on TV last year by 3.9 billion people, 1.24
billion of them in Asia alone.

“The appetite is growing,” says
Tottenham Hotspur executive director Charlie Wijeratna, a former
lawyer and investment banker.

“On top of this Premier League
platform you have Tottenham Hotspur. The interest is massive in Asia,
including China.

“There are more people outside the UK
who like and follow Spurs than there are inside the UK.”

The club sells out every match at its
36,500 capacity White Hart Lane ground, has 23,500 season ticket
holders, and a further 32,000 people on a paid-for waiting list for
season tickets.

‘Zero revenues’

However, he says that while Spurs has
an estimated three million core fans in the UK, there are another 179
million supporters in other parts of the world who follow the team’s
fortunes.

After Asia the next most popular sphere
is in sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa, where the club has
been a trailblazer in terms of touring.

“But we drive zero revenues from
these 179 million fans at present,” says Mr Wijeratna at a Sports
Marketing 360 event in London.

“Manchester United are three to four
years ahead of us in this. Very few other clubs derive any income
from all these people who care about them overseas.”

He adds: “How do we create value for
sponsors from all these people who want to support us?”

Mr Wijeratna said there were currently
aspects of sponsoring a football club that could be gauged – such
as the value of tickets and hospitality.

Media value can also be measured in
terms of LED advertising, backdrop boarding and programme and
magazine advertisements.

But he said these tangible and
measurable benefits were small compared to the “intangible”
benefits of being associated with the Spurs brand.

“Tottenham Hotspur’s brand is the
club’s most valuable asset,” asserts Mr Wijeratna

“The greatest value of a sponsorship
lies in being associated with the brand – the marks, imagery and
values.”

And he said the power of the brand
could be harnessed for the benefit of commercial partners of Spurs.

‘Distinctive brand’

“We play attractive football, that is
something that goes back to the start of the last century,” says Mr
Wijeratna, who joined Spurs last November from London 2012 Olympic
Games organisers Locog.

“We want people to think about what
makes us different – Spurs has a distinctive brand around these
issues of flair, style and adventure.”

He said the club had gone through a
thorough process to work out what made Tottenham Hotspur different
from other clubs.

Now the club is to launch a new website
in November, along with a new coherent brand image which makes use of
Spurs’ famous cockerel logo.

“We are trying to find commercial
partners who value [the Spurs brand],” Mr Wijeratna says.

“We will be giving commercial
partners access to something people want to be involved with.”

He said that although Spurs had sold,
via the Premier League, the TV rights to its live league matches, it
had other valuable media assets.

“We own the access to our players at
all other times, such as training,” says Mr Wijeratna.

“We can create bespoke content,
filming training for example. There is an immense interest in the
players and in this side of things.

“At the moment I don’t think the
club is really making the most of that.”

He said the best way to use all this
potential content was with sponsors, who could run commercial
programmes off the back of this “compelling content”.

Stadium issues

The club received a boost earlier this
week when it signed a planning agreement to build a new stadium at
the 20-acre Northumberland Park site next to White Hart Lane.

“This will be the best stadium in the
country,” says Mr Wijeratna.

“It has been designed with the fan
experience as the most important thing.”

He said the club, which is currently
building a new state-of-the-art training complex, desperately needed
a new, bigger, stadium.

“We are one of two or three clubs in
the country who can fill a 60,000 stadium relatively easily,” he
says.

“At present we cannot fulfil demand.
Also, Arsenal and Manchester United take considerably more revenue
from each home game than we do, that is because of the size of the
stadium.”

When the club played Real Madrid in the
quarter-final of last year’s Champions League, they only had 5,000
tickets available for sale and 70,000 applications to buy them.

Tottenham, however, have not given up
hope of becoming the long-term tenants of the Olympic Stadium after
next year’s Games.

They have mounted a legal challenge
against West Ham’s current winning bid.

Mr Wijeratna said the decision to also
apply to use the Olympic Stadium was a prudent business decision, but
would not comment further because of the ongoing legal case.

Financial fair play

According to the latest Deloitte
analysis of the football club business in Europe, the club was the
tenth biggest in the continent – and by extension the world – in
terms of revenues.

“When financial fair play kicks in that will change the balance,” says Mr Wijeratna, referring to the new Uefa monetary guidelines which state clubs can only spend the revenues their business brings in.

He said it meant clubs like Manchester
City and Chelsea would no longer be able to rely on the deep pockets
of their owners.

“Spurs makes an operating profit, and
has done for a long time,” says the former Sky television
executive.

“Very quietly Spurs is getting ‘with
it’. We are going on a journey, and it is going to be very
exciting.”

Source: BBC News, by Bill Wilson

According to its official website: Ajax Cape Town launched their new adidas home and away jersey at the Cape Town Stadium earlier today.

The media was invited to walk through the tunnel at the Cape Town stadium and as they mingled on the rim of the field the team entered the stadium bowl in their new kit as the camera shutters raced to capture the moment.

As the teams lined up in front of the official launch backdrop, giant jerseys in the home and away colors of Ajax unfurled from level one on the stand opposite the tunnel, creating a perfect backdrop for the official photograph.

Winand Krawinkel the adidas MD, officially presented George Comitis the Ajax CEO with the new jersey as the media closed in for exclusive interviews.

The new home jersey is the traditional red and white design of Ajax, however it differs from the old one in style, cut and it has a collar. The new away kit is light blue with a dark blue trim with a traditional v-neck.

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According to Amazulu’s official website:

Inspiration & Design
According to Kevin Jooste, the Football Category Manager at adidas SA, the home shirt takes inspiration from AmaZulu’s heritage. “We decided with the club to incorporate some forrest green into the jersey, creating a link with the heritage of the club,” he says.

In addition, there is an embossing of the AmaZulu logo on the back of the jersey to add value to the jersey. For the away kit the club has stuck to the traditional white with twilight green stripes.

“We are grateful to adidas for the world class kit that they have produced for the club. We would like to urge our fans to go out and buy thenew jerseyand wear it with pride when attending our matches,” says Lunga Sokhela, the Marketing Manager at AmaZulu Football Club.

Technology
Both jerseys feature Climacool Technology- a combination of performance fabrics, open mesh and ventilation channels which keep cool air flowing in and heat and sweat flowing out. Climacool works by considering how and where the body produces heat and sweat, focussing on specific fabric and garment features in those zones.

The effect is that athletes stay dry, comfortable and perform at their peak in even the most heated competitions.

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According to its official website: adidas, the leading sports brand, has given Orlando Pirates football club a new look home and away kit for the 2011/2012 season – which kicks off with the Vodacom Challenge Cup next weekend.

Following the popularity and success of last season’s jersey, adidas has stuck to the same clean and classic look with attention to smaller design details on the jersey

“We worked very hard with the club to ensure that we produce a world class product for a world class club. This season we decided to use the same design for both the home and away jerseys,” says Kevin Jooste, the Football Category Manager at adidas South Africa.

adidas and Orlando Pirates always like to do something bold and unexpected and this season they have produced a red away jersey which is also set to be a hit with the fans.

“The feedback we received from last season’s jersey was very positive and so we decided to remain with a clean and classic design. Orlando Pirates has a great tradition of pushing the envelope in jersey design and I believe we have done that yet again this year. We are excited by this design and we hope the Orlando Pirates faithful will embrace the new jersey and wear it with pride,” says Nkosana Khoza, the Marketing Director at Orlando Pirates Football Club.

According to Jooste, there are three key features that make the new Orlando Pirates jersey unique. ”There is the collar detail using hidden buttons and the Orlando Pirates wording print on the back. More importantly, the base layer material used is lighter than the fabric used on previous jerseys and the jersey design is completed with contrast three-stripe stitching as well as skull and crossbones embossing on the back - which brings out the finer detail,” says Jooste.

Both jerseys feature Climacool Technology- a combination of performance fabrics, open mesh and ventilation channels which keep cool air flowing in and heat and sweat flowing out. Climacool works by considering how and where the body produces heat and sweat, focussing on specific fabric and garment features in those zones. The effect is that athletes stay dry, comfortable and perform at their peak in even the most heated competitions.

In addition to the replica jerseys, adidas has produced its most comprehensive fan ware range. Thereplica jersey –which is locally produced -will retail at a recommended retail price of R 599 and will be available in retail shops from today (07 July 2011).

“We are bringing a selection of Orlando Pirates players to the fans. They will visit four retail storestoday (07 July) from 1pm until 5pm,” says Bradley Stern, Senior Trade Marketing Manager at adidas South Africa. The treble winning squad will visit these four stores within Johannesburg; adidas concept store Eastgate, Studio88 Riggs Street, Totalsports Carlton Centre and Rashid Cassim Sports in Fordsburg.

Below the new soccer jersey video presentation made by adidasfootballtv

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL6LA0ixLXU

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