01 June 2012 | Posted in Personal Endorsement, Soccer, Europe | By Tom Love
Warrior Sports has announced that Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy will serve as the Boston-based apparel company's first brand ambassador in the sport of soccer.
The deal comes as Bellamy’s Liverpool team prepare to play in Warrior-made kits for the first time since a multi-million dollar deal was signed in January.
Unlike other personal endorsement deals, the unique agreement between Warrior and Bellamy will see 100 per cent of the Liverpool player's sponsorship fee paid directly to the Craig Bellamy Foundation in Sierra Leone.
According to an official press release, in addition to providing footballs, boots and kit, 'Warrior will work closely with Bellamy to raise global awareness of the foundation and build on his work to date' while 'the Liverpool front man will also work alongside Warrior to develop its debut football boot collection.'
“While Warrior works to support me on the field, we’ll work together to support the Craig Bellamy Foundation off it,” said Bellamy. “For me, the most important part of this deal is that the money and extra resource provided by Warrior will go directly to the children and local communities involved with my charity in Sierra Leone.”
Head of Warrior Football Richard Wright said, "At Warrior, we align ourselves with athletes who are highly driven, motivated and possess a winning mentality – Craig is one of these athletes. His work in Sierra Leone is remarkable and we are delighted to help these young footballers of tomorrow."
Regarding Bellamy's work with developing Warrior's boot collection, Wright added, "Craig will play an integral role in the boot design and development process, helping the Warrior team create a revolutionary product that will stand out from the pack."
Details of Warrior's first soccer boot will be revealed in the build-up to the start of the 2012/2013 English Premier League season with the launch date scheduled for December 2012.
Relatively unknown in Europe, Warrior Sports is a major sports apparel manufacturer in the US and primarily supplies the sports of ice hockey and lacrosse. The company is only now becoming known to soccer fans across Europe through a record-breaking US$230 million agreement with Liverpool FC to act as the Premier League club's official kit supplier from June 1st 2012.
Another American company completes deal with Liverpool
In a separate announcement, Warrior has also announced details of Liverpool's highly anticipated home kit for the 2012/13 Premier League season.
Regarding the new design, Wright said, "By partnering our knowledge of making high performance sports apparel with Liverpool FC’s rich history, Warrior has successfully created a kit that will empower players with the means to dominate. Our goal is to breathe new life and energy into the game of football, to make people sit up and take notice by redefining expectations."
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard added, "Warrior has designed a kit that embodies everything that is great about Liverpool Football Club. I’m extremely happy with the reintroduction of the amber yellow Liver Bird crest and the stitching gives it that extra touch of quality. For fit, comfort and functionality, it’s one of the best kits I’ve worn – the fans will love it.”
http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/liverpool_front_man_signs_new_contract_warrior_unveils_new_kit_design/
