September 1 - Sports kit company Umbro has signed a deal with the Football Association that will see it make the England kit for the next two World Cups.
Cheadle-based Umbro will manufacture the national side’s strip until summer 2018, which will take in the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, and the 2018 competition, for which England is bidding.
Umbro will also be a sponsor of Wembley Stadium, the FA Cup and the National Football Centre in Staffordshire.
The deal, for an undisclosed sum, was announced on the day that members of the England team including Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney revealed the new Umbro strip which they will wear during the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
The £50 kit ($77), which is manufactured in Indonesia, will be worn in action for the first time against Bulgaria on Friday (September 4) and goes on sale next month.
FA general secretary Alex Horne said: “We have a fantastic relationship with Umbro that spans almost 60 years.
“They are part of the fabric of English football and this significant long-term investment into our partnership demonstrates the enduring strength of the England brand.”
The new kit features a design by Peter Saville, who was behind the iconic imagery that helped establish Manchester’s Factory Records.
Umbro will also supply the kits for England’s 22 other national sides, which include women’s and disabled teams.
It will also support the grass roots game, with kits and training for 4,000 amateur teams every year and training for more than 3,000 referees and coaches.
Martin Prothero, senior vice president of football at Umbro, said: “Umbro has been part of English football longer than anyone and it is only natural that we work with the FA to develop the game.
“We are absolutely committed to supporting the FA at all levels of the game and we feel now is the right time to show that commitment.”
Umbro, which was founded in Wilmslow in 1924 and has been a subsidiary of Nike since it was bought for £285 million ($439 million) in 2007, first manufactured the England team’s kit in 1952.