July 13 – Iconic Italian leisurewear brand FILA is returning to football after a 20-year gap, agreeing a three-year technical sponsorship with Italian Serie C side LR Vicenza.
Vicenza were founded in 1902 and play at the 12,000-capacity Claudio Romeo Menti. In 1997 they won in the Coppa Italia and in the early 2000s were in Serie A – they have played 30 seasons in Serie A over their history. However, since the 2000s they have not reached the same heights, being relegated last season to Serie C via the play-offs.
President Stefano Rosso has pledged a rebuild of the club and the FILA deal is part of that process.
“We are happy to set out on this path with FILA as our new technical sponsor, as they are a centre of excellence worldwide and have chosen Vicenza for their relaunch in football. The union between Vicenza, FILA and the OTB group will enable us to do some important and exclusive things in the world of lifestyle sportswear,” said Rosso.
FILA similarly have a 100-year+ history, having been founded in 1911 by the FILA brothers. While never challenging the scale of Adidas or Nike in football, FILA nevertheless produced iconic shirts including Fiorentina’s 1997-2000 jersey worn by Argentinian legend Gabriel Batistuta (pictured).
In South America FILA produced kit for Deportivo Cali, Alianza Lima and Botafogo, while in England they supplied West Ham and in Germany Hamburg and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Vicenza is a small step back into the football market, and Luca Bertolino, Head of Global Strategic Marketing at FILA, said that the company is “enthusiastic to support the Club’s project and will do our best to guarantee that the players’ skills are enhanced by a top-quality product so the club can return to where it belongs.”
“Our partnership is based on strong common values, shared with the club and its owners: a long history of passion for sport and competition at the highest levels, the continuous search for quality and elegance and the belief that business success needs a long-term vision and financial sustainability,” he continued.
No value was given for the deal.
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