Same Treatment as Brighton? Should Sevilla Become A Nike Top Team?

Sep 7, 2020

by Chris

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Spanish 2019-20 UEFA Europa League winners FC Sevilla last Friday released their new Nike 20-21 home, away and third kits. They feature custom colors but no bespoke designs because Sevilla is no premium / top-tier Nike team - should they become one?

Sevilla 20-21 Home, Away & Third Kits Released

Sep 4, 2020

In early August 2020, FC Sevilla and Nike extended their original three-year kit deal for another season, until the end of the 2021-22 season. The deal is worth around €2.3 million a year, with bonuses of up to 500,000 Euro when qualifying for the Champions League.

Sevilla Extends Nike Deal For One Season Until 2022 - Record-Breaking Sales With Nike

Aug 12, 2020

Sevilla - Only Nike Standard Team?

For Nike, there are at least four different tiers of teams - Elite , Premium, Standard & Third Party ["Not-Directly Supplied By Nike"]. Let us first look what Nike's different tiers mean for the clubs.

Nike's Pyramid Of Teams - Elite, Premium, Standard & Third-Party

Elite Teams (e.g. FC Barcelona, Liverpool):

All Nike Elite teams get three bespoke jerseys, including a streamlined third kit (Air Max-inspired this season), exclusive pre-match jerseys as well as a lot of other bespoke gear.

The newest team to become a Nike Elite team was Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. The 10 Nike Elite teams for 2020-2021 are Atletico, Barcelona, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Inter, Leipzig, Liverpool, PSG, Roma and Tottenham.

Premium Teams (e.g. Eintracht Frankfurt, Zenit, Hertha BSC, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Steaua Bucharest:

Premium teams are on the second level of Nike's pyramid. They get custom kit designs (most times home & away only), streamlined pre-match shirts and some custom lifestyle / training gear.

Standard Teams (e.g. Brighton, Sevilla?, Young Boys), FC Utrecht

Standard teams have a direct contract with Nike but get no bespoke designs - they mostly receive kits with custom color combos.

Brighton & Hove Albion 20-21 Away Kit Released

Aug 29, 2020

"Third Party" (e.g. FC Augsburg & 1860 Munich (deal managed by 11teamsports, Birmingham & Portsmouth (deal managed by Just Sport):

Third Party teams have no direct contract with Nike but with a third-party, who manage contracts for Nike in those countries. These teams get no bespoke kits from Nike ever.

FC Sevilla - No Custom Designs, Direct Contract With Nike -> Standard Team

With FC Sevilla, the case seems to be relatively clear - they are just a Standard Nike Team. The Spanish team gets no bespoke kits, so they are not even on the same level as Eintracht Frankfurt, Brighton and Utrecht.