Adidas Release Kits for Clubs They Don't Sponsor
Adidas' "ALMA" collection celebrates the roots and history of football clubs in Brazil with special kits based on their traditional designs. Adidas sponsor five clubs in Brazil, none of whom feature in the collection. Instead, they have produced jerseys for clubs whose kits are made by other brands.
Adidas Release Jerseys for Clubs They Don't Sponsor
Football kit contracts are big business and give manufacturers exclusive rights to produce officially licensed club gear. They often contain very specific clauses related to competitors, preventing players from wearing clothing from competing brands while on club duty, although this generally excludes footwear.
Lionel Messi has been the face of Adidas for years yet he has played and trained in Nike gear for the entirety of his club career thanks to Barcelona and PSG's contracts with the Swoosh. The inverse is true for Cristiano Ronaldo, Nike's number one athlete who has been more often photographed wearing the Three Stripes while representing Real Madrid, Juve and his second spell at Manchester United.
Nautico, Portuguesa and América RJ have received Adidas ALMA jerseys.
Brands are very strict about players respecting the apparel contracts between themselves and the clubs they sponsor, so the nature of Adidas "ALMA" collection is highly unusual. In this case it is not players who are prioritising their own individual sponsorship deals, but the clubs themselves who have allowed Adidas to produce officially licensed shirts bearing their crest, despite their existing kit deals.
The Adidas ALMA shirts will be worn in matches and are not just collectors items.
Two of the three clubs who have so far received ALMA jerseys from Adidas are Nautico and Portuguesa. Both clubs produce their kits in-house, meaning there is no other party who could object to them allowing Adidas to make a shirt for them. America RJ, on the other hand, have a deal with Icone Sports, yet the folks at Icone seem to have had no qualms about letting Adidas in on their turf.
André Campos, Senior Manager of Adidas Football in Brazil said:
"The ALMA collection is a fantastic way to celebrate clubs that are part of Brazilian soccer history. Many fans will remember the golden era of the teams involved in the project and recall great memories. At the same time, it is an opportunity to get closer to those who were too young to witness the magic told from generation to generation."
Even stranger still is that these Adidas shirts are not just collectors items. Both Portuguesa and America RJ have worn their Adidas ALMA shirts in matches already, and Nautico will do the same. The three clubs will rotate between their home and away (and possibly third) shirts, plus their ALMA shirts across the 22-23 season.
The shirts themselves are quite simple, applying each team's traditional colours to teamwear designs, adding an Adidas ALMA jocktag and a unique gold symbol to the back of the neck commemorating an achievement from each club's history.
To the best of our knowledge, this is a first in modern football. There may have been cases of clubs changing manufacturer during the season and switching from one brand to another, but for clubs to have one set of kits containing shirts by two different manufacturers is something we can't recall hearing of before. Be sure to let us know in the comments if you have any other examples of this.
What do you think of Adidas producing one-off kits for clubs they don't sponsor? Would you like to see any other brand make a one-off kit for your club? Comment below.
