Castore Acquires Umbro Brand in UK, Other Key Markets
Mar 23, 2024, by Pat
- Acquisition: Castore has acquired the exclusive Umbro marketing and distribution rights in key European markets including the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.
- Strategic Goal: Castore plans to challenge Adidas and Nike’s dominance in sportswear leveraging Umbro’s history and Castore's digital expertise.
- Existing Clubs: Castore will now manage the designs and distribution of Umbro kits for existing partnered clubs including several Premier League teams.
Castore has acquired an exclusive Umbro Professional Team Sports sub-license from GL Dameck, allowing them to market Umbro in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, and Denmark.
This deal is only about marketing and distribution. It's not a takeover.
Castore wants to take advantage of Umbro's rich history in the sport and plans to disrupt the dominance of Adidas and Nike with its "digital expertise and highly agile global supply". Castore also states that the acquisition of the Umbro brand rights in key European marks highlights the beginning of its brand segmentation strategy.
The iconic Umbro double diamond will continue to feature on the kits of Premier League clubs AFC Bournemouth, Brentford, Luton Town and West Ham, as well as English Football League clubs Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town and Forest Green Rovers. But it will now be managed by Castore, and it will definitely be interesting to see the designs.
Check out all current Umbro kits over on Football Kit Archive
What are your thoughts on Castore acquiring the Umbro brand rights in key European markets? Comment below.
Real Madrid 26-27 New Shirt Number Owners
Real Madrid have officially confirmed their squad numbers for the 2026-27 season. Thanks to @jersey_story for the design visuals.
Raúl Asencio steps into the No. 2 shirt previously worn by Dani Carvajal, while new signing Dean Huijsen takes over No. 4 from David Alaba. Endrick also returns to the No. 9 after his loan spell at Marseille.
Among the new arrivals, Ibrahima Konaté will wear No. 16, Marc Cucurella No. 17, Carlos Espí No. 19, Denzel Dumfries No. 24 and Yan Diomande No. 25. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva will continue wearing No. 20 following Fran García's departure. The number is closely associated with the Portuguese midfielder's most successful years at Manchester City.
Which new number catches your eye the most? Let us know your answer in the comments below.
Paris Saint-Germain Debut 26-27 Kits Featuring Two Stars
PSG debuted a two-star version of their 26-27 kits during recent friendly matches, commemorating their pair of UEFA Champions League titles. This special detail will be used exclusively in international competitions.
Despite Ligue 1 placing no restriction on star crests, PSG announced they will not feature the stars on their domestic league kits. Special thanks to @jerseystory_vn for the spot and graphic.
No More Nike: Adidas Croatia 2026 Training Kits Revealed
Following their switch from Nike to Adidas, Croatia's new training kit set for 2026 have been unveiled in the latest training camp for youth teams' goalkeepers.
However from what we've seen, both of the new jerseys are simply from Adidas Tiro 26 League template range, using default black and grey color choices. These are very likely just temporary options for the mean time, until the actual designs with probably bespoke colorways are officially released.
What do you think of the new Adidas Croatia 2026 training kits? Let us know in the comments below.
