Nike and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have announced a new partnership in which Nike will design and develop football kits for the men’s and women’s national football teams from April 1, 2015, until at least 2018, GOAL reports.
Nigeria’s previous contract with German giants Adidas ended in December after the company decided not to renew due to contractual disagreements.
Nike will design performance and training apparel, and equipment, including team kits and footballs, for the Nigerian national football team players at every level of the game. There will be an exclusive-edition team kit for all NFF teams until the 2016-17 kit launches in mid-2016. In addition, Nike will design an assortment of products for Nigerians to show their support for the national team, to be available from mid-2016.
The Nigeria under-20 men’s team will be the first team to don the new Nike kit at the under-20 football tournament to be hosted in New Zealand from May 31.
“We are very pleased to partner with the Nigeria Football Federation, one of Africa’s premier teams,” said Laurent Payre, Nike Africa VP / General Manager. “The passion for football in Nigeria is renowned and Nike is committed to supporting and advancing the game at all levels through inspiration and innovation for young men and women.”
NFF President Amaju Pinnick said, “This exciting partnership with Nike signifies our commitment toward building and strengthening a successful football future in Nigeria. The game enjoys a huge following across the country and we want to fuel participation and ultimately the success of our future national teams.”
The partnership includes the following elements: supplying performance and training kits to all nine of the Nigeria Football Federation teams at every level, including the men’s and women’s senior teams, men’s and women’s under-20 teams, men’s and women’s under-17 teams, men’s and women’s Olympic teams, and the men’s beach football team.
Nigeria joins Nike’s portfolio of federation sponsorships including Australia, Brasil, England, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, the U.S. and others.
