Umbro commits to England until 2018

The FA today announces an extension to their partnership with Umbro until 2018, ahead of the start of the team’s 2012 European Championship qualifying campaign.

The agreement, to run until 31 July 2018, represents a significant investment which will be reinvested by The FA back into the game across all levels, from the senior team to grassroots. The Umbro partnership will fund a cross-section of areas key to the development of football in this country including:

• Support of all Club England’s 23 football teams including the men’s national teams, women’s, Futsal, disability and amateur
• St George’s Park, the home of the National Football Centre in Burton-upon-Trent which, in addition to hosting the England senior team, will train and develop a generation of coaches, referees and medical staff every year. New facilities will be housed there for both futsal and partially sighted football
• Free Umbro kit and equipment to 4,000 amateur teams every year to support The FA Chartered Standard Clubs programme
• Investment in 3,000 County FA courses every year which train 60,000 players, referees and coaches annually
• The FA Umbro Fives which encourages participation in the amateur small-sided game by offering thirty-two teams from the 20,000 players involved the chance to play at Wembley Stadium
• Development of Futsal through the National Futsal Championships and the Futsal Youth Festival
• The FA Cup - Umbro are a supporting partner of the world’s most famous club cup competition
• Wembley Stadium - UMBRO are a supporting partner of the home of English football Umbro, which is also a partner of The FA’s 2018 World Cup bid, has a longstanding relationship with England and The FA. They first manufactured England kits back in 1952 and have further shown their commitment through to 2018 with the current contract extension.

Commenting on the agreement, Martin Prothero, Senior Vice President of Football at Umbro said: “We are delighted to announce the extension of our contract with The Football Association. Umbro has been part of English football longer than anyone and it is only natural that we work with The FA to develop the game.

"We are absolutely committed to supporting The FA at all levels of the game, both broad and deep, and we feel now is the right time to show that commitment as we head into a new era for English football.”

Alex Horne, FA General Secretary, added: “We have a fantastic relationship with Umbro that spans almost 60 years. They are part of the fabric of English football and this significant long-term investment into our partnership demonstrates the enduring strength of the England brand.”

New kit

On the same day as the contract extension announcement, Umbro is also launching a fresh kit for the start of the England team’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, building on the tailoring, style and performance elements of the previous home and current away kits.

Inspired by an increasingly diverse England, iconic graphic designer Peter Saville has created a pattern on the new England home shirt that is a reflection of his vision of modern England. Made up of different interpretations of the classic St George’s cross symbol, the pattern is displayed through the repetition of four different coloured crosses.

The traditional red cross is still present alongside blue and green ones, which are colours present in the official England team crest. These have been joined by a purple cross, a blend of all the three previous colours to accentuate diversity.

“Both the nation and the fans themselves are more diverse than ever before – whether that’s differences in politics, religion, ethnicity, fashions, music and art,” said Saville. “The landscape of England has shifted dramatically over the past couple of decades and we are now one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world.

“Football is a language that everyone can relate to and the new England home kit provided the perfect canvas to reflect what England looks like today. The reality of modern England is expressed in this pattern as it reclaims the St George’s cross to positively represent our contemporary society.”

The shirt was revealed in a ‘new fabric of England’ team line-up featuring some of the country’s most talented younger generation of players. Sitting alongside senior players Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Adam Johnson and Joe Hart, are the likes of Jade Bailey, who at only 14 years old has represented England Women’s at U17 level; Eric Dier, the promising 16-year-old defender currently in the youth system at Sporting Lisbon and Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere, who was first called up to the senior squad for the August friendly against Hungary.

Trevor Cairns, Chief Marketing Officer for Umbro, added: “The fact that we have a new fabric for the shirt gave us an opportunity to celebrate the new fabric of England through the next generation of players.”

Alongside the white home shirt will be the new home goalkeeper’s shirt in black with a purple trim. Purple piping has been added to the kit after Saville was inspired by the cut-line on a formal shirt, feeling that this highlight made the kit look like a design sketch.

“The new England home kit is undoubtedly the best fitting England kit yet,” said England keeper Joe Hart. “I love the black and the subtle nature of the pattern blended into the shirt.”

The kit will be worn for the first time on 3 September by the England team for their Euro 2012 Qualifier against Bulgaria at Wembley. It goes on sale from 12 October.

To pre-order your new kit at the England Store, click here.