http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1379466/Liverpools-mammoth-25m-year-Warrior-kit-deal-rewrites-record-books.htmlLiverpool's mammoth £25m-a-year Warrior kit deal rewrites the record booksLiverpool have wrapped up a £25m-a-year kit deal with Boston-based company Warrior Sports — a record for English football and twice what adidas currently pay.
Warrior, a subsidiary of New Balance, will take over from adidas ahead of the 2012-13 season and it is expected to be a long-term relationship which puts Nike’s deal with Manchester United - worth £23.5m - into the shade.
The news comes as a huge blow to their current kit manufacturers as Liverpool's shirt is the fourth-highest selling replica in the world.
Around 900,000 shirts are sold annually, a number only beaten by North West rivals United, plus Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Liverpool owner John W Henry had said that the club would only spend money that it generates and with Champions League football at least another season away, the promise of funds will boost the club's muscle in the transfer market.
New Balance, a brand best-known for its running shoes, has been increasing its footprint in other sports for some time now and recently announced a deal with the Boston Red Sox to manufacture their kits.
Warrior are a big player in the United States where they have traditionally been associated with ice hockey and lacrosse.
The company, set up by Dave Morrow - who also invented the first ever titanium lacrosse stick - was bought out by New Balance in 2004.
The brand was transformed from a niche-market player to a huge brand big enough to sign a multi-year deal with the baseball giants Red Sox.
As part of the company's expansion, they have increased the number of player sponsorships and worldwide sales totalling £1billion has facilitated the move into football.
United's deal with Nike runs until 2015 and the club will be expecting to to negotiate a deal that places them in a higher price bracket to Liverpool.
唔知有冇理解錯, 25M deal的意思係每年Warrior俾25M利記, 而利記的球衣以後就由Warrior生產, 當然Warrior就有權放個章喺件衣度。價錢高過Addidas個合約一倍, 都幾好呀, 每年多10+M用下........
