Adidas Strikes Kit Sponsorship Deal With Dynamos, Highlanders
Under the terms of the agreement which was facilitated by the clubs’ sponsors, BancABC, Adidas South Africa will supply replica shirts to be sold at selected shops and during games
HARARE — Top Zimbabwe football clubs Dynamos and Highlanders will soon be competing against the best on the continent in terms of appearance on the field of play following the unveiling of a massive kit sponsorship deal with international sportswear giants, Adidas. Dynamos and Highlanders signed the deal worth thousands of dollars with the global sportswear giant which is expected to boost revenues at the country’s two biggest football clubs that have been struggling over the years. Under the terms of the agreement which was facilitated by the clubs’ sponsors, BancABC, Adidas South Africa will supply replica shirts to be sold at selected shops and during games with the two clubs entitled to about 7 percent for each unit sold. With each shirt set to retail at about $50, the clubs can expect up to $3.50 for each shirt sold. Previously, the two teams were losing a lot of money through the sale of replica jerseys on the market. Also likely to go is the old system in which the clubs’ supporters were buying English Premier League Chelsea replica jerseys, in the case of Dynamos, and Newcastle United for Highlanders as the two teams’ colours are similar to those of the Zimbabwean clubs. Dynamos chairman Keni Mubaiwa has urged his team’s supporters to back the new deal by buying the authentic club jerseys and not from the streets. Observers say the Adidas sponsorship deal was long overdue. The sportswear company has been in other African countries for a long time now and supporting other sporting disciplines as well. Sadly, Zimbabwean sport has been unable to capitalise on such deals as most of the national teams do not have branded kits with the kickboxing national teams using old kits and at times borrowing from other national teams. Tony Kamangira, the president of kickboxing federation says such issues were embarrassing the nation. The vice president of the Zimbabwe Beach Volleyball Association, Chris Chivinge, says their uniforms are sub-standard and not worth to be worn by a national team. These are just but a few examples of the way Zimbabwe national teams have been surviving but with proper organisation, the coming in of Adidas is likely to change the sorry state of Zimbabwean sport.