As the World Cup approaches ever nearer, it’s worthwhile taking a look at this year’s kits and their suppliers. It’s no surprise that all the heavy hitters of football sponsorship are involved with this year’s World Cup kits, along with a few smaller companies trying to wedge themselves in amongst the sport’s elite outfitters. Adidas has the strongest showing, with a total of twelve national teams bearing the three stripes, including Argentina, Spain, and France. Nike trails behind with a respectable nine national teams, including Brazil, USA, and Portugal, with Puma just behind them with seven, including Ghana, Uruguay, and current world champions, Italy. Let’s take a closer look at what each sponsor is offering the 2010 World Cup finalists.

With the recent acquisition of football apparel supplier Umbro, Nike now boasts itself as the world’s largest football brand. This World Cup they not only provide their nine teams with home and away kits, but they’ve also made major steps to “green” their production lines. Each Nike jersey is made from eight recycled plastic bottles. To achieve this, Nike’s fabric suppliers gathered discarded plastic bottles from different landfills around Japan and Taiwan and melted them into a yarn material that was eventually used to make each jersey. The new process not only saves raw materials, while considerably reducing energy consumption, but also utilizes materials that would have otherwise gone to waste.

While Adidas falls short on the green factor at this year’s tournament, they can happily take pride in having the more creative designs than their counterpart. Nike’s kits tend to look very similar across the board, with each country’s specific graphics being the only separating factor. Adidas took the time to design each of their country’s home and away kits as completely different from each other. The design of each jersey reflects something specific and special about the country it represents. Fans are especially pleased with the home and away jerseys’ originality.

Puma can also boast original designs and pride in the fact that they are sponsoring the majority of Africa’s teams. While not as well known, the other kit suppliers involved include Brooks, sponsoring Chile, Joma, sponsoring Honduras, and Pirma, sponsoring Korea DPR. Over the last few months, as each supplier unveiled the kit designs for their respective countries, we now wait with even more anticipation to see them all in action at the World Cup 2010.

UPDATE – Comments from kit suppliers:
Hi Muzi

Regards,
Brett Bellinger
Marketing Director
PUMA SOUTH AFRICA

PUMA has once again demonstrated its place as a market leader in product design after being awarded the “Red Dot Award: Product Design 2010” for three of its football products. The PowerCat 1.10 football, PowerCat 1.10 iFG football boot and Italy home shirt all impressed the panel of expert international judges who made the decision after receiving more than 4,252 entries from 57 nations in the product design category.

The Red Dot Award: Product Design is one of the largest and most renowned design competitions worldwide and is an internationally recognised quality label for excellent design.  The jury rated PUMA’s PowerCat 1.10 products against a number of key criteria including design quality, degree of innovation, longevity and ecological compatibility.

“These products are designed to help players compete for honours on the pitch, so it’s great that they’ve been recognised for excellence off it too,” said Filip Trulsson, Senior Manager, International Teamsport Business Unit at PUMA. “This is a great acclaim to the superb efforts across design, development and product line management, and we’re delighted.”

The PowerCat collection was introduced in February 2010, ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. This year, when the world sets its sights on South Africa, PUMA will have enjoyed more than a decade of close partnership and collaboration with African football federations, currently being the official supplier of no less than twelve African National Teams, including Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Algeria and Ghana – all of which are participating in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Other PUMA teams participating in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa includes reigning champions Italy along with Uruguay and Switzerland.

PowerCat 1.10 Footwear

The PowerCat 1.10 Boot uses PUMA 3D Power Shooting Technology which delivers unique rebound properties. The Springtech foam in the shark-like gills on the side of the boot are engineered to enhance every shot by putting extra power behind the ball as it catapults off the shoe. This means the boot intentionally does not absorb the typical amount of energy upon impact with the ball, allowing more power to be released with every shot.

The kicking area is made of a soft, thin leather and a synthetic microfiber around the quarter area, keeping the boot lightweight and easy to perform in. The bladed studs are configured to ensure smooth ground penetration and pressure distribution as well as maximum traction and maneuverability.

PowerCat 1.10 Ball

The PowerCat 1.10 Ball is the latest innovation from PUMA‘s award winning design and development Equipment team. The ball has been in testing for the past six months with Sheffield University, as well as three select top division teams in Europe. The ball excels in flight characteristics, shape and anti-absorption properties, as well as the all-important ‘touch and feel’ experience.

The Italy Home Shirt

Staying true to tradition, the colors of the home kit is Italy’s classic azzure blue with white details. The shirt features a unique body fit and ‘battle skin’ graphic, designed only for the Italy team to wear during the World Cup.

The unique star-shaped collar on the shirt pays homage to Italy’s four World Cup titles as do the four stars on the official FIGC logo on the left chest. A leaping PUMA Cat logo on the right chest is prominently displayed.  The design of the jersey reflects PUMA’s sportlifestyle positioning and the dynamic and modern character of the Azzuri. The new Italy kit puts emphasis on courage, engineered performance features and a distinct articulation of raw football power.

The POWER technology in each jersey was constructed using 3D Motion Analysis, a scientific technique that captures and quantifies human movement. This movement data is incorporated into the design of the jersey to ensure each player uses minimal force and energy with every upper body movement.   The jersey also uses an engineered mesh, or ‘battle skin’, that enhances breathability, giving players more comfort and freedom of movement. The collar and arms feature power cutlines, giving the jersey a striking look emphasizing the strength of the chest and arms.

The Red Dot Award: Product Design was presented to PUMA at a ceremony in Essen, Germany on March 2nd, 2010. All winners of the award can use the Red Dot logo on packaging and marketing materials. The award-winning products are put on display before an international public in the Red Dot design museum on the premises of the ‘Zeche Zollverein’ World Cultural Heritage Site in Essen, Germany.

PUMA today unveiled the new home and away team kits of reigning World Cup™ champions Italy at a joint press conference with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

The iconic azzurro blue kit emblazoned with four stars – one for each World Cup™ they have won – will be worn by Italy as they defend their title at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa this summer. The new PowerCat home shirt design will be endorsed exclusively by Italy at the World Cup.

“PUMA Football is off to an impressive start as we enter this World Cup year, with seven of our sponsored teams now qualified for the tournament in South Africa this June,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO, PUMA AG. “Certainly the one to watch is the defending World Champion, Italy. The world is ready to rally behind you, Team Italia. As we debut the home and away kits in Coverciano, we celebrate the long-standing partnership with the FIGC and usher in what we hope is another successful campaign for the Federation.”

Giancarlo Abete, the FIGC President (Italian Football Federation) said, “This kit encapsulates the essence and heritage of the Azzurri, and represents a symbol to celebrate the Centenary of the National Team, defending our title in South Africa. Through its passion and innovation, PUMA has created a football kit that will help us achieve this dream.”

The new kits are part of PUMA’s PowerCat 1.10 collection, including the statement football boot the PowerCat 1.10. Staying true to tradition, the colors of the home kit is Italy’s classic azzurro blue with white details. The away kit is the traditional white with blue and gold details. The home shirt features a unique body fit and ‘battle skin’ graphic, designed specifically for Italy and their quest for a fifth World Cup title. The Italy away shirt delivers a different design interpretation under the same PowerCat concept.

The unique star-shaped collar highlighted with the green, white and red of Italy pays homage to the team’s four World Cup™ titles as do the four stars on the official FIGC logo on the left chest. A leaping PUMA Cat logo on the right chest is prominently displayed. The design of the jerseys reflects PUMA’s sportlifestyle positioning and the dynamic and modern character of the Azzuri. The new Italy kit puts emphasis on courage, engineered performance features and a distinct articulation of raw football power.

The PowerCat technology used in the new shirt was constructed using 3D Motion Analysis, a scientific technique that captures and quantifies human movement. This movement data is incorporated into the design of the jersey to ensure each player uses minimal force and energy with every upper body movement. The jersey also uses an engineered mesh, or ‘battle skin’, that enhances breathability, giving players more comfort and freedom of movement. The collar and sleeves feature power cutlines, giving the jersey a striking look emphasizing the strength of the chest and arms.

The shorts are inspired by both football and boxing, featuring a boxer-like belt as the waistband to give the Italian players an added bold look and confidence as the title holders. The shorts feature mesh gussets for improved ventilation and additional freedom of movement. The final piece to the kit, the socks, introduces a shaped footbed to provide support and protection for high-stress regions along with mesh inserts to provide breathability and an exaggerated definition of the calf muscle.

PUMA’s contracted Italian players will endorse the Powercat 1.10 Boot, which uses PUMA 3D Power Shooting Technology delivering unique rebound properties. The Springtech foam in the gills enhances every shot by putting extra power behind the ball as it catapults off the shoe. That means the boot intentionally does not absorb the typical amount of energy on ball impact, which instead allows you to release more power with every shot. The kicking area is made of soft, thin leather and a synthetic microfiber around the quarter area keeps the boot lightweight and easy to perform in. The bladed studs are configured to ensure smooth ground penetration and pressure distribution as well as maximum traction and maneuverability.

The uniform was introduced in Coverciano, Florence before Italy play their first-ever friendly match against PUMA sponsored Cameroon, which takes place in Monaco on March 3, 2010. The Puma players of the Italian national team were on hand in Coverciano to showcase the new strip and were joined at the unveiling by head coach Marcello Lippi and PUMA’s Chief Commercial Officer Stefano Caroti.

PUMA also debuted a special edition PUMA Italia Lacelet, a collectable shoe lace designed with the team’s iconic azzurro blue. The Lacelet joins a collection of shoe laces that PUMA created for this World Cup year that will be used as a fundraising lever for PUMA’s charitable partner United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). A portion of the profits from the sale of the Lacelets will be allocated to programs that support biodiversity worldwide, via UNEP’s International Year of Biodiversity 2010 campaign.

Alongside World Champions Italy, three other PUMA sponsored countries – Switzerland Czech Republic and Uruguay – unveiled their World Cup™ 2010 Kits this week. For more information visit: www.pumafootball.com.

PUMA, the leading sportslifestyle brand and a powerhouse in African football delivered a trifecta news announcement today, paving the way for the Orange African Cup of Nations Angola 2010™ (CAN 2010).  PUMA has unveiled the 2010 Football Kits for the eleven African teams it sponsors: Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Egypt, Tunisia, Namibia, Morocco, Angola, Senegal and Togo.

PUMA Angola away shirt

PUMA Ghana home shirt

PUMA Cameroon Samuel Eto'o

PUMA is also proud to announce the signing of Algeria FA. Les Fennecs (The Desert Foxes), will be part of the PUMA football portfolio from January 1st 2010. Finally, the sportslifestyle company has been named the Official Fan Shop of the Orange African Cup of Nations Angola 2010. Continue Reading