Sports News of Thursday, 15 October 2020

Source: ghanasoccernet.com

Ghanaian side Accra Lions agree landmark kit deal with Puma

Ghanaian side Lions have signed a kits deal with Puma Ghanaian side Lions have signed a kits deal with Puma

Accra Lions Football Club (ALFC) have agreed a landmark kit deal with German manufacturers Puma, bolstering the football credentials of the ambitious Ghanaian side.

The second tier club becomes the first Ghanaian football club to sign an apparel agreement with one of the top three sports goods manufacturers in the world.

The Division One side’s partnership with Puma takes immediate effect and both parties did not reveal the value of the deal.

The Abokobi-based side made the major announcement on Wednesday ahead of the start of the 2020/21 league season in the West African country.

Under the agreement, Puma will provide top class apparel for the first team of the ambitious club, the club's coaching staff and its feeder teams.

ALFC follow in the footsteps of the Ghana national teams who have been able to attract interest from the highly-regarded German kit company.

Some of the world's top teams to have attracted Puma kit partnership are AC Milan, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Marseille, Valencia and PSV Eindhoven.

ALFC are now seeking to join that echelon with Puma now the club's official kit sponsor over the coming years ahead of some of the major teams in Ghana.

“Our jersey is a key part of our identity. We welcome Puma into the ALFC family as our new official kit supplier," Enock Kofi Osei, ALFC’s General Secretary, said.

"As a brand, Puma reflects our ambitions for growth, and we look forward to working with them to develop our club further."

Puma also supplies kit to the national teams of Portugal, Italy, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt Senegal and Ivory Coast. It has established itself as the third major football brand behind Adidas and Nike.

The company's biggest name athlete is Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

The agreement with ALFC comes just hours after the second tier club announced ALEXpay as its headline sponsor.

The global digital payments company ALEXpay will become the new headline sponsor for the 2020-21 season.

ALFC have run their club as a professional outfit with serious branding and marketing approach which is attracting serious commercial interest.

ALFC is widely seen as one of the serious clubs in Ghana, having taken club administration to another level with a professional approach even though they are in the second tier.

This is what has led to companies like ALEXpay seeking to associate with the ALFC brand to gain some traction from the football market.