MUMBAI: Six5Six, a sports goods company owned Laj Exports, has replaced sportswear behemoth Nike as official kit sponsor of the Indian national football team in a five-year agreement that runs through to 2024.
Laj Exports has similar ongoing deals with two Indian Super League (ISL) clubs – Kerala Blasters FC and FC Pune City. However, for Kerala Blasters, it is the Admiral Sportswear logo, a British football, cricket and sportswear brand for which the Indian company is the licencee in this market, that adorns the team’s shirts.
The new deal will end Nike’s 12-year association with the AIFF, as the global apparel giant had first signed a sponsorship agreement in 2006. Its recent contract expired earlier this year.
The new agreement was negotiated by Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL), the joint venture between Reliance Industries Ltd and Star India, which runs the ISL and is the AIFF’s commercial partner.
According to Economic Times, the agreement is valued at Rs 15-20 million per annum, making it the first time that AIFF will be paid for a kit sponsorship deal as Nike had only agreed to supply kits previously.
Six5Six will be supplying apparel, footwear and equipment to all national football teams, including senior men’s and women’s teams and age-specific teams.
An FSDL official confirmed to SportzPower that the new Indian team jersey would be unveiled this week.
