Umbro is a United Kingdom sportswear and equipment supplier based in Cheadle, England. The company is now part of Nike. Umbro designs, sources, and markets sport-related apparel, footwear, and equipment. Its products are sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Umbro are the current England, FA, and FA Cup suppliers of sports apparel.
Products
Umbro currently manufactures all types of sports wear apparel including training gear and football boots. Umbro also produce casual clothes and shoes, including a line by British designer Kim Jones. The company is also a major player in kit manufacture for some of the world's best known teams.
Umbro have recently launched their new hi-technology SX Boot. Deco has been playing in the boots which are visually striking with different colours for each foot, reflecting the left (logical, assertive) and right (intuitive, creative and passionate) sides of the brains. The boot uses Michelin tyre manufacturing-related technology which improves control by up to 90%.
Umbro's products have been endorsed by many professional athletes around the world.
Kit manufacturing
Umbro has produced kits for very many notable football teams since establishment. Its first kit was produced in 1934, for Manchester City, who won the FA Cup that year.
Over the years since, Umbro has produced kits for innumerable professional teams around the world, as well as referee kits for some leagues. As of 4 June 2009, Umbro are now, once again, sponsoring Manchester City in a ten year sponsorship deal rumoured to be worth £50 million.
In addition to club teams, Umbro also produced playing kits for a wide variety of international teams across four continents. During the 1966 FIFA World Cup, all but one of the 16 participating teams wore Umbro kits. The England national team wore Umbro shirts by choice until 1974, until the Football Association, encouraged by the England manager Don Revie, sold the jersey manufacturing rights to the Admiral company in a move then unprecedented in English sport. In 1982 the FA returned to Umbro as England jersey manufacturers and they have remained so ever since.
However, their comparative size has meant that Umbro have suffered in recent years, with many of the big clubs they provided for now choosing to accept higher financial bids for shirt manufacture contracts from the big two of Nike and Adidas (notably including Celtic, Manchester United, Ajax, and Chelsea. In addition to this Puma have vastly increased their participation in football and now provide many national teams with kits. Still, Umbro managed to retain their long-standing partnership with The FA and, often in cooperation with JJB Sports, gained contracts for a number of clubs in recent years, including Rangers and several other Welsh, English & Scottish clubs. They have recently renewed their deal with Birmingham City.
Umbro currently are the official sports manufacturer of the English FA Cup and official sponsor of the new Wembley Stadium. Umbro will partner The FA in the further development of the National Football Centre (NFC) at Burton-upon-Trent, becoming the title sponsor of the Centre. Umbro is also the exclusive supplier of footballs to The FA.
Umbro have also manufactured kits for Rugby Union (the Irish National team and London Irish), Athletics and rugby league.
