 | |
| Umbro | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Sports Textile |
| Founded | 23 May 1924; 101 years ago (1924-05-23) inWilmslow,England |
| Founder | Harold & Wallace Humphreys |
| Headquarters | Manchester,England[1] |
Area served | Worldwide[1] |
Key people | Anthony Little (Managing Director) |
| Products | Footballs,football kits,goalkeeper gloves,boots,sportswear,rugby kit |
Number of employees | 4 |
| Parent | Iconix Brand Group[1] |
| Website | umbro.comumbro.co.uk |
Umbro is an Englishsports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 inWilmslow, Cheshire, and based inManchester. They specialise infootball andrugbysportswear featuring their "double diamond" logo. Umbro products are sold in over 100 countries.[1]
The business was started by brothers Harold and Wallace Humphreys. The name is aportmanteau ofum, from Humphreys, andbro from brothers.[2]
Since 2012, the marque is a subsidiary of American brand management companyIconix Brand Group.
Inspired by the rapidly growing interest infootball witnessed nationwide, the business started at the family's pub, once owned by the parents of Harold Humphreys and his brother Wallace, who founded Humphreys Brothers Limited in 1924, initially working out of a small cupboard in the pub before moving to a workshop in Wilmslow. The company name was changed in the same year to "Umbro" and is a quasi-portmanteau inspired by Humphreys Brothers.[2] Umbro's kit debut was in the 1934FA Cup final, when both teams –Manchester City andPortsmouth – wore kits designed and manufactured by the company. Other notably successful teams supplied by Umbro during the 1930s and 40s wereSheffield United,Preston North End,Manchester United,Tottenham Hotspur andBlackpool.[citation needed]
In 1952, the British team at theSummer Olympics wore Umbro kits, tailored for the needs of their individual sports. Umbro would supply kits for the British Olympics team for the next 20 years.[citation needed]
In 1955, Umbro introduced their first replica football kit, the 'Sportswear Xmas Pack'. The kit, designed for young boys, included a matching shirt, shorts, and socks.[3]
In 1957, Umbro entered thetennis market, producing sports clothing in collaboration with playerTed Tinling. This collaboration extended for three decades. Another sportsman who collaborated with Umbro wasManchester United managerMatt Busby, in 1959.
Brazil became the firstFIFA World Cup champion to wear kits by Umbro in 1958. Two years later, Manchester UnitedScottish playerDenis Law signed an exclusive agreement with the brand, becoming the first footballer to be sponsored by Umbro. TheEngland national team won its only title in 1966 wearing kits by Umbro (the deal had been signed in 1954). Of the 16 teams that competed, 15 wore kit manufactured by Umbro,[4] the only exception being theUSSR. By the late 1960s, 85% of British football teams wore kits manufactured by the company, includingCeltic, the first British team to win aEuropean Cup in 1967. Liverpool FC won the first four of their six European Cups while wearing Umbro kits, in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1984.[citation needed]
After more than a decade wearingAdmiral kits, the England national team signed with Umbro again in 1984. In 1986, Umbro began to manufacture its ownfootball boots. The company added footballersAlan Shearer andMichael Owen to its list of sponsored athletes. In 1994, Brazil won its fourth FIFA World Cup title in theUnited States and club teamsAFC Ajax (in 1995), and Manchester United (in 1999) obtained theUEFA Champions League and theIntercontinental Cup, inTokyo, all of them wearing Umbro kits.
Umbro was the official sports manufacturer of the EnglishFA Cup and official sponsor ofThe FA, being the exclusive supplier ofballs to the body's leagues.
In the United States, Umbro was the majority owner (94%) ofUnited Soccer Leagues, the parent organisation for North America's lower division men's soccer (tiers two through four in the American Soccer Pyramid), and the second tier women's league (W-League) and youth league (Super Y-League).[5] During the 2009 USL First Division season, theCarolina RailHawks,Charleston Battery,Vancouver Whitecaps,Rochester Rhinos,Austin Aztex, andPuerto Rico Islanders all wore Umbro kits. During the 2012 USLPro season, theDayton Dutch Lions wore Umbro.
In October 2007,JJB Sports bought a 10.1% stake in Umbro in a move to protect its stake in the market for England football shirts.[6]
On 23 October 2007, it was announced Umbro had agreed to be bought out byNike in a deal worth£285 million, the equivalent of 193p per share. The Umbro board recommended to its shareholders they vote in favour of the approach, as it offered a very competitive price for the business. Umbro's share price at the time of the offer was close to 130p.[8] The deal was approved by regulators in December 2007 and concluded in February 2008.[9] With the objective of revitalising the brand, Umbro launched the "Tailored by England" lines. As of 4 June 2009, Umbro signed a deal withManchester City to supply kits for the team. Wearing Umbro kits, Manchester City won their first major trophy in 34 years.[citation needed]
In 2010, Umbro became sponsor of reformed American teamNew York Cosmos to be its exclusive kit supplier.[10]
In May 2012, Nike reported that it would be selling Umbro (along withCole Haan) to focus on their sports brands, including Nike,Converse,Hurley andAir Jordan.[11] In September 2012, The FA announced that future England kits would be manufactured by Nike.[12][13]
In October 2012, Nike announced that it had agreed withIconix Brand Group to sell Umbro for US$225 million.[14][15] The acquisition was completed in December 2012.[16]
In February 2014, it was announced that Umbro would supplyEverton from the start of the 2014–15 football season.[17] This was the first new club announcement sinceIconix Brand Group bought Umbro, and was followed by the announcement of similar deals withHull City and French clubsLens andNantes. On 9 June 2014,Derby County announced that their kits for the 2014–15 season would be made by Umbro.
Later in 2014, Umbro announced deals to supply a number of teams, including theSerbia national football team, theMalawi national football team,[18]Vasco da Gama andGrêmio.[19]
In February 2015, DutchEredivisie championsPSV announced a new kit deal with Umbro, replacing PSV's previous deal with Nike, which had been in existence since 1994. The deal coincided with PSV's return to theUEFA Champions League after a six-year absence.[20]
In late April 2015,West Ham United announced a new five-year agreement with Umbro as the club's official technical partner. This agreement included creating a commemorative kit for the Hammers' final year in the historicBoleyn Ground.[21]
In early December 2015, German club1. FC Nürnberg announced a long-term kit deal with Umbro as the club's official kit supplier, replacingAdidas.[22]
In May 2016, it was announced that Umbro had become the technical sponsor ofBlackburn Rovers[23] in a five-year deal. It would also return to makingAFC Bournemouth's kit after two occasions in the 1970s and 1980s for the 2017–18 season.
In June 2017, seven-time German champion FC Schalke 04 announced a five-year deal with Umbro, replacing Adidas after 55 years. Also in December 2017, Umbro announced a deal with the Jamaica national team.[24]
InEurope, Iconix holds abrand licensing agreement withScottish company GL Dameck Ltd to produce Umbro clothing and products. On 25 March 2024, it was reported that GL Dameck had sublicensed the Umbro brand toManchester basedCastore, the latter became the sole licensee for Umbro Professional Team Sports apparel, enabling them to distribute the Umbro brand across several key European markets.[25]
Umbro currently focuses onfootball andrugby union equipment, with products such askit (jerseys, shorts and socks), andboots, as well as manufacturing otherclothing such ast-shirts andjackets.[26]
Until the mid-1980s, the company manufactured only sports clothing, in particular football jerseys, shorts and socks, but had no footwear range. Eventually, in 1985, Umbro decided to introduce its first football boot into the Brazilian market. This design, cheaper than the products of existing boot brands such asAdidas, proved popular and went into mass production internationally two years later.
Umbro also manufactured a popular style ofshorts that reached its peak in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They were made ofnylon, had a drawstring waistband, and often came in bright colours. With the growth of youth soccer leagues in the U.S. in the 1980s, many youths, teens and young adults began wearing them as everyday clothing. At the height of the "Umbro fashion," other brands of football shorts, such as Adidas,Diadora,Hummel,Lotto andMitre, also became popular. Its major competitors in this market include Reebok, Nike, Adidas,Puma andLotto.
Other releases by Umbro include the Stealth boot,[27] released in 2010 and worn by players such asGaël Clichy andPhil Jagielka. The same year, the company released the GT, worn by then-Fulham strikerDarren Bent. The company announced it as its lightest ever boot. This was succeeded by the GT II model.[28] June 2011 saw the release of the Umbro Geometra Pro.[29] In 2013, Umbro introduced to a new wave of releases that included the Speciali IV and the Geometra II.[30]
Following the purchase of the brand byIconix Brand Group in 2013, the first major product release from Umbro was the UX-1,[31] a technologically advanced football boot which was voted as one of the best new releases of the year.[32]
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