Aston Villa, confirming earlier rumors, today officially announced that they've closed a sponsorship deal with Italian brand Kappa to become the English club's new kit supplier from next season.
Villa will have the chance to claim promotion to the 2019-20 Premier League in the Championship Play-Off Final this weekend.
A three-year contract (until 2022) was signed between Aston Villa and Kappa, who replace local brand Luke after just one year. As confirmed earlier, Luke will continue to be affiliated with Villa by virtue of being the team's official formalwear supplier.
Aston Villa Chief Commercial Officer Nicola Ibbetson said: “I am delighted that Aston Villa have partnered with such a recognisable and iconic brand who have a long-standing reputation for delivering quality, eye-catching performance sportswear.
Just like with Luke before, the new sponsorship forms part of a three-party deal that also involves sports merchandise company Fanatics. According reports prior to today's announcement, Fanatics will be responsible for the kit designs, as last season, with Kappa just having their logo applied to them at the end.
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“At the forefront of our decision was the key requirement to find a partner that would put design at the heart of the process and do justice to our famous claret and blue colours.
Kappa’s UK Managing Director, Mark Ward said: “Aston Villa is a world-class club with a strong identity and heritage. This new partnership with Aston Villa reinforces once again our strong ambition in football connecting our brand with one of the biggest clubs in the UK. We are excited to be a key part of Aston Villa’s global commercial strategy, serving players and supporters across the world thanks to a large product proposition from sports to lifestyle.”
Fanatics International President, Steve Davis, said: “We have had an incredibly successful first season working with Aston Villa and we are delighted that an innovative and world-renowned brand like Kappa has joined the partnership. We are looking forward to working with Kappa, who have produced some of the most iconic and stylish kits throughout the years, to give Villa fans another kit that they will love next season.”
Are you happy to see Aston Villa team up with Kappa from next season? Drop us a line below, and check out the 2019-2020 Kit Overview for more.