Instead of the usual glitz and football stars on a podium, the Adidas ball for the group stages of the European championship finals in 2016 was unveiled by Zinedine Zidane on his Instagram account earlier this month. The blue, white and red color design of the Beau Jeu is reminiscent of France, the country where the championship will be hosted. The ball has adopted the specific panels and some other characteristics of the Brazuca, the Adidas ball for the World Cup held in Brazil last year.
Zidane, the former French football star, went on to join an event for the ball and several team jerseys, in Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris. It was held on Nov. 12 at the Future Arena, an indoor football pitch surrounded by virtual stands filled with equally virtual supporters – making real noise in reaction to the events unfolding on the pitch. Adidas boasted that it simulated the atmosphere of a stadium filled with 50,000 spectators. The Future Arena was meant to be opened to the public for four days, but it was closed on Friday night due to the tragic events that unfolded in the French capital that evening. Other activations planned by the Adidas group around Euro 2016 that week-end were cancelled.
The Adidas group is targeting a double-digit sales increase for football products next year, with at least eight qualified teams to play in three-striped shirts. They include Germany, the current world champions, along with Spain, the defending European champions, and Belgium, currently the leading team in the Fifa ranking. As previously reported, the brand's football sales shot up in the third quarter, driven by the launch of the Ace and X football boots as well as new jerseys for Manchester United and Juventus.
The Euro team jerseys are on sale at a recommended retail price of nearly €85, while the Beau Jeu, translating as “beautiful game,” is at a recommended retail price of nearly €140. Adidas sold about 600,000 Brazuca balls in France during the world championships held in Brazil, and is targeting sales of more than 1 million for the Beau Jeu in the country alone. Adidas sold about 1 million jerseys for the winning Spanish team at the previous European championships in 2012.
The group is projecting double-digit sales growth in France this year and 2016. The growth this year includes a double-digit sales rise for football products, partly driven by a French fashion trend that encourages urban youngsters to wear football apparel.
