Adidas is said to be prepared to pay about one billion euros to renew its sponsorship of the German Football Federation for ten years, after the contract expires at the end of 2018. Company officials decline to comment, but the figure seems to be high, although the national German football team won last year's Fifa World Cup in Brazil.
Bids for the juicy contract are due to be handed out by the end of this year, and the Swoosh will probably make an offer, too as it did in 2007. It reportedly offered then to pay €500 million for the same duration, or nearly double what Adidas was prepared to pay.
Meanwhile, the Big a has extended its sponsorship of the Real Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) until 2026. Adidas has been sponsoring the Spanish team for more than 35 years, benefiting most recently from its victories in the Uefa Euro 2008 and 2012 tournaments as well as the Fifa World Cup. The terms of the new Spanish contract have not been divulged, but it is said to be worth much more than the reported amount of €24 million a year disbursed by Adidas for the past ten years, considering Nike's latest contracts for the French and English teams, reportedly valued at €42.6 million and €34.5 million a year, respectively.
Meanwhile, Adidas has confirmed that it is taking over the contracts that Reebok previously had in place in North America with the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). Terms were not disclosed. It was a logical step, due to Adidas' stronger focus on team sports and its recent loss of the NBA contract. Complementing CCM's equipment contract with the NHL, Adidas will be the official supplier of on-ice uniforms, licensed apparel and headwear for the NHL for seven years, starting with the 2017-18 season. It will also supply training footwear and clothing for all the NHL teams.
However, reversing a role that Nike previously played in the U.S., Adidas will continue to focus on individual players in its North American sports marketing efforts. In Canada, Adidas has signed up Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers' forward, and other NHL star signings are in the pipeline.
In the U.S., Adidas has signed an endorsement contract with Aaron Rodgers, starting with the current season. Described as the major NFL MVP quarterback, the passer plays for the Green Bay Packers. He will play a role in marketing campaigns and the development of future football product development. He will travel on behalf of Adidas to major international sporting events and participate in other brand initiatives.
Adidas is featuring Murray Demarco, Jimmy Graham and other NFL champions it is sponsoring in a new 30-second film in the U.S., titled “Create The New Speed.” It follows campaigns around “Create Your Own Game” and “Unfollow.”
The brand signed up a few days ago Kelly Oubre Jr, an NBA first round draft playing for the Washington Wizards, and Terry Rozier of the Boston Celtics. Adidas also made headlines a few days ago after posting a funny tweet, “You can choose armour, or you can choose a weapon.” It did so after Andy Murray decided to wear Adidas tennis shoes again in recent international matches, including the U.S. Open, after losing a game to Roger Federer at Wimbledon. Murray signed a deal with Under Armour last December, but apparently, he did so on condition that he could continue to wear the Adidas Barricade until UA could come out with a tennis shoe that would meet his requirements.
