Premiership Rugby union club Harlequins has announced a new technical and retail partnership with British sportswear brand Castore ahead of the 2022/23 season.
The multi-year partnership will see Castore design and manufacture the men’s and women’s home playing kits and travel and training wear ranges, which are set to be revealed in the coming weeks. It will also provide the youth teams with playing and training kits, as well as taking over the running of Harlequins’ retail operations at The Twickenham Stoop, the club’s 15,000-capacity stadium in south-west London.
Castore, which was only founded in 2015, has grown significantly since its inception. It’s sports partnership portfolio includes England Cricket, Rangers FC, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sevilla FC, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, McLaren F1 and Auto, and counts athletes as Matt Fitzpatrick, Sir Andy Murray and Adam Peaty as brand ambassadors.
Harlequin’s CEO, Laurie Dalrymple, commented, “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Castore as the club’s official technical and retail partner.
“After eight very successful seasons of partnering with adidas, we have undertaken an extremely thorough process of reviewing our club technical and retail partner, talking to many of the leading global brands in this space. Castore were a clear standout as a best-in-class business that has seen huge growth since its founding in 2015. Their dual approach of supporting our retail operation as well as high quality products for our players and supporters stood head and shoulders above their competition .
“One of the key requirements we identified for our new technical and retail partner was the ability to supply high performance clothing for our playing groups, both men and women. Castore has a strong record of supplying high-quality women’s-fit clothing and we are excited to see Harlequins Women take to the field in Castore products next season.
“Over the last two years we have seen huge support and engagement for the club within our loyal supporter base and we are looking forward to seeing this new partnership help to supply our supporters with the latest official Harlequins merchandise – we can’t wait to see their reaction to the new kit.”
Tom Beahon, Castore founder, added, “We are thrilled to partner with Harlequins. As a founding member of the RFU, Harlequins is a truly iconic brand within the world of rugby that is leading the way when it comes to growing the game.
“Harlequins’ annual Big Game, Big Summer Kick-Off and The Game Changer campaigns are sport-leading events within rugby union and perfectly embody Castore’s Better Never Stops ethos. We feel this partnership is an ideal fit for two premium brands that focus on innovation and quality.”
Castore and Harlequins are set to unveil their 2022/23 season kits in the coming weeks.
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