New Balance Makes a Statement

It recently came to light that Warrior Football will be rebranded as New Balance Football. Warrior burst onto the scene in 2011 when it became Liverpool FC's kit sponsor. This made waves in the footballing world because of the stature of Liverpool and the relative obscurity of its kit sponsor. Warrior, owned by parent company New Balance, is better known for its affiliation with lacrosse in the United States. They tried to make the jump to the enormous world football market but haven't had much luck. With competition from powerhouses Nike and Adidas as well as Puma, there isn't much room for anyone else.

Liverpool was their big property but they also expanded to another English Premier League team in Stoke City. They also made their way further throughout the continent, popping up as sponsors of Sevilla in Spain, as well is FC Porto of Portugal. Their brand was growing and they started to accumulate a number of teams. Being the jersey sponsor of these teams was not Warrior's only ambition, they were also involved in the cleat business. Warrior released a few different styles of shoes that brought variety to the market and the field. Once they released their line of boots, they went out to find professionals who could wear them and market them. Warrior endorsed athletes included Vincent Kompany, captain and defender of the Belgian National team and Manchester City FC, and compatriot Marouane Fellaini, a midfielder for Manchester United.

While Warrior did make an impact on the game, it was not big enough. New Balance decided it would have a better chance of becoming a major player in the market. They have already made strides to do so, designing new kits for their teams and signing many more athletes to endorse their product. Aaron Ramsey, Samir Nasri, Adnan Januzaj, Fernando, and Jesus Navas have all been spotted this season wearing New Balance boots. They haven't wasted any time putting their product out there and it seems to be well received by the fans and the players. I am looking forward to seeing what they have to offer in their first full season.