Raith Rovers are still a bit away from gaining promotion to the First Division for next season but that hasn't stopped the club from taking a step up to the big league when it comes to kit suppliers with the official announcement today that the players will be wearing brand new playing and training kit next season supplied by PUMA one of the leading brands of sportswear in the UK and the world.
Puma is a household name throughout the world and has been a major supplier of sportswear to the stars for almost 60 years, with a fantastic record of associating their name with success.
Founded in 1948 in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the history of Puma is a journey through the greatest sporting achievements of the last fifty years with some of the best in the world sporting the famous ‘cat’ logo in their quest to be the best including Pele in the World Cup Finals, Boris Becker on the famous grass courts of Wimbledon and Linford Christie on his way to an Olympic Gold.
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The contract has been agreed with the Genesis Group, the exclusive PUMA licensee of kit and training wear for Teamsports in the UK and Ireland, and although Genesis has recent experience of supplying leisure wear in support of Hearts’ and Celtic’s retail operations, Raith Rovers will be the first club in Scotland to wear PUMA match kit for some considerable time, and John McGlynn’s men will be in fine company joining the likes of Reading, Tottenham Hotspur, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle in England, and a number of international sides including Italy, Bulgaria and the Ivory Coast.
Speaking after the announcement Raith Rovers’ Commercial manager John Drysdale said:
"This is yet another reflection on the resurgence of Raith Rovers
We assessed a number of different options, all of very good quality, but the overall excellence of Puma won out. To be associated with such a prestigious brand is another boost to the club’s image.
The deal is for four years, a long-term partnership again showing the faith that the new supplier has in Raith Rovers FC. The design of the new strips for next season have been agreed in principle, and will be launched as soon as practically possible, with a full range of training gear and accessories already on order for delivery in good time for pre-season 2007-08".
The player’s match kit and replicas for the fans will be going into production as soon as sponsorship contracts and logos are finalised and every effort will be made to have the new kit into the club shop as soon as possible, and John concluded:
"We hope to have plenty stock available in time for the summer holidays, but we need to be patient as the new deal has been completed late in the annual cycle. Prices for replica shirts are likely to be £36 for adults and £32 for youth sizes, which is a bit higher than our supporters have been used to in recent years, but still lower than the average for football shirts nowadays. We hope that fans wanting to sport our colours will agree that the quality and range offered will represent tremendous value for money".
As soon as the new strip is available with the club badge and sponsor’s logo added we will have the first pictures here on raithroversfc.com
Raith play in navy blue tops and socks, and white shorts, with a reverse change kit. Raith's current badge has been used since the mid-1990s, replacing the previous white lion on a blue background.
