Nike Offers the New French Football Kit
The lightweight, technical design features Nike Dri-FIT technology and engineered ventilation systems to help keep players cool. Its ergonomic fit and soft cotton feel is to ensure players’ comfort, according to the company.
Nike announced its partnership Monday with the French Football Federation (FFF) at the Espace Cambon, unveiling the new team kits with French players Abou Diaby, Alou Diarra, Florent Malouda and Yann MVila, France Coach Laurent Blanc and NIKE, Inc. president and CEO, Mark Parker.
Adding to its digital training tools for athletes, recently Nike has unveiled its new Nike+ GPS App on the App Store. The app is engineered to operate seamlessly between GPS and an accelerometer for an accurate and entertaining runner’s tool, says the company.
The application allows runners to use their iPhone to visually map every run while tracking pace, distance, time and calories-burned. (Read: How Nike Uses iPhone to Connect Runners)
Among the other developments related to the game of football, technology leader Intel is collaborating with industry experts and several universities to tackle the issue of football-related head injuries. (Read: Intel Chips in to Make Football Helmets Safer)
And athletic products company Adidas has unveiled its new Techfit compression football jerseys for seven NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) teams including Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Cincinnati, UCLA, Texas A&M and Louisville. (Read: How Adidas Techfit Jerseys Help Football Players)
[ Also Read: Football Field is New Battlefield for Afghanistan ]“France is one of the most successful and well known teams in the world and we look forward to delivering innovative products to help them perform on the pitch,” said Mark Parker, NIKE, Inc. president and CEO.
“This is a significant moment for Nike Football and we are proud to be the official partner of the French Federation and to be part of the future of French football.”
The kit design adheres to the tradition and standards of French style and design excellence while enabling players to perform at their best every time they pull on the famous French shirt, says the company.
[ Also Read: Football Players Unite to Block the Lockout ]France Coach Laurent Blanc commented: “This jersey represents the spirit of French elegance, something recognized all over the world. The true collar, the new blue, the addition of the red really enhance the new kit. It goes well with the philosophy I want to create: creativity, humbleness and ambition.”
The kit embraces Nike’s considered design approach and is Nike’s most environmentally sustainable kit to date, with shirt and shorts made from a microfibre polyester that is derived entirely from recycled plastic bottles. For the shirt, this material is combined with organic cotton (96% recycled polyester, 4% organic cotton).
[ Also Read: How Pittsburgh Plans to Win in NFL Playoff Game ]In addition to the on-pitch kit, Nike also unveiled a broader range of FFF-branded Nike Sportswear products designed for fans off the field of play.
One detail of the new France kit is the message ‘Nos Differences Nous Unissent’ (our differences unite us) printed behind the FFF badge over the players’ hearts.
Nike and the FFF are jointly committed to supporting the work of the Fondation du Football in using football as a vehicle to promote the positive aspects of diversity in society, says the company.
[ Also Read: Toyota Announces Tiny Football League Winners ]The new France kit will be worn for the first time in the game against Brasil at Stade de France on 9th February. The new kit and the Nike Sportswear FFF product will be available at retail from 5th February.
Prior to that, Nike will reveal a new campaign around the kit and the partnership with the FFF, entitled ‘Vive Le Football Libre’, capturing the spirit of the new era of French Football. This will include a digital and print advertising campaign, as well as a dramatic TV spot.
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The dramatic voiceover to the TV spot is the poem from the famous ‘Duel’ scene in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, narrated by French hip-hop artist Oxmo Puccino. The spot draws a parallel between the duel scene, in which Cyrano confronts a prince who dared threaten him, and French footballers at different levels competing against their opponents.
NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities.
