Birmingham City has announced that they have agreed to a contract extension with Nike and Undefeated.
The American sportswear company has been supplying kits to the club ever since the summer of 2020. The Blues were in the second-tiered Championship at the time. Nike’s deal was scheduled to expire ahead of the current campaign.
While the previous deal ran out ahead of the current campaign, and the club has since dropped down to League One, Nike is remaining on as an official partner. As a result, the company will supply official kits to Birmingham’s men’s, women’s, and academy teams.
The contract extension comes as the club is set to celebrate its 150th anniversary. As a result, Nike has already designed bespoke kits for the English team. Specialized official team jerseys, however, are not the only designs set to hit Birmingham City stores. The sportswear company is also producing custom leisurewear for the club as well.
Along with the Nike deal, Birmingham has also extended its sponsorship agreement with Undefeated. The fellow American sportswear brand regularly collaborates with Nike. While Birmingham has only labeled the Nike deal as a “multi-year agreement,” Undefeated will stay on as the club’s official front-of-shirt sponsor until 2027.
Birmingham gets huge Nike deal thanks to high-profile ownership
The massive deals are quite rare for a club in the English third division. Nevertheless, Birmingham is not exactly a typical League One team. The Blues were taken over by American businessman Tom Wagner in the summer of 2023. This came during a time in which the club was experiencing extreme financial difficulties.
The billionaire’s introduction has helped Birmingham gain considerable publicity within the sport. However, Tom Brady, arguably the greatest NFL player in history, also joined as a minority investor. The move only further increased attention at the club.
Wagner and Brady’s influence at Birmingham has been directly compared to Wrexham. The Welsh side has seen incredible growth in fandom following the arrivals of Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Both League One sides recently faced off in undoubtedly the biggest match of the division’s season. Birmingham eventually won the match by a score of 3-1.
Blues set sights on Premier League promotion
With the Americans at the helm of the club, Birmingham has high hopes for the future. In fact, former Blues boss Barry Fry believes the team can get back to the top flight within two years.
“I am very, very confident that this new owner and this new group of players can take Birmingham City to the promised land yet again and back-to-back promotions to get them to the Premier League”, Fry recently told the Keep Right On podcast.
“Every game is nearly a sell-out. It is brilliant. And the fans deserve that, they have been in turmoil for years.”
Earning back-to-back promotions would certainly be a significant feat. Birmingham, however, has begun the campaign undefeated and is currently top of the third-division table. Wrexham also has elevated ambitions in the league and is directly behind the Blues in the standings.
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