adidas Backs Lion City Sailors With Latest Deal

Global sporting goods behemoth adidas has struck a three-year partnership with Singapore’s only privatised professional football club, the Lion City Sailors. 

Under the deal, adidas is poised to become the official kit supplier for the Sailors from next month, providing cutting-edge sportswear and equipment to support the team’s performance on and off the pitch. The Sailors will don their new adidas match kits for the next three seasons, beginning from the 2025/26 kicking off in August. 

Apart from match kits, adidas will also collaborate with the Sailors on unique fan engagement campaigns, grassroots football programmes and exclusive events in the pipeline, to cement the bond between the club and fans.  

The first of these efforts will see adidas becoming the title sponsor of the Elite Youth League, a rebranded version of the Youth Champions League for Under-10 to Under-16 teams began by the Sailors in 2022.  

The deal is believed to boost the status of the club, which is presently the reigning champions of the SPL, and is also the first Singaporean football club to make it to the final of the Asian Champions League (ACL) Two, a major continental football club tournament this season.   

Thibault Durand, Senior Vice President & General Manager for adidas South East Asia stated,  “adidas has dominated the global stage through its strategic partnerships with top football clubs and players. Our latest deal with the Lion City Sailors is key in our approach to assert the same influence on football in Southeast Asia much like our recent partnerships with The Philippines Women’s National Team and ASEAN United FC for the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup and Shopee Cup.”

Chen Rui Yuan, adidas SG Country Manager, echoed, “Football is deeply rooted in the DNA of adidas and the most loved sport in Singapore. With this partnership, we ensure that the Lion City Sailors staff and players are equipped with the best equipment and apparel to complement the club’s vision to be the best in the region. Collectively, we are fostering more love and support for the local football scene and look forward to forging unforgettable memories with the fans. We are thrilled to partner with Lion City Sailors, Singapore’s premier football club, with whom we share the ambition to grow local football.”

“We’re excited to partner with adidas as we mark an important milestone – five years – in our club’s history. adidas is not only a prestigious brand, but one that many can relate to even beyond the world of football,” said Sailors chairman Forrest Li. 

According to ASN data, adidas (30.9%, ~US$174.1m) is the 2^nd largest spender for its category in the Asian football sponsorship market since Q322, only behind long-term rivals Nike (47.3%, US$266.2m+). Meanwhile, adidas’s average quarterly investment during this period stands at almost US$14.7m, and is tipped to hit almost US$19.4m for Q225, a 32% increase of the average spend.