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| Company name | Umbro |
|---|---|
| Logo | |
| Company type | Subsidiary of Nike, Inc. |
| Foundation | 1924 in Wilmslow| |
| Location | Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England, UK |
| Industry | Textile| |
| Products | SportswearBallsAccessories |
| Homepage | http://www.umbro.com www.umbro.com |
Umbro is an English sportswear and football equipment supplier based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England. The company is now part of Nike. Umbro designs, sources, and markets sport-related apparel, footwear, and equipment. Its products are sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
After working in various parts of the tailoring industry, Harold Humphreys set up Umbro with his brother Wallace, with the aim of bringing the ideals and practices of the industry into the burgeoning world of sportswear.
Setting up in Cheadle, near Manchester, the company soon established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, fitting out numerous football teams as the sport grew from a popular pastime to become a national sport. Umbro (a portmanteau of its previous name, Humphrey Brothers) really started to gain national recognition when they provided the smart, tailored kits for both Portsmouth and Manchester City in the 1934 FA Cup Final.
However, Umbro is perhaps best known for its long-running association with the England national team. Apart from a decade between 1974 and 1984 in which Admiral supplied the kits, Umbro have crafted England teams at all levels, an association that goes back to 1954.
Today, the brand has been reinvigorated by an association with American sportswear giants Nike. Buying Umbro in 2008, Nike have helped Umbro to re-energise and to use their illustrious heritage to inspire their current designs. Currently supplying tailored kits to England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Manchester City, Rangers, Blackburn Rovers and many more, Umbro are a prominent name in the world of football culture.
1934 – Umbro supply their innovative ‘Tangeru’ kits to both FA Cup finalists, and for at least one team in the final for the next decade.
1939–45 – To aid the war effort, Umbro’s factories are used to make uniforms for British forces, and even make fittings for the inside of Lancaster Bombers.
1954 – Deal to provide kits to the England team is agreed.
1961 – Umbro starts to sell the innovative Adidas football boot in the UK, part of an exclusive deal with the German company.
1966 – 15 of the 16 teams at the World Cup in England are kitted out in Umbro gear. Only the USSR, who had agreed to wear Umbro kits, renege on the deal. At the same time, Umbro are supplying kits to 85% of British clubs.
1967 – Celtic become the first British club to win the European Cup, wearing Umbro kits.
1970 – Working with England manager Alf Ramsey, Umbro create their ‘Aztec’ shirts for the World Cup.
1977 – Liverpool win a league and European Cup double, the start of their decade-long success in football. They would wear Umbro kits for a large part of this period.
1980s – A period of massive expansion for Umbro, as the growth in popularity of ‘soccer’ in the USA and the success of the Umbro short amongst American children.
1990s – AFC Ajax From Amsterdam Wins the Champions leaque in umbro kit and Intercontinental Cup in 1995. Manchester United become the dominant force in English football, crowned by their treble success in 1999 – all achieved in Umbro kits. Brazil also cement their place at the head of the world football table, winning their fourth World Cup whilst wearing Umbro kits. The decade also sees the launch of another iconic Umbro product, the Speciali boot, worn by the likes of Alan Shearer and Michael Owen throughout their careers.
2000s – Continuing to supply kits to many top teams, Umbro is bought by Nike in 2008. Revitalising the brand, Umbro launch their Tailored by England range in 2009 with the England home kit, and have now spread the concept to all the teams supplied by Umbro. As of 4 June 2009, Umbro are now, once again, kit suppliers to Manchester City in a ten year sponsorship deal rumoured to be worth £50 million.
Umbro also manufactured a popular style of shorts that reached its peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They were made of nylon, had a drawstring waistband, and often came in bright colors. With the growth of youth football (soccer) leagues in the United States in the 1980s, many youths, teens, and young adults began wearing them as everyday clothing. Like football itself, they were equally popular among both genders. At the height of the fashion, other brands of football shorts, such as Adidas, Diadora, Hummel, Lotto and Mitre, also became popular.
Its major competitors in this market include Adidas, Nike, Lotto, Puma, and fellow North West England manufacturer Reebok.
On 19 October 2007, JJB Sports bought a 10.1% stake in Umbro in a move to protect its stake in the market for England football shirts.
On 23 October 2007, it was announced Umbro had agreed to be bought by Nike in a deal worth (), the equivalent of 193p per share. The Umbro board recommended to its shareholders they vote in favour of the approach as it offered a very competitive price for the business. Umbro's share price at the time of the offer was close to 130p. The deal was approved by regulators in December 2007 and concluded in February 2008.
Umbro currently manufactures all types of sports wear apparel including training gear and football boots. The company is also a major player in kit manufacture for some of the world's best known teams.
Recent innovations in Umbro's football boot department include the SX Boot. Deco has been playing in the boots which are visually striking with different colours for each foot, reflecting the left (logical, assertive) and right (intuitive, creative and passionate) sides of the brains. The boot uses Michelin tyre manufacturing-related technology which, is claimed, improves control by up to 90%, though this is unprovable ..
More recent releases by Umbro include the Stealth boot, worn by players such as Gael Clichy and Phil Jagielka, and released in a number of bright colours. The Umbro GT, released in July 2010, is worn by Aston Villa striker Darren Bent. It is claimed to be Umbro's lightest ever boot.
June 2011 saw the release of the Umbro Geometra Pro . Similar in many ways to parent company Nike's CTR360, these football boots are designed for creative midfielders, and their main endorser is Liverpool and England U-21s centre-mid Jordan Henderson.
Umbro's products have been endorsed by many professional athletes around the world – for a full list of teams and players sponsored by Umbro see 'List of Umbro sponsorships'.
Umbro has produced kits for many notable football teams since establishment. Its first kit was produced in 1934, for Manchester City, who won the FA Cup that year.
Over the years since, Umbro has produced kits for numerous professional teams around the world, as well as referee kits for some leagues. As of 4 June 2009, Umbro are now, once again, kit suppliers to Manchester City in a ten year sponsorship deal rumoured to be worth £50 million.
In addition to club teams, Umbro also produced playing kits for a variety of international teams worldwide. During the 1966 FIFA World Cup, all but one of the 16 participating teams wore Umbro kits. The England national team wore Umbro shirts by choice until 1974, until the Football Association, encouraged by the England manager Don Revie, sold the jersey manufacturing rights to Admiral. In 1982 the FA returned to Umbro as England jersey manufacturers and they have remained so ever since.
However, their comparative size has meant that Umbro has suffered in recent years, with many of the big clubs it provided for now choosing to accept higher financial bids for shirt manufacture contracts from the 'big two' of Nike and Adidas (notably including Celtic, Manchester United, Ajax, and Chelsea. In addition to this, Puma has vastly increased its participation in football and now provide many national teams with kits, particularly on the African continent. However, Umbro still managed to retain its long-standing partnership with The FA and, often in cooperation with JJB Sports, gained new contracts for a number of clubs in recent years, including Rangers and several other Welsh, English and Scottish clubs.
Umbro has been the title sponsor of The FA Umbro Fives since 2007, The FA's national 5-a-side competition. The FA Umbro Fives national final takes place at Wembley Stadium every year.
Umbro now has an exclusive clothing range with House of Fraser.
During the 2009 USL First Division season, the Carolina RailHawks, Charleston Battery, Vancouver Whitecaps, Rochester Rhinos, Austin Aztex, and Puerto Rico Islanders all wore Umbro kits.
Category:Shoe companies of the United Kingdom Category:Sporting goods manufacturers of the United Kingdom Category:Sporting goods brands Category:Clothing companies of the United Kingdom Category:British brands Category:Companies established in 1920 Category:Companies based in Stockport Category:Sportswear brands
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