TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League (NASL) have selected Admiral® to be the club’s official sportswear and technical kit supplier starting with the 2013 season.
Admiral® is the world’s oldest soccer brand having supplied kits to England and Manchester United amongst others. The brand has a long history in North America having supplied many teams in the top professional leagues including the "Tampa Bay Rowdies", Vancouver Whitecaps, and New York Cosmos. Currently Admiral® supplies NASL clubs Minnesota Stars FC and Puerto Rico Islanders.
Admiral® supplied the Rowdies in the club’s original iconic kit when the Rowdies won the NASL Soccer Bowl championship in 1975. The current Rowdies use the same green and yellow colors and the iconic Rowdies hoops. Admiral® and the Rowdies will launch a new kit for the 2013 season.
“Admiral® now supplies more teams in the NASL than any other brand and continues to add partnerships from professional through to grassroots soccer throughout the US,” said Paul Hamburger, CEO of Admiral Soccer. “The Rowdies and Admiral have a shared history as two of the most iconic soccer brands. We’ll honor that in all the team kit and retail merchandise we develop for the club & its fans.”
The Rowdies are coming off an exciting 2012 season, winning the NASL Soccer Bowl Championship in an exciting series against Minnesota Stars FC. This is the second time the Rowdies have been crowned the champions of the NASL Soccer Bowl, with the first one coming in a 2-0 victory over the Portland Timbers in 1975.
“Admiral® is a historical soccer brand with nearly 100 years of heritage and we are delighted to be re-uniting with them,” said Rowdies CEO / General Manager Andrew Nestor. “In partnership with Admiral®, we will be designing a complete range of team kits and fan-wear that respects our history and offers high quality apparel for fans.”
Admiral®
Admiral was founded in 1914, first began manufacturing sportswear in 1966, when England won the World Cup. The company was a pioneer of the replica kit market, creating home and away kits for England, Leeds United, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and many other teams. They expanded overseas to the US supplying New York Cosmos, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Vancouver Whitecaps and others in North America. Today the brand is worn by NASL clubs Minnesota Stars FC and Caribbean Champions Puerto Rico Islanders. Admiral designs, manufactures, markets and distributes team wear, leisure apparel and accessories.
For more information, visit www.admiralsoccer.com;
Contact: Toll free (888) 646-6822;
Media & Public Relations: info@admiralsoccer.com
Tampa Bay Rowdies
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are a professional soccer club and a member of the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Rowdies home stadium is Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg, FL. The Rowdies were reborn in 2010 and quickly reestablished as a premier club in the NASL, winning the NASL Soccer Bowl Championship in 2012. The Rowdies were born in 1975 and were Tampa Bay’s first-ever professional sports franchise. From 1975-1984, the Rowdies were one of the most successful teams in the original NASL, winning the Soccer Bowl Championship in 1975 and reaching the finals in 1978 and 1979.
For more information: http://www.rowdiessoccer.com;
Contact: (813) 287-1539;
Media & Public Relations: ncastillo@rowdiessoccer.com