Bayamon, Puerto Rico. (December 12th, 2011) — You won’t see Nike, Adidas or previous suppliers Umbro on the jerseys of Puerto Rico Islanders when they play their first home game of the 2012 season. The Original British Football brand to the English Premier League and North American Soccer League, Admiral, will be official supplier to the Islanders from the start of the 2012 Season.
Admiral is the same brand that provided team wear in the 1970s and 1980s for the England football team, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Southampton and Leeds in the English premier division. They were also the market leader in the USA on the shirts of legends Pele, Beckenbauer & Cruyff, whilst they played at the New York Cosmos, Los Angeles Aztecs, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Vancouver Whitecaps.
Today the brand is also worn by the 2011 North American Soccer League (NASL) Champions Minnesota Stars, KitSap Pumas this years USL PDL Champions. In addition to California Seahorses, Jersey Express and Virginia Breach from the PDL. The LA Vikings from the WPSL, AFC Cleveland from the NPSL, MISL team Norfolk Sharx, this seasons Championship winning beach soccer team Florida Beach Soccer and Bolivian Premier League Champions Club Bolivar together with many other clubs.
“It’s exciting to be launching Admiral in Puerto Rico with the CFU Club Champions," says Paul Hamburger, of Admiral Soccer. “We’re looking forward to working with the club, and making great sportswear for the fans. Admiral has been worn by giants of the game and we’re proud to see it worn by the ‘Tropa Naranja’."
The Islanders play in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the league sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) as the second division of professional soccer in the U.S. after the MLS. They were the 2010 USSF-D2 champions, were 2nd in the 2011 NASL regular season, reached the semi-finals of the NASL playoffs and won the CFU Club Championship.
“Admiral is the oldest soccer brand in the world, with nearly 100 years of heritage. We are proud to be associated with the original British football brand. Especially one strongly associated with some of the best teams in the world.” Said Andrés Guillemard-Noble, President of the Islanders. “The owners at Admiral work directly with us so we get the service and attention we need, we considered other brands but selected Admiral because they offered us made to order product, competitive terms, they’re reliable, know what they’re doing and they’ve worked harder to earn our business. We only have to go to one place for everything we need to source for the club. They’ve even set up our online store to make it easier for fans to wear our merchandise.”
The new kit will be unveiled in 2012 prior to the new season. For more information on Admiral, visit www.admiralsoccer.com or www.admiralsportswear.com. For more information on the Puerto Rico Islanders including sponsorships, internships, tickets or to volunteer, visit http://www.prislandersfc.com