Bayer Leverkusen, the top German soccer club, has announced a new long-term kit supply deal with US sportswear brand New Balance.
The agreement will begin with the 2025-26 season and covers the men’s, women’s, and youth teams.
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New Balance will replace UK brand Castore which has supplied the Bundesliga club’s kits since the 2022-23 season after taking over from German brand Jako.
The Castore deal was set to run until 2027, but it was reported last year that Bayer Leverkusen was looking to end that partnership early due to financial and practical reasons.
Castore reportedly faced issues supplying Bayer kits, which were in high demand following the club's success last season, winning both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal cup competition.
This represents the latest kit supply contract Castore has lost after English Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Newcastle United ended their partnerships with the brand to sign with German giant Adidas at the start of this season.
For New Balance, the Bayer deal marks its first in German soccer.
The Boston-based firm also recently added Italian outfit Atalanta to its portfolio from the 2025-26 season. The brand’s soccer kit supply deals additionally include France’s Lille and Portuguese giants FC Porto.
Fernando Carro, CEO of Bayer 04, said: “This relationship is the first of its kind for New Balance in German professional football. We look forward to being a strategic partner in this important step into an exciting future.”
Markus Breglec, Bayer’s chief marketing and innovation officer, added: “New Balance, with its global presence, matches Bayer 04's international reach to jointly develop the men's, women's and youth teams.
“We are convinced and excited to have found a partner who will accompany Bayer 04 Leverkusen on an exciting path of growth on and off the pitch in the coming years.”
As part of the deal, the Bayer Leverkusen track and field team will also be equipped by New Balance.
At the upcoming German Indoor Championships on February 21 and 22 in Dortmund, the athletes will be outfitted by the American sportswear company.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, TSG Hoffenheim has extended its partnership with business and IT consultancy company Koenig Solutions for another year.
The company, which offers individual SAP consulting services, will initially act as a business team partner of the club until June 2025.
Through the agreement, the firm will use the partnership to promote its SAP consulting services. As a business team partner, Koenig Solutions will receive an advertising presence on the LED and static boards at Hoffenheim’s PreZero Arena.
