Concacaf, the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, has unveiled a seven-year tie-up with Japanese sports equipment manufacturer Molten.
Through a multi-competition deal announced yesterday, Molten has become the official Concacaf ball supplier for the 2024-30 cycle.
This follows what Concacaf has called “a competitive request for proposal [RFP] process carried out by the confederation’s commercial department” last year.
The tie-up covers the full suite of Concacaf men’s and women’s competitions during the aforementioned cycle, with the women's Concacaf W Gold Cup - which began last week in the US - the first competition to use the Molten Vantaggio ball.
The competition list includes the men’s Concacaf Gold Cup national teams tournament, the Concacaf Champions Cup clubs tournament, as well as the Central American Cup and Caribbean Cup competitions. Molten balls will also be used during youth Concacaf events.
Elsewhere in soccer, Molten has acted as a ball supplier for the Asian Football Confederation, and also for European soccer’s governing body UEFA (across the Europa League club competition).
Victor Montagliani, president of Concacaf, has said: “Molten has built up a very strong reputation for high quality and innovation through their partnerships in global soccer. We look forward with great anticipation to working with them to elevate our tournaments during what is certain to be a transformational era for Concacaf and for soccer in this wonderful region.”
This tie-up comes hot on the heels of Concacaf's recent deal with Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco. Aramco is now the official energy partner for all Concacaf national teams and club competitions.
For the ongoing W Gold Cup, meanwhile, Mexican beer brand Modelo, Qatar Airways, automotive giant Toyota, and automotive lubricants provider Valvoline, have all came on board as founding partners.
Kiyofumi Tamiaki, Molten Corporation’s chief executive, added: "Molten will continue to pursue technological innovations and take on the challenge of creating the best possible products, while contributing to the further development of soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean. We are looking forward to a continued close partnership, supporting all aspects of soccer in the future.”
In October, Molten extended its long-running partnership as the official basketball provider for both the men’s and women’s editions of the British Basketball League.
