Olympique Lyonnais, of French soccer’s top-tier Ligue 1, have extended their long-running kit supply agreement with German sportswear giant adidas through the 2028-29 season.
The four-year deal will see Adidas continue to supply the club’s men’s and women’s sides and age-grade teams while also providing support for the OL Academy.
The extension builds on the pair’s long-standing relationship, which started when Adidas became the club’s kit supplier in 2010 after replacing UK sportswear firm Umbro under an initial 10-year contract worth a reported €100 million ($114 million).
Their current five-year deal, struck in 2018, runs through the 2024-25 season.
Under the existing contract, Lyon receives an annual basic fee from Adidas and gets bonus payments related to the number of products sold and the club’s domestic and European competition results.
The new contract will come as a welcome commercial boost for the club, which presently sits 15th in the 18-team Ligue 1 and has not played in European competitions for the last two seasons after being acquired by American investor John Textor in December 2022.
The club announced record revenues of €289.7 million for the 2022-23 financial year thanks to receiving payments from CVC Capital Partners’ investment in Ligue 1’s commercial entity.
However, commercial revenue from sponsorship was down by 7% to €34 million compared to the 2021-22 season, while the club’s failure to qualify for Europe saw Lyon miss out on television income from governing body UEFA, which gave the club $18.3 million the previous season.
Sportfive, the international sports marketing agency, has been the club’s long-standing exclusive commercial agency since 1997 and last extended its partnership in 2022 for another seven years until 2029.
Under that deal, Sportfive continues to support the Ligue 1 club’s commercial development and growth of its B2B revenues in France and internationally.
In September, Sportfive brought in Aushopping as the club’s back-of-shirt sponsor under a three-year deal. Other recent partnerships include Betclic, the online sports betting company, and recruitment agency Staffmatch.
Laurent Prud’homme was recently appointed as Lyon's new chief executive, taking over during a difficult period for the club both on and off the pitch.
Lyon have endured a troubled spell since Textor completed his takeover and recently announced a net loss of €99 million for 2022-23.
In November, the club announced it had reached an agreement with a group of investors to refinance a huge portion of its debt, with the deal valued at €320 million.
