A club in Belgium’s top soccer league is touting its new kit deal as a sustainable one that will benefit both the environment and its supporters.
11-time Belgian First Division champions Royale Union Saint-Gilloise announced a new three-year kit deal with Nike on Monday, May 1, that will see the American company provide match and training apparel for Union’s men’s and women’s first teams along with their under-23 team and all their youth teams.
The deal is a win for sustainability because the club “will only offer products containing recycled polyester” to their fans. They hope to combat ovreproduction by using their away kits for two years and by only giving the third shirt to players — they won’t be offered for sale to fans.
“Partnering with Nike further highlights our ambitions to grow,” Union chairman Alex Muzio said on the club’s website. “With Nike, we also find a partner that values sustainability through its ‘Move To Zero’ program. It is an ambition we also subscribe to with Union Inspires.”
“We as Nike are proud to become the new supplier of Union Saint-Gilloise apparel,” added Simon Rutgers from Nike Football Partnerships. “Union has a unique history in Belgium football and is in the more recent years again showing great results on and off pitch. Together with the focus on women’s football, the community and sustainability, this for us feels like a great match.”
Union is also limiting the price of a replica shirt without printing to €70. The club did something similar this season with kits produced under their in-house Union Soixante label, limiting the replica price to €60.
“With Union Soixante this season, we had the lowest prices for a match shirt of all Belgian clubs, and that struck a chord with our fans,” Muzio said. “We will therefore limit the purchase price for a replica Union Nike shirt. A shirt without printing will cost no more than 70 euros in our (online) shop, and will thus still be among the lowest price range in the Jupiler Pro League.”
Prior to 2022-23, Union had had kit deals with several different manufacturers, including Le Coq Sportif, Joma, Errea, Patrick and Kappa. They had even had a deal with Nike back in 2003-04.
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