Danish Superliga side Brøndby IF has expanded its deal with sportswear manufacturer Hummel to supply kits for the club’s esports division.
The deal will also see Hummel be recognised as Brøndby eSport’s official clothing partner, with its players wearing the kits at all of the organisation’s upcoming tournaments.
Jesper Larsen, Head of Esports at Brøndby IF, stated: “With the cooperation with Hummel, we have once again managed to link an existing Brøndby partner to our sports team, which we are very pleased with, and at the same time it is an expression of the community that is among both club and partners. It is great to experience the support of existing partners and be able to include them in our ‘new’ online community.
Brøndby eSport primarily operates in the FIFA scene, which has recently seen an upsurge in viewership partially due to the lack of live sports offerings that have recently been available, with the side winning the inaugural eSuperliga in 2018.
Moreover, Hummel’s deal has shown the sports manufactures interest in diversifying its partners in both traditional sports and in esports. Along with securing an expanded deal with Brøndby IF, the Danish brand has also announced partnerships with German esports organisation PENTA and the Astralis Group, the parent company of League of Legends side Origen.
In addition Hummel also announced last month that it will become Everton’s new technical partner, supplying the Premier League side’s player, training and travel wear ahead of the 2020/21 season.
Insider Insight: Hummel’s decision to expand its partnership with Brøndby’s esports division will not only strengthen the firm’s relationship with the club, which is highly regarded in Denmark, but it will also see the manufacturer benefit from the extra exposure FIFA and other sport centric titles have been given in recent months.
The deal also signifies how traditional sporting brands have once again started to integrate themselves into esports, with the likes of Nike and Puma also providing similar ‘kit’ deals with global esports organisations.