Manchester City and WWE have revealed an exclusive collaboration to release a collection of merchandise ahead of the Premier League club’s US pre-season tour.
In a collaborative effort, Manchester City and WWE unveiled a new name and number design for the club’s players during its upcoming preseason tour in the US this summer. This unique style integrates the WWE logo into the numbers, accented with a bold red outline.
The agreement includes the release of a new merchandise line featuring six T-shirts that blend the Manchester City and WWE themes. Among them are shirts like the CM Punk “Best Team in the Land and All the World,” alongside designs inspired by Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Ahead of SmackDown at Madison Square Garden this Friday, WWE Women’s Champion Bayley and Baron Corbin are set to visit the CityStore on 6th Avenue in New York City for an exclusive meet-and-greet event to celebrate the launch.
Additionally, the Premier League trophy will also be showcased at the store throughout the weekend, adding to the excitement.
Securing the deal weeks before the club’s first game in the US as part of its pre-season tour highlights City’s strategic move to expand its fanbase in the region.
Earlier this month, Direct-to-Consumer fan specialists CLV Group uncovered data revealing that Premier League clubs are potentially losing out on ‘hundreds of millions’ of pounds in annual revenue by not fully leveraging the growing US soccer market.
In the report, CLV Group stated that Manchester City could potentially capitalise on a revenue opportunity of approximately $34.3 million by fully leveraging the market, which this recent agreement points towards.
Serena Gosling, Director of Integrated Fan Experience and Retail and Licensing at Manchester City, commented: “We are excited to announce the launch of our exclusive retail collaboration with WWE today. As a club, we’re always exploring new ways to enhance our retail offering for our fans across the globe and collaborations like this with WWE are part of that ongoing strategy.”
“In addition, today’s announcement offers a further touch point for our fans within the US and beyond to engage with the club, ahead of men’s first team visit this summer.”
