Manchester United Agrees To Eight-Year Training Kit Deal With Unknown Partner

ManU has signed a new sponsor for its training kit for the next eight years, the latest "in a series of commercial deals cashing in on its huge global following," according to Keith Weir of REUTERS. The club is unusual in that its image is "strong enough to attract backers" for both its training kit and the famous red shirts it plays in. The club "called an early halt" to its existing agreement with training kit partner DHL after July's record $560M deal to have the Chevrolet brand on its playing shirts for seven years showed the club "it could aim higher." The training kit deal will run for eight years starting next season, but the club was "surprisingly coy about identifying the new backer at this stage." ManU Vice Chair Ed Woodward said, "At the request of our new training kit partner, we have agreed to withhold further details pending a formal announcement" (REUTERS, 2/14).