Man City Begins $109M Nike Deal By Wearing New Kit On Its U.S. Tour Stops

Nike will pay Man City $18.2M annually, as reported in July, "for the next six years and the club will wear the new kit in both games" against Chelsea this week during exhibitions in St. Louis and N.Y. as "part of the two-game brand-building trans-Atlantic trip," according to Mark Ogden of the London TELEGRAPH. Man City's commercial earnings "will be boosted by the unveiling of the new Nike kit" after the company renegotiated Man City's previous deal with Umbro -- now owned by Nike. Although the size of the deal "falls short" of the deals signed by fellow EPL clubs Liverpool (Warrior) and Arsenal (Puma) over the past 12 months, Man City has "doubled" its kit income following the deal with Nike. Club officials believe that "being part of the Nike empire will enable Man City to grow its presence globally alongside the companies more established brands" such as ManU, Barcelona and the Brazilian national team (TELEGRAPH, 5/21).