Wikipedia

Mitre Sports International

Mitre Sports International Ltd.,mostly known asMitre,is anEnglishsports equipmentmanufacturer based inWakefield.Mitre is mainly focused onassociation footballbut also providing equipment (mostly balls) for other sports. Having founded in 1817 inHuddersfield,the company is one of the oldest of its type in the world.[1]Mitre is currently asubsidiaryof the British family–ownedPentland Group.

Mitre
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustrySports equipment,textile
Founded1817;208 years ago(1817)inHuddersfield,England
Headquarters
Wakefield
,
England
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsFootballballsanduniforms,rugby balls,sportswear,apparel,accessories
ParentPentland Group
Websitemitre

Products manufactured and commercialised by Mitre include sports equipment forassociation football(balls,team uniforms,clothinglines),rugby union(balls,training shirts),[2]basketball(balls), andnetball(balls, rings). Mitre also offers a list of accessories for those sports such asbags,space markers,water bottles,safety cones,among others.

The "Delta" football has been used in some professional leagues of the United Kingdom including theFootball League Cup,The Football League,Scottish Premiership,Welsh Premier Divisionand theFootball League Trophy.Mitre also supplies many other competitions including the Isthmian League, Evo-Stik Southern League, Spartan South Midlands League and many more. These leagues play with a variety of footballs including the Delta Hyperseam, Max Hyperseam and ProMax Hyperseam. Internationally, Mitre have its footballs used across a variety of competitions around including theAFF Championshipand theS.League.

History

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In 1817 Benjamin Crook opened his tannery in Huddersfield, England, giving his own name to the company he founded.[3]The origin of its name is related to the longtime friendship between Crook and the bishop of the village. Crook took the ceremonial head-dress worn by bishops in traditional Christianity (the "mitre") to name his company.[4]

The company producedfootballsandrugby ballsfor clubs all over the world, and in 1959 Mitre expanded into cricket, soft leather and bags. Sports footwear followed a year later.Manchester United's prominent footballerDenis Lawbecame the first official Mitre spokesman in 1964. Two years later Mitre went on to become the official ball supplier for theEnglish Football Association,and for the next forty years, theFA Cup Finalwas to be played with a Mitre ball.

Muhammad Aliwore Mitre in his 59th professional fight againstLeon SpinksinNew Orleans,andStuart Pearcewore Mitre football boots in 1977. Mitre was also the official ball supplier to the1987 Rugby World Cup,[5]jointly hosted byAustraliaandNew Zealand.In 1992, Mitre became the official ball supplier to the newly formedFA Premier League,[citation needed]introducing its synthetic footballs instead of leather balls, which had been used previously. In 2003 the Mitre ball was used in theNetball World Championshipsheld inJamaica.[6]TheEngland national netball teamalso appeared at the tournament wearing Mitre apparel.

In 2000 Mitre arrived in Argentina, signing deals with severalPrimera Divisiónclubs.Newell's Old Boys,Estudiantes de La Plata,Unión de Santa Fe,Belgrano de Córdoba,Arsenal de SarandíandChacarita Juniorswere the first teams wearing uniforms by Mitre.[4]Football star andUNICEFgoodwill ambassadorGeorge Weahteamed up with Mitre in 2004 to donate 5,000 footballs to underprivileged children inLiberiaand 5,000 footballs toIraqichildren. Another endorsee joined Mitre in 2006, when Australiancricketerand record breaking test wicket-takerShane Warnewas signed to wear Mitre footwear and protection.[7]

In 2007 Mitre launched its new "Revolve"football ball to theEFL,where each club played with its own club coloured and badged ball. This was the first time this had happened. Mitre also re-entered the apparel markets with kit deals withIpswich TownandHuddersfield Town FC.In 2008 Mitre signedAll BlackplayerLuke McAlisterto be the figurehead of its rugby range. The same year, the company signed an agreement with theEl Salvador national football teamto be its exclusive uniform provider.[8]In 2009 Mitre expanded its business in South America, becoming the official uniform provider of many teams of theChilean league.[9]

Mitre Ultimatch Footballs

In June 2011, Mitre extended its deal with theScottish Premier Leagueto be the official ball supplier until 2015.[10]In 2015 Mitre released their new Hyperseam technology,[11]which will graceThe Football LeagueandScottish Premier Leaguefor years to come as they both announced new sponsorship deals for Mitre to continue being the official ball supplier. In 2015 Mitre also started to personalised footballs as a gift option for young football fans[12]In 2016, Mitre announced its sponsorship deal to become the official match ball sponsor for theSingapore Professional Football League.Mitre also announced gloves sponsorship for Singaporean goalkeepers Nozawa Yosuke (Albirex Niigata Singapore),[13]Khairulhin Khalid(Hougang United) and Beatrice Tan (Singapore women's national team). The sponsorship with Beatrice Tan marked the first time that a female footballer is being sponsored in Singapore.[citation needed]

In May 2017, Mitre brought back the "Delta" ball design as the official match ball of theEnglish Football Leaguesince the2017–18season.[14]The company also launched its "Legend Returns" campaign to promote the event. The football was unveiled live on Soccer AM and at Wembley Stadium.

Products

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The following chart contains all the product lines by Mitre.[15]

Mitre Delta V12S ball, made forPFLof Ukraine
Sport Range of products
Football Team uniforms,boots,goalkeeper gloves,shin guards,balls,goals,linesmmanflags,cones
Basketball Balls
Netball Balls, rings
Rugby union Balls,training shirts
Clothing Jackets,raincoats,hoodies,t-shirts,polo shirts,compression garment,shorts,leggings
Accessories Bags,pumps,water bottles,safety cones
Notes

Sponsorships

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The following is a list with teams, associations and players that wear uniforms and equipment provided by Mitre:

Football

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Club teams

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Associations

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Mitre provides its official balls for the following football associations:

Players

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Netball

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Mitre provides its official balls for the following netball association and players:

Rugby

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The company sponsors the following players:

Former sponsorships

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Football

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Associations

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  • Premier League(official match ball, 1992–2000)
  • EFL(official match ball, 1976–2021)
  • FA Cup(official match ball, 2018–present)

Notes

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  1. ^Match balls and referees gear
  2. ^Includes theFA Cupand theCommunity Shieldand women's club competitions
  3. ^Includes Scottish Premiership, Championship, Leagues One and Two, League and the Challenge Cups and the Scottish Women's Premier League
  4. ^Includes the Singapore Premier League, Singapore Community Shield, Singapore Cup, Singapore Football League and the Island Wide League.[19]

References

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  1. ^Atkinson, Neil (4 August 2015)."Sporting history with its roots in Huddersfield".Examiner Live.Retrieved14 August2020.
  2. ^Rugby equipmenton Mitre
  3. ^"History".
  4. ^abEntrevistas: Mitre Argentinaon Piel de Ascenso, 2015
  5. ^RWC 15: A history of the World Cup match ballby Andy McGeady,The Irish Times,10 September 2015
  6. ^England Netball Joins Forces with Mitre Sports,SportCal, 19 June 2003
  7. ^Shane Warne teams up with Mitre,25 August 2006
  8. ^"Mitre - Footballs, Training Kits & Other Sportswear".Archived fromthe originalon 23 December 2010.
  9. ^"Mitre - Footballs, Training Kits & Other Sportswear".Archived fromthe originalon 25 October 2011.
  10. ^"Mitre - Footballs, Training Kits & Other Sportswear".Archived fromthe originalon 8 March 2012.
  11. ^"Hyperseam Footballs - Mitre".
  12. ^"Personalised Football: The Perfect Gift".
  13. ^MitreSG sponsors Yosuke Nozawa,6 August 2015
  14. ^Mitre Delta provides light relief for City,Perspecs News site, 26 October 2017
  15. ^Mitre Sports equipmenton Mitre website, 6 March 2019
  16. ^"Patrocinadores de Deportes Tolima" at club official site, 9 January 2013Archived21 February 2013 at theWayback Machine
  17. ^"New Team Kit Announcement".Berwick Rangers FC. 17 May 2017.Retrieved17 May2017.
  18. ^Mitre listed as sponsor at FAW official site[usurped],retrieved 4 March 2013
  19. ^"MITRE UNVEILED AS NEW OFFICIAL S.LEAGUE MATCH BALL SPONSOR | The Football Association of Singapore".fas.org.sg.Archived fromthe originalon 17 August 2016.Retrieved7 April2017.
  20. ^abcEndorsements and Associations on Mitre official site,retrieved 4 March 2013
  21. ^abcdefg"Rugby endorsements and associations" on Mitre official site,retrieved 4 March 2013
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