Aston Villa have struck a lucrative new kit deal, with Adidas set to take over from Castore next season.
Villa are currently into their second season with British brand Castore after signing a multi-year contract in 2022, but will turn to the heavyweight German manufacturer in 2024-25 after agreeing a long-term arrangement.
The deal will see Adidas, which has contracts with clubs including Manchester United and Real Madrid, provide kits for Villa’s men’s and women’s teams, as well as academy sides.
Villa, whose Egyptian co-owner Nassef Sawiris owns around seven per cent of Adidas, had been exploring cutting short their agreement with Castore short since early into the 2023-24 season.
The impending switch — secured by the club’s president of business operations, Chris Heck — follows complaints from playing staff about this season’s ‘wet-look’ Castore shirt.
The Athletic reported in September that members of Villa’s men’s and women’s teams had said that the shirts had become too heavy during matches and were weighing them down to potentially impact performance.
The issue over the shirts first arose in pre-season with players complaining that the shirt, made up of 90 per cent polyester and 10 per cent elastane, was “saturated” and not able to absorb sweat…
