Canterbury of New Zealand, has been announced at the Official Apparel Partner of the British & Irish Lions for the tour of South Africa in 2021.
The Lions wore Canterbury kits throughout the 2017 series, where they defied the odds to draw with New Zealand, and will do so again when the best of British and Irish rugby takes on the newly-crowned world champions in the summer of 2021 in what promises to be an incredible series.
As part of the partnership, Canterbury is also offering Lions Origin Clubs – grass roots teams where previous Loins players started their careers – the opportunity celebrate this achievement by personalising their Canterbury club kit with the Lions Origin Club logo.
To announce the news, Canterbury hosted events at the homes of four Lions Origin Clubs in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Local junior teams joined each regional event to compete to design a new kit for their club. A winner was selected by a rugby star at each location and the four shortlisted designs will be put to a public vote on social media to decide the overall winner. The victors will receive a new kit in their chosen design made up by Canterbury – complete with the commemorative Lions Origin Club logo.
Sean Kavanagh, Global Director of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship for Canterbury said, “We’re really proud to be extending our partnership with the British & Irish Lions and are excited to be working on the new kit designs already. At Canterbury, we want to show that rugby is a game for all and we’re always looking at how we can help inspire the next generation of rugby players.
“As a grass roots club, producing a player who goes on to play at the top level is one of the highest accolades you can receive and we want clubs who are proud of this achievement and be able to shout about it.”
Ben Calveley, Managing Director at the British and Irish Lions, commented, “We are delighted to continue our successful partnership with Canterbury. Canterbury’s heritage with the Lions dates back to 1959 and their kit is loved by players and supporters alike. We look forward to working closely with them to develop the best technical kit available, as well as an iconic Lions playing jersey for our Tour to South Africa in 2021.”
The Lions kit is currently in the design process and will be revealed in 2020.
