Wolves To Shake-Up ‘Broken’ Model With SUDU Kit Deal

SUDU, the innovative sportswear brand by Levy Merchandising, have today announced a long-term partnership with Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, to become the club’s official technical kit partner, responsible for the design and manufacture of the club’s official kits, training and leisurewear, including across the men’s, women’s and academy teams from the 2024/25 season onwards.

As a landmark deal within the sports industry, it marks a significant shift in the traditional kit supply model, the current structure of which affords a suboptimal deal for most sports teams, often with an imbalance of commercial terms and service levels.

Joe Poole, Head of Partnerships at Levy Merchandising, a new arm of Levy UK & Ireland of which SUDU sits within, explains: “Unless you’re in the Premier League ‘Big Six’, the team and brand model is broken. It’s self-serving for brands as opposed to being a true partnership and we want to change that.”

Poole adds: “Seven-figure value is being lost by sports teams through inflated marketing costs, but even more so as a result of a disjointed supply chain which squeezes margins to the detriment of teams and fans.”

Russell Jones, General Manager of marketing and commercial growth at Wolves, commented: “This fresh new approach to kit creation is long overdue and we’re delighted that Wolves get to be at the forefront of this innovative approach.

“For far too long top tier clubs like Wolves have been held to template designs. This partnership enables Wolves to work with fans and players to create technical product with our heritage at the forefront of design.

“We are also able to continue to widen our reach, as this innovative model allows us to create attractive price points to better distribute within the UK and internationally ensuring that Wolves products can be available, at affordable prices for fans, in-stores all over the world.”

In a first for Wolves, the new kits have been crafted in collaboration with the playing squad with peak performance on the pitch in mind. The players not only informed the look and feel, but also participated in fit and performance sessions with SUDU to ensure kits meet every standard.

Club captain, Max Kilman, who has played a part in the product creation process, commented: “It has been really interesting to play an active part in creating our kit for this season. Since we were first introduced to SUDU, the designers and product development team have kept us constantly updated.

“Seeing feedback on fabrics, design and our performance needs worked into the finished products has been a really positive experience for us. We are delighted with the final products and are excited to wear them this season.”