The £1bn Importance of The Brand With The Three Stripes
Liverpool and Adidas are back together again - and the third instalment is the most crucial yet
Welcome to infoRED—today we’re chatting Adidas. From trefoil classics in the ’80s to sleek Champions League kits in the 2000s, Liverpool’s history with the three stripes runs deep. And with the 2025 return, it’s not just nostalgia—it’s serious business.
If you like your football with a side of strategy, infoRED might well be for you. We go beyond the badge—tracking the deals, the numbers, and the boardroom decisions that shape what you see on the pitch. From kit launches to commercial pivots, we break down how the financial wheels at Liverpool turn. Consider becoming a paid subscriber today to stay ahead of the curve, and thanks for being part of the conversation.
For a while it had looked as if the relationship between Liverpool and Nike would be a longstanding one.
The lengths that Liverpool went to in order to extricate themselves from their deal with New Balance in 2019 were unprecedented, with the Reds willing to take the fight all the way to the High Court in London, at great cost, in order to make sure that, from 2020, they were able to partner with Nike.
Not to get too bogged down in that particular case, but the long and short of it was that New Balance had a clause in their deal whereby they would have the option to extend so long as they matched the offer on the table from any rival bidder when a new tendering process came about.
They did that, actually offering more than Nike in terms of a flat annual rate (£35m), with the US sportswear behemoth offering up around £30m. The kicker, though, was that Nike were offering as much as a 20% slice to the Reds on the sale of Nike/LFC branded merchandise, and given the size and scope of the Nike global retail operation, and a strong online focus as well as major physical retail presence. That was seen as more valuable over the course of the deal than what New Balance were offering. Mr Justice Nigel Teare, the presiding judge agreed, and Liverpool and Nike were free to partner up.
The following five years saw some record numbers posted, and the impact of the Nike deal was significant, playing a prominent role in the club improving its commercial revenues from £217.4m in 2020, to £308m by 2024.
One of the key objectives for both was to create lifestyle merchandise. Football shirts designed well will sell well, especially if the team has a global fan base and is successful. What hadn’t really been monetised to any great deal by clubs other that Paris Saint-Germain was the idea of creating a lifestyle brand, tapping into fans who may not traditionally buy a Liverpool replica shirt or training apparel, but who wanted it to be more about fashion than anything else.
Collaborations with Nike athlete and basketball icon LeBron James came to fruition. James, a partner in Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group, worked with Nike on a line of merchandise which included trainers, training wear and basketball jerseys. It’s hard to gauge how well they were received, but while they were deemed a success from a retail and merchandising perspective from the club, certainly outwardly, whether the numbers matched up with what had been hoped for from the off is questionable.
