Same Treatment as Brighton? Should Sevilla Become A Nike Top Team?
Spanish 2019-20 UEFA Europa League winners FC Sevilla last Friday released their new Nike 20-21 home, away and third kits. They feature custom colors but no bespoke designs because Sevilla is no premium / top-tier Nike team - should they become one?
In early August 2020, FC Sevilla and Nike extended their original three-year kit deal for another season, until the end of the 2021-22 season. The deal is worth around €2.3 million a year, with bonuses of up to 500,000 Euro when qualifying for the Champions League.
Sevilla - Only Nike Standard Team?
For Nike, there are at least four different tiers of teams - Elite , Premium, Standard & Third Party ["Not-Directly Supplied By Nike"]. Let us first look what Nike's different tiers mean for the clubs.
Nike's Pyramid Of Teams - Elite, Premium, Standard & Third-Party
Elite Teams (e.g. FC Barcelona, Liverpool):
All Nike Elite teams get three bespoke jerseys, including a streamlined third kit (Air Max-inspired this season), exclusive pre-match jerseys as well as a lot of other bespoke gear.
The newest team to become a Nike Elite team was Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. The 10 Nike Elite teams for 2020-2021 are Atletico, Barcelona, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Inter, Leipzig, Liverpool, PSG, Roma and Tottenham.
Premium Teams (e.g. Eintracht Frankfurt, Zenit, Hertha BSC, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Steaua Bucharest:
Premium teams are on the second level of Nike's pyramid. They get custom kit designs (most times home & away only), streamlined pre-match shirts and some custom lifestyle / training gear.
Standard Teams (e.g. Brighton, Sevilla?, Young Boys), FC Utrecht
Standard teams have a direct contract with Nike but get no bespoke designs - they mostly receive kits with custom color combos.
"Third Party" (e.g. FC Augsburg & 1860 Munich (deal managed by 11teamsports, Birmingham & Portsmouth (deal managed by Just Sport):
Third Party teams have no direct contract with Nike but with a third-party, who manage contracts for Nike in those countries. These teams get no bespoke kits from Nike ever.
FC Sevilla - No Custom Designs, Direct Contract With Nike -> Standard Team
With FC Sevilla, the case seems to be relatively clear - they are just a Standard Nike Team. The Spanish team gets no bespoke kits, so they are not even on the same level as Eintracht Frankfurt, Brighton and Utrecht.
Should Sevilla become a new Nike top team? Which other Nike teams would deserve the 'Elite' treatment? Comment below.
