Canterbury of New Zealand Wins with Portsmouth FC

Canterbury of New Zealand couldn’t be happier with its first major foray into football, with its sponsored team in the Premier League, Portsmouth Football Club winning its way to the prestigious FA Cup final.

http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=gk6M5aHRfco

Portsmouth will play Cardiff City FC for the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup in front of a packed Wembley Stadium, in London on 17 May, the first time it has reached the final since 1939 and its first time wearing team apparel by Canterbury.

Canterbury has certainly turned heads in the football world in gaining the sponsorship of a major side in the premiership, not least because of its status as virtually unknown in the sport 12 months ago, but also for bringing what has been billed as the most cutting-edge and forward thinking kit the Premier League has ever seen.

With innovations that include a unique layering system incorporating Canterbury’s revolutionary IonX BaseLayer product designed to regulate body temperature, ‘grip strips’ on chest and forearms of the goalie gear, and a ‘peripheral visual enhancement’ (PVE) system in the form of a series of high visibility reflective spots in key areas, the Portsmouth kit is a world away from the standard polyester playing jerseys currently worn by the majority of sides.

And it is not hard to see Canterbury’s heritage in the slim fitting design, more commonly associated with modern rugby jerseys than with the average loose fitting football kits.

Canterbury of New Zealand’s CEO Hugo Venter says that the company couldn’t be happier with the company’s expansion into football and says that technology was a key factor. “Our company is in a unique position to not only be able to call upon a rich sporting heritage, but also be able to offer Portsmouth FC our proven track record in the production of high tech performance equipment,” he said.

“The deal with Portsmouth FC and our move into football marks an exciting time for the Canterbury brand as well as an excellent opportunity to showcase the expertise of the company to a new audience.”

And now, with five international rugby sides including the current World Champion South Africa wearing Canterbury, along with leading golfers, top cyclists, English County Cricket teams and now top level football clubs, a win at the FA Cup will go a long way towards cementing Canterbury of New Zealand’s reputation as a global leader in performance sports apparel.

About Canterbury of New Zealand:

Canterbury of New Zealand was established in 1904 to manufacture and supply rugby jerseys to the New Zealand All Blacks. The company is now the world's largest and most technically advanced rugby brand and provides official playing strips to many of the world's top rugby teams including the South African, Australian, Irish and Scottish national teams. Beyond rugby, Canterbury has established itself as the market leader in sports performance apparel with Canterbury BaseLayer and other technical sports equipment now being worn by leading International athletes in the fields of golf, cricket, football, hockey and many more sports.