Aston Villa to leave Castore for adidas

In the end, the Aston Villa footballers prevailed. Their complaints about the kits produced by technical sponsor Castore, published in The Athletic last October, concerned the performance of the fabrics during matches, pushed the club to change kit supplier. Castore's limitations had already come to light in the past: The jerseys ripped too easily, there were application errors and poor breathability meant that they immediately became wet and heavy when players took the field. According to The Telegraph, the English newspaper that first reported the story, Aston Villa players have long complained about the jerseys' wetness, which restricts freedom of movement due to the tight fit. Now Aston Villa are trying to find an amicable solution to end the sponsorship deal without having to pay penalties or fines and then sign a multi-year contract with adidas.

Aston Villa are following the path of Newcastle United, who have already announced that they will return to adidas from the 2024/25 season. For the Magpies, it is a blast from the past, as they too ended their partnership with Castore due to the quality of the technical material they received. But Villa and Newcastle are not the only teams to have cancelled their contracts with Castore early. In Italy, the contract with Genoa only lasted one season, after which the Grifone switched back to Kappa. Nevertheless, the British brand founded by the Beahon brothers continues to sign new contracts, such as the one that will see it sponsor the kits of Everton and the Irish national team from next season. At the same time, adidas is emphasising its supremacy in the Premier League and adding another prestigious club to its already extensive list with Arsenal, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Fulham. Despite the jerseys, Unai Emery Aston Villa are currently second in the table and in full contention for a place in next season's Champions League.