In a video interview on the Rangers Football Club YouTube, Rangers commercial director James Bisgrove has hinted that the club’s new deal with Castore could be more lucrative than Celtic’s Adidas contract.
Following weeks of speculation, on Sunday morning, the Gers officially announced the up and coming British brand as their new kit and retail supplier from the 2020/21 season.
The new deal marks a clean cut from Sports Direct legal battles and from the Hummel partnership which also didn’t deliver as hoped.
Castore may be new to the market but the club have pointed to the company’s significant financial backing and the ambition of their owners, as evidence that this partnership will be a success.
Bisgrove also believes it will be lucrative – perhaps more so than any such deal ever struck in the nation.
“From a commercial perspective, it’s without a doubt the most valuable partnership that we’ve entered into in our recent history and I think we believe that it actually has the potential to be the most valuable partnership in Scottish sport,” he said [Rangers Football Club YouTube]. “There’s a lot there to look forward to.”
“Clearly, for us, it goes beyond the financial aspect as well. We’re partnering here with an organisation that’s incredibly ambitious and is one of the fastest-growing sportswear brands in the world. They are very premium in everything they do in terms of the product.
“They’ve got an international strategy that we believe aligns with ours and will allow us to service the global Rangers support as well. It means a lot and it’s a proud day for us to introduce this partnership.”
Bisgrove has given high praise to Castore on various levels here and it’s apparent that he personally has a lot of belief in this deal.
Club insider account Four Lads Had a Dream have asserted that the initial deal is worth £25 million over a period of five years.
That would make it a somewhat smaller than the recent five-year deal Celtic signed with Adidas, which is believed to be worth around £30 million [Scottish Herald].
However, there are clearly extra clauses in the deal either in the form of bonus payments or extensions which could see this contract surpass that agreed by the Hoops.
It seems that even though the Gers signed a deal with the new kid on the block rather than with a global giant, this option could end up being more lucrative in the long run.
