ADIDAS’ NEW BAFANA BAFANA HOME KIT AND ‘UMU’ CAMPAIGN

Adidas today launched the South African national football team’s home jersey for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa.

The jersey will be worn for the first time when Bafana Bafana plays Japan in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

“This jersey is without doubt one of the most important and iconic that adidas, as the National team’s official technical supplier, has ever designed,” says Zobuzwe Ngobese, the PR Manager at adidas South Africa.  “This jersey will be our identity as South Africans when we host the people of the world next year. Yellow is our home colour and we would like the people of South Africa to wear their yellow jersey with pride”.

According to Kevin Jooste, the Category Manager for Football at Adidas South Africa, Adidas SA was heavily involved with the design process, giving input to designers and then getting feedback from the South African Football Association (SAFA). This was a two year process of consultation. “We had to produce a jersey that unites the people of South Africa behind Bafana Bafana and making the flag a prominent part of the jersey was the way to do it, the flag unites all South Africans ” he says

The jersey design was completed with African art print on the collar.

“We are excited with the final product that adidas has delivered to us following numerous consultations about the design of the jersey. They have delivered a world-class product that all South Africans can wear with pride in the period leading to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and during the tournament itself. It symbolises our unity and it should inspire all of us to be showing our true identity and pride as South Africans,” says Raymond Hack, the chief executive officer of SAFA.

The technical specifications are all about ensuring optimal performance for each player – no matter what his specific needs are.  This requirement is met through the use of a wide selection of apparel which will be offered to each player.  This ensures that each athlete will be equipped with the tools they need to suit personal preference, and deal with the variable winter conditions in South Africa in June 2010.  There will be 21 apparel pieces to choose from, allowing players to build their ideal kit from a system that offers the best of compression technology, fit and comfort.  This means that, while all players will have the same appearance, they will each be wearing apparel specific to their optimal performance needs.

Player’s jersey will come in two versions namely techfit and formotion. They will both be available in short sleeve and long sleeve versions.

- Techfit Powerweb is a new fabric which is on the cutting edge of athletic design, and works by focusing the muscles’ energy to generate explosive acceleration and deliver maximum power output.  This is high performance apparel which improves body stability and posture, while reducing muscle vibration through high compression. In addition, strategically placed thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU) powerbands work with the body to store energy through movement, which would normally be lost, and return this to amplify explosive movements.

- Formotion is three dimensionally engineered to move naturally with the athlete’s body during sport.  These are garments that consider the body’s natural 3D shape, sport specific movements, and the placement of fabrics and seams, allowing adidas to deliver unparalleled fit, comfort, and freedom of movement to athletes.   Formotion follows every curve of the athlete’s body for better fit and greater comfort while in motion.

Both jerseys feature climacool technology- a combination of performance fabrics, open mesh and ventilation channels which keep cool air flowing in and heat and sweat flowing out. Climacool works by considering how and where the body produces heat and sweat, and focus’s specific fabric and garment features in those zones. The effect is that athletes stay dry, comfortable and perform at their peak in even the most heated competitions.

Along with the new kit Adidas have created the Unite Mzansi Unite (UMU) campaign ? a project that will inspire all South Africans to unite in celebration behind 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and the national team.

The UMU campaign will inspire South Africans to unite as a nation by wearing yellow; the colour of the new Bafana Bafana 2010 FIFA World Cup™ home jersey.  For this campaign; adidas has created a giant jersey (size 60m x 48m) as a platform and an enabler for South Africans to unite and show their support. The giant jersey is set to go on a tour of South Africa via a huge adidas branded truck. The giant jersey tour will give the entire nation, from school children to celebrities, the opportunity to sign the giant jersey as a demonstration of their support.

“We are calling on all South Africans to come to our truck and sign the giant jersey when it is in their area. By signing the giant jersey, you will become a part of history –this is our World Cup –let’s host it with pride,” says Deborah Miller, the Senior Communications Manager and the head of the UMU campaign at adidas South Africa.