An American company that made its name by manufacturing equipment for Canada's two national sports has reached a major deal with English football club Liverpool.
Warrior Sports, an athletic apparel company based in Warren, Michigan, said Thursday it signed a six-year agreement to design the Liverpool kit.
Liverpool is owned by a group that owns the Boston Red Sox, while Warrior sports is owned by Boston-based shoe company New Balance.
''We are here to shake up the world of football and our partnership with one of the most successful club teams of all time is just the start,'' Warrior Sports general manager Richard Wright said in a statement.
The deal is reportedly worth 25 million pounds ($38.6 million) a year to Liverpool.
Liverpool has won 18 English league titles and five European Cups, plus many other trophies. The team currently wears kit made by Adidas, the German company that designs the outfits of five of the 20 Premier League clubs.
Nike and Umbro are the second-most popular designers in the league with three clubs each, but Nike owns Umbro.
For a small company like Warrior, getting into football at the top with Liverpool is something of an achievement.
''Warrior Sports will bring its own unique brand and ideas to the partnership, ensuring that they can assist us at the club both on and off the field of play,'' Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said. ''Sharing the same focus of domination and winning will be an incredibly important part of this partnership going forward.''
Warrior Sports, which was founded in 1992, was taken over by New Balance in 2004. Although it is new to football, the company has been in the business of designing lacrosse and ice hockey gear, the national sports of Canada.
