Reflecting on Nike’s 25 years as the Premier League’s ball supplier
Puma are set to become the Premier League’s official ball provider from the 2025/2026 season onwards. This development will bring the curtain down on the Premier League’s 25-year partnership with Nike, the previous supplier of match balls to the English top flight.
Why are the Premier League and Nike parting ways?
The Premier League failed to reach a conclusion with Nike during negotiations about extending the arrangement that was in place. Premier League bosses had been keen on striking a new deal with the footwear provider but both companies ultimately found themselves some distance apart in terms of how long the new agreement would run for. Crucially, with Puma waiting in the wings in the event talks broke down, the Premier League knew they had a strong bargaining hand. Following a deadlock in dialogue, the Premier League soon opened discussions with the German apparel manufacturer about stepping in to replace Nike.
How have fans received the news?
The reaction to the Premier League changing matchday ball supplier has been polarised and
perhaps understandably so. The reality is soccer fans become emotionally invested in a specific ball, especially if they have grown up with it or seen their team enjoy a prosperous spell during an era when a particular edition was used. On the other hand, some supporters are eager to see the back of a certain supplier if on-field successes have been few and far between. However fans might look back at Nike’s time as the official ball supplier, the undeniable truth is that a significant amount of water has passed under the bridge with the company’s swoosh being ever-present on Premier League pitches for almost a quarter of a century. Indeed, it was back in the summer of 2000 when the Nike Geo Merlin match ball was introduced to the world as premierleague.com recalls here.
25 years of change
If that doesn’t seem like a long time at first, consider just how much the world has changed since the Nike Geo Merlin was first kicked.
🗓 #OnThisDay in 2000…
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 1, 2021
👑 The King produced one of the greatest @PremierLeague goals 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿! pic.twitter.com/VQHfBC1254
For instance, cinemas have given way to streaming services like Netflix, basic mobile phones
have evolved into sophisticated smartphones, and you can now play brick-and-mortar casino
games with the click of a button, as detailed on casinoalpha.com with this guide to the best
online casino sites. Of course, trying to quantify time and change always leaves you with a feeling of intense nostalgia. Equally, this sense of being overwhelmed by past events is certainly the case for Premier League fans as they bid adieu to Nike whose balls were used during the most iconic moments in the history of the top flight. Looking back, Thierry Henry’s ‘flick’ goal at Highbury in October 2000, Wayne Rooney’s bicycle kick at Old Trafford in 2011, and Sergio Aguero’s last-gasp goal to win the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium in 2012, as theguardian.com looks back on here, are just a few moments on an endless list.
To the future
If you start at the 90th minute of the May 2012 @ManCity v QPR match exactly at 11:56:40 PM on December 31st, you’ll have Martin Tyler scream Aguerrooooo! to you right as the clock hits midnight. Start off your new year right. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/l9t2QocXo1
— Premier League USA (@PLinUSA) December 24, 2017
There are, of course, new memories to be savored over the coming 25 years as the world’s
best players seek to cement their legacy using Puma match day balls. What spine-tingling moments will we be reflecting on in 2050?
