New Balance named Atalanta BC’s Kit Sponsor from 2025/26

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Atalanta BC has secured a new multi-year sponsorship deal with New Balance, which will see the US-based sportswear brand become the Series A club’s Official Kit Sponsor from the 2025/26 season. The agreement marks the start of a global partnership centred on both high-performance innovation and growing brand reach.

As part of the agreement, New Balance will provide all technical kits — including matchday strips, training gear, accessories, and equipment — for both Atalanta’s men’s and women’s teams. This extends beyond on-field apparel to encompass global merchandise distribution via New Balance’s international retail network.

The collaboration strengthens New Balance’s presence in European football, where it already partners with clubs such as FC Porto and LOSC Lille. For Atalanta, it represents a significant boost in global visibility and a major step forward in accessing a broader, more integrated merchandising platform.

Beyond kit supply, the alliance will feature co-branded marketing activations and regional community initiatives. These efforts are designed to strengthen ties with Atalanta’s passionate fan base in Bergamo and across northern Italy, while leveraging New Balance’s global platform to elevate the club’s profile internationally.

Digital campaigns will shine a spotlight on the shared values between the two organisations — a deep commitment to local communities, a dedication to high performance, and a focus on craftsmanship. These qualities reflect Atalanta’s identity as a club with strong regional roots and consistent success in both domestic and European competitions.

Global Director of Football Sports Marketing at New Balance, Andrew McGarty, praised Atalanta’s innovation and strong community connection.

“This sponsorship underscores our dedication to advancing the sport globally, aligning with a club that understands our connection to craftsmanship and communities. Together, we’ll honour Atalanta BC’s storied legacy through cutting-edge designs and high-performance gear that meets the demands of modern football,” he said via press release.

Atalanta BC CEO, Luca Percassi, underscored the strategic alignment between the two organisations, highlighting the shared vision driving the partnership.

“This collaboration is built on shared values. We’re confident in its success and look forward to what we can achieve together. New Balance’s heritage and global stature in sportswear make them the ideal partner for our next chapter,” he said via press release.

The collaboration arrives at a pivotal time for Atalanta, whose continued rise in European football positions the club for broader commercial success. The deal with New Balance strengthens:

  • Merchandise revenue opportunities through expanded global distribution
  • International brand awareness, particularly in North American and Asian markets
  • Fan engagement through joint campaigns and digital outreach

For New Balance, the agreement highlights an ongoing commitment to football and signals deeper investment in the Italian market through a high-performing, globally ambitious club like Atalanta BC.

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WA Government and Virgin Australia Partner to Bring Discounted Flights for Italian Football Series in Perth

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The Western Australian Government has partnered with Virgin Australia to offer discounted airfares to Perth ahead of a three-match series featuring AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Palermo, in a move that reflects how state governments are increasingly using major sporting fixtures as tools of tourism and economic strategy.

Subsidising travel costs rather than simply promoting the matches signals a shift in how state governments are approaching major sporting events. WA Tourism Minister Reece Whitby positioned the series within the state’s broader Winter of Unmissable Sport strategy, framing the partnership as a way to fill hotels, support local businesses and generate visible economic activity across a single week of programming. That logic places football alongside other major events states have used to justify public investment in visitor attraction, where the return is measured in tourism spend rather than ticket revenue alone.

A bet on Australia’s appetite for European football

Touring Italian clubs is not a routine occurrence in Australia, and Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti’s comments point to an underlying assumption behind the investment: that the existing fan base for European football in Australia is substantial enough to justify a state government underwriting travel costs to fill a stadium on the other side of the country.

Australian audiences for international football have grown considerably over the past decade, driven by streaming access, diaspora communities and the rising visibility of leagues once difficult to follow locally. State governments positioning themselves to capture economic value from that growth, rather than leaving it to broadcasters and travel operators, marks a change in how football’s commercial footprint in Australia is being treated by policymakers.

It also raises a question likely to recur as more international club fixtures are scheduled in Australian cities: whether public subsidy for travel around marquee football events delivers economic value beyond the host city, or whether the benefit is concentrated narrowly within the host state’s tourism and hospitality sectors. Virgin Australia’s involvement reflects the commercial logic on the airline side, with the partnership forming part of a broader push to connect Australians with major domestic and international destinations.

For the domestic football industry, the series is a reminder that international club football is competing for the same audience attention as the A-Leagues and grassroots competitions. Whether that competition proves complementary or extractive, in terms of where football-related spending in Australia ultimately lands, is a question state and national football bodies are likely to watch closely as similar fixtures become more frequent.

Referee Omar Artan appointed to UEFA Super Cup Final

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The Somali referee will officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup in August between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.

 

World Cup controversy to Super Cup support

As 2025’s CAF Men’s Referee of the Year, Artan stands as one of the world’s leading match officials.

His expertise and skill allowed him to enter FIFA’s international list in 2018, and has since proved an outstanding ability as a referee, culminating in the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year award last year.

Despite Artan’s capabilities and reputation, his dream of officiating this summer’s World Cup tournament met a premature ending. The referee couldn’t enter into the US after arriving on a diplomatic passport and single entry visa, and was subsequently forced to return home to Somalia.

But Artan’s journey as a referee on the global stage is far from over, as UEFA and CAF confirmed that Artan will officiate the UEFA Super Cup clash between Champions League winners, PSG, and Europa League winners, Aston Villa, in Salzburg this August.

 

Upholding the partnership

In April of this year, UEFA and CAF signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which promised to utilise mutual support to encourage development, inclusion and wellbeing in football.

The MoU aligns unity, cohesion and partnership between two powerhouse continents of world football.

And now, the alignment is stronger and clearer than ever. In the midst of a major blow to Artan’s personal and professional dreams, UEFA and CAF’s partnership provided an opportunity.

“Omar is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin via media release.

“Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination.”

Furthermore, CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, outlined why the initiative perfectly embodies the nature of a partnership between UEFA and CAF.

“This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

 

Final thoughts

Out of bitter disappointment and controversy comes a far more positive reflection of football’s influence and impact. It also proves that an MoU is more than just signatures, but a genuine promise to support the game and all within it.

A partnership like this has the power to help millions at once.

But sometimes, helping just one person is all it takes to prove its worth.

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