Despite being years old, the American sportswear company, founded in Boston, is a relative start-up in the endorsement world. These days, its biggest clubs are Portuguese side Porto and Ligue 1 outfit Lille. Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka joined its ranks in This is what McGarty is referring to when he talks about casting for a movie.
When New Balance took those first steps into football — the soccer kind — it wanted the equivalent of a tight squad, to find those few athletes that fit the part. An invincible with Bayer Leverkusen last season, the Netherlands international Frimpong was announced as a New Balance athlete last month. The endorsement market has for a long time been dominated by brands such as Nike, Adidas and Puma. We were going up against competitors that have been in the sport for decades.
Saka had made just 33 appearances by the time the UK Covid lockdown hit in , but New Balance was convinced by his character and that the soon-to-be England international would be the right fit.
He now has Arsenal appearances. It was not a given that Saka would agree to sign up. New Balance was a relative unknown in the world of football endorsements and convincing some players was difficult. To make their case, New Balance tailored their pitch to each athlete. That ethos is applied all the way down to the minute details of the boots they make for the players.
It was basically a Bukayo Saka shrine. We ask questions and listen. We were whiteboarding it, essentially. Saka has also been part of collaborations with Stone Island and Aime Leon Dore in the World Cup and European Championship respectively, which New Balance sees as a way to fuse the soccer and fashion worlds on a bigger stage.
