Canterbury will again partner with British & Irish Lions and supply all kit and training wear for the tour of South Africa in 2021 after renewing the deal as their official supplier.
The specialist rugby brand was the kit manufacturer when the Lions defied the odds to draw with New Zealand in 2017 and will be again when they take on world champions South Africa the summer after next.
Canterbury, who produced seven kits for teams at this year’s 2019 Rugby World Cup, supplying England, Ireland, Japan, Georgia, USA, Russia and Canada, are currently in the design process and the Lions kit will be revealed in 2020.
The sports brand has also offered Lions Origin Clubs the chance to have their kit personalised with the logo to celebrate the teams who have produced stars for British and Irish.
As well, to announce the news, Canterbury have invited local junior teams along to take part in competitions to design a new kit.
The regional winners were then chosen by the Lions stars and the four winning kits will now be put to a public vote on social media to decide the overall winner.
The victors will see their kit brought to life by Canterbury.
Sean Kavanagh, Global Director of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship for Canterbury said: “We’re really proud to be extending our partnership with the British & Irish Lions and are excited to be working on the new kit designs already. At Canterbury, we want to show that rugby is a game for all and we are always looking at how we can help inspire the next generation of rugby players.
“As a grass roots club, producing a player who goes on to play at the top level is the highest accolade you can receive and we want clubs to be proud of this achievement and be able to shout about it.
“That is why we’ve introduced the Lions Origin Club logo to our Teamwear ranges for those clubs who have identified, nurtured and developed a special talent who has represented the Lions on the global stage. Hopefully, this can help to inspire the next generation of Lions stars.”
Lions man and Wales international Justin Tipuric added: “Playing for the Lions and representing your country on the biggest stage is one of the pinnacles of a player’s career and I was honoured to have played a part in the 2013 & 2017 tours.
“Behind every player is a great support network of people who have helped them reach the very top and, for me, that starts with Trebanos where I started seriously playing rugby. It is fantastic that they can now display on their kit that they have helped to produce a Lions player. Hopefully, it will act as an inspiration for those players who will pull the jersey on and I would love to see another Lions player come from the club.”