Brussels, 5 June 2023 - For the next five seasons, all Jupiler Pro League, Challenger Pro League, Lotto Super League, Croky Cup and Élite junior matches will be played with the same ball. It's a first for our country. Kipsta, Decathlon's football brand, is the official partner of the Pro League. The brand today unveiled its new Pro League OMB to the public.
As the Pro League Awards draw ever closer, Kipsta and the Pro League today unveiled their new Pro League OMB. It features a uniquely assured, modern look. It has been designed in France in collaboration with a Belgian designer and is made from 12 thermobonded panels – far fewer than normal, traditional balls. This unique seamless assembly keeps the ball perfectly round and makes it feel incredibly light, whatever the weather conditions.
"Our ball passed the eight FIFA tests with flying colours and was awarded FIFA's highest quality label. The team managers of our country's pro clubs have been able to try out the ball since March. It guarantees a great game and plenty of goals, as we've already seen during the most recent season of France's Ligue 1. More than 1000 goals were scored during the last season with this very ball." - Salim Bennis, Football Leader at Decathlon.
Durability was a key focus when developing this ball. Plus, the ball will have the same design for the next two seasons. Uniformity is one of the main reasons why the Pro League has chosen Kipsta and Decathon as its partners.
And the cherry on the top is that this ball is very affordable. Thanks to the economies of scale Decathlon enjoys on an international level for the ball's manufacture, it is available for just 85 euros.
"We're delighted to have signed this five-season deal with Kipsta. Through this partnership, we're creating direct and indirect added value for our main stakeholders: our clubs. There are three reasons why we've chosen Kipsta as our new partner. Firstly for a long-standing collaboration. Secondly, we wanted to sign a uniform 'league deal' that all of our affiliates would benefit from. And last but not least, the Kipsta ball is the perfect example of an innovative approach that the Pro League strongly believes in." – Lorin Parys, Pro League CEO.
This contract with the Pro League will only strengthen the reputation of Decathlon's football brand. And not just in Belgium – with Kipsta having already signed deals with KV Oostende, Sporting Charleroi, Excelsior Virton and RAEC Mons – but on an international level too. Kipsta is present everywhere. Last season, Kipsta was the official supplier for France's Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 match balls.
"At Kipsta and Decathlon, we want to make football accessible to everyone: professional footballers, amateurs, youth teams and the kids who put just as much into their games at the local park as they would on the biggest stage. At Kipsta, our products are designed by footballers, for footballers. Our goals are ambitious: we want to become the go-to partner for thousands of Belgian clubs." - Salim Bennis, Leader Football at Decathlon.
Kipsta is the Decathlon group brand for all team sports, and it's been specialising in designing football products since 2016. Based in the north of France, the brand has set itself the task of durably improving the daily life of all footballers. Kipsta is committed to excellence, providing its users with high-performance products, including at the highest level and at the most affordable price possible.
Decathlon is a leading sports company with two arms to its business: creating innovative sports products and services, and retailing them online and in stores. With 325 points of sale in France and 1751 throughout the rest of the world, Decathlon and its 105 000 team members have been working since 1976 to innovate in every field so that the company remains the go-to partner for sportspeople doing any activity.
Decathlon Belgium currently has more than 35 outlets and a logistics centre in Willebroek, and employs nearly 3000 people.
The Pro League is responsible for professional football in Belgium. It organises the professional football championships and the Belgian Cup. It also brings together pro football clubs, which are represented on the boards of both the Pro League's non-profit organisation and its commercial business. The Pro League functions independently of the clubs, but is there to serve them. At a national level, the Pro League works in close collaboration with the Royal Belgian Football Association (URBSFA). At a regional level, it regularly consults with the two wings of Belgian amateur football: Voetbal Vlaanderen and the ACFF. The Pro League is highly aware of its social role and has therefore drawn up a Football & Community strategy with the goal of having a positive social and societal impact. It strives to be a place with professionalism, innovation, growth and the footballing experience at its heart. Every Pro League initiative aims to strengthen the clubs in particular and football in general.
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