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Australian apparel company ISC has opted for an early end to its long-running apparel partnership with the Essendon Bombers AFL club after struggling to generate an acceptable return on the deal.
A spokesperson from ISC told Sponsorship News that as well as designing and manufacturing the club’s apparel, it also managed the club’s online retail and wholesale operations.
The spokesperson said ISC sought to renegotiate the the terms of the partnership, but Essendon opted to explore other offers.
The spokesperson added that global brands like Under Armour had the capacity to allocate substantial funding for expansion into new markets.
“ISC’s positioning is a little different in that we offer really aggressive timelines and a more integrated bespoke design,” the spokesperson said.
Essendon originally signed a seven-year deal with ISC that started in 2017. At the time Essendon also signed SKINS as its official compression technology partner for three seasons and New Era in a unique apparel category as official headwear partner for two seasons.
New Era is still a partner of the club and involved with its esport team however SKINS is no longer a partner.
The Essendon partnership is Under Armour’s first AFL club deal, however it has an existing sponsorship with the AFL largely linked to the AFL Academy.
The company also has partnerships with Sydney FC A-League and Golf Australia.
