Chelsea soccer team unveils Yokohama jerseys

LONDON (July 17, 2015) — Chelsea Football Club, the defending English Premier League champion team, unveiled its uniform design this week for the 2015-16 season featuring the logo of Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., which will be the team's shirt sponsor for the next five years.

 Yokohama and CFC  signed their multimillion-dollar partnership deal in February. The deal calls for the Yokohama brand to appear on the shirts of all of CFC's teams, from the first team to the youth teams.

The home jersey bearing the Yokohama logo across the chest, will debut in competition July 22 at a pre-season match in the U.S. between Chelsea and New York Red Bulls of the Major League Soccer league. Sales of the uniform will launch that day as well, according to Yokohama, and then be available to Chelsea fans around the world.

CFC will play two other preseason matches in the U.S. — July 25 in Charlotte, N.C., vs. Paris Saint-German FC, and July 28 in Washington, D.C. vs. FC Barcelona.

In February, CFC Chairman Bruce Buck said, “We believe that Yokohama will play a key role in helping us drive our global expansion in international markets such as the U.S., where they have operated with distinction for many years. “

Mr. Buck added: “Chelsea and Yokohama are a perfect fit. Both are global organizations with a focus on performance and innovation, as well as having huge ambition and an unwavering culture of success.”

CFC said it anticipates Yokohama will work with the football club on community projects around the world through the Chelsea Foundation.

At the time, CFC said this deal was “one of the biggest shirt sponsorships ever signed.” The value was estimated by multiple United Kingdom media sources to be worth nearly $60 million a year.

The uniform will make its United Kingdom debut on Aug. 2 at Wembley Stadium when Chelsea takes on Arsenal in the FA Community Shield match.

The shirt design stays loyal to tradition, Yokohama said, taking inspiration from several classic Chelsea shirts. With white and red trims at the collar, sleeves, shorts and socks the kit celebrates these club colors and ties back to Chelsea's history.

The vertical pinstripes underline this celebration, having been a feature of several iconic jerseys from the past 30 years.

The shirts also feature the logo of sports apparel maker Adidas A.G., which produces the jerseys for CFC featuring the latest apparel performance technologies.

Chelsea's regular season opens Aug. 8 vs. Swansea.

Established in 1905, CFC has won the FA Cup seven times, the European Cup Winners' Cup twice, and is the only U.K. club to win all three of the UEFA's three major club competitions, lifting the UEFA Champions League in 2012 and the UEFA Europa League a year later.

The team is led by manager Jose Mourinho, one of the football world's top coaches.