The FIFA Football World Cup is in full swing, with the 64 matches now past the halfway mark in what has so far been of the most dramatic and unpredictable of tournaments in years. Some of the top favourites are struggling to make an impression, leaving the competition very much open to the underdogs. When you think of top-flight football, tyres are probably one of the last things you would connect – but believe it or not, tyres and football have a lot more in common than you might have thought. Read on for five tyre related facts to celebrate the World Cup.
1. It all began in Kettering
As at 2010/11, sponsorship deals for Premier League shirts were estimated to be worth £100 million. This huge revenue source is generally believed to be the result of top-flight Liverpool’s deal with Hitachi back in 1979. However, contrary to popular belief, this was not, in fact, the first time a sponsorship deal had been made for a football shirt. The actual first-ever deal was a ‘four-figure’ agreement that took place in January 1976 between Southern League Kettering Town and local tyre supplier Kettering Tyres. The FA subsequently banned the shirts from the game, threatening the club with a £1000 fine if they refused to comply. Who would have thought that tyres had such a significant place in football history?
2. A trick up the sleeve
Fast forward to the 2017/2018 football season, and history is again made in the English football world, this time with Premier League stars Manchester City. In the first-ever deal of its kind, the club agreed on a sponsorship believed to be worth over 11 million Euros for one company to become their official sleeve sponsor. So who was this groundbreaking sponsor? None other than Korean tyre giant Nexen Tyre. And which player was chosen to announce the deal? None other than Gabriel Jesus, one of the stars of Brazil’s 2018 World Cup squad.
3. Legends in the making?
With England the only team from this side of La Manche to have secured a place in the World Cup Finals, all eyes are on them as we wait to see if the cup makes its way back to what is widely considered to be its spiritual home. But did you know that there are eleven Chelsea players participating in the world cup, representing a diverse range of countries including Brazil, Germany, France, Belgium, Nigeria, England and more. But what does all this have to do with tyres? Since 2015 Chelsea have played their Premier League matches wearing shirts sponsored by Yokahoma tyres, a brand which was formed in 1917 as a joint venture between Yokohama Cable Manufacturing and B.F. Goodrich.
4. Ronaldo’s Rides
Although best known for his incredible ability to get the ball into the back of the net in superb style, off the pitch Golden Boot contender Ronaldo is also well known for something else – his luxury car collection. In 2017, his garage was reported to contain no less than 19 supercars, the favourite of which was supposedly a Bugatti Chiron. Although a new set of tyres was originally reported to cost over $30,000, this is not the case – but was true for its predecessor, the Veyron, which required the incredibly expensive, specially designed Michelin Pilot Sport 2s. It is rumoured that at full throttle on the race track, it is possible to run this beast’s tyres to bold in just eight minutes. Luckily for Ronaldo, the Chiron uses a standard rim geometry. Good to know that he will be able to keep a bit more cash in his pocket!
5. Pitching in to protect the planet
Did you know that FIFA has approved the use of rubber from recycled car tyres for use as the main material in artificial football pitches? The eco-friendly approach, which uses recycled rubber granules sourced from used tyres, is already in use in Melbourne, Belem, Tokyo and Amsterdam and could well be the future of football, something that would put millions of tyres to good use every year and contribute to the sports efforts to promote sustainability.
For the very best range of tyres at the lowest possible prices, be sure to visit Tyreland in Dublin. As well as the very best in value across a range of top manufacturers, we are also famous for treating all of our customers like champions with our world-class customer service. To find your nearest branch or make a stock enquiry, call the team today on 01 860 20 20.