Ontario Soccer and O’Neills Sportswear have announced today they have agreed to a long-term partnership, which sees O’Neills become the Organization’s “Official Soccer Apparel, Uniform and Equipment Partner.”
In addition, O’Neills will also become the Co-Presenting partner of the Ontario Soccer Summit, the foremost professional and personal development conference for soccer thought-leaders in Canada. This significant partnership will be officially unveiled at the upcoming 2024 edition of the event (February 23-25, 2024 at York University/Toronto).
O’Neills, a leading supplier globally to grassroots sport organizations and professional Clubs alike with over one hundred years’ of expertise, emerged successfully from a rigorous, highly competitive domestic and international selection process conducted by Ontario Soccer, the largest Provincial Sport Organization in Canada and hub for Coach, Match Official, Club and Player Development.
“As innovators and leaders in our sport, we were thoroughly impressed by O’Neills’ comprehensive value proposition,” remarked Johnny Misley, Ontario Soccer CEO. “Amidst a group of very strong and valuable bids received domestically and abroad for this partnership opportunity, O’Neills unique combination of bespoke designs, quality products and vision for grassroots engagement for our sport, made them the stand-out new partner.”
“Partnering with Ontario Soccer as the Engine Room of Soccer in Canada, is the ideal Launchpad for our Canadian Strategy and we are thrilled to be embarking on this journey together,” stated Philip Murphy, Manager of Business Development, O’Neills. “We are confident that our ability to manufacture and personalise a full range of uniforms, sports kits and accessories in our production facilities in Ireland will meet Ontario Soccer’s and its members’ requirements for quality product and high caliber service.”
“Our customer relationships are built on trust, empathy, flexibility and doing the right things right no matter what,” Murphy added. “O’Neills Sportswear is elated to join forces with Ontario Soccer as two brands that are both rich in history, while being committed to moving soccer forward for the benefit of all participants from the grassroots to the highest levels of the Talented Pathway.”
O’Neills, established in Ireland in 1918 and an apparel market leader in Ireland, the UK and Australia, is a vertically integrated manufacturer, which has control of the production process from spinning the yarn into fabric to dyeing, printing, cutting, sewing and sending the final product out the door. This manufacturing approach ensures both exceptional lead times and top-quality products.
Driven by its industry leading design processes and production timelines, O’Neills is already proactively preparing to ensure that all Ontario Soccer programs from the Provincial Xcel Program, Coaching and Match Official Development and other marquee programs will be outfitted in the new, high-quality garments for the upcoming 2024 season.
“Having meticulously assessed bids from a tremendous pool of leading apparel brands through our selection process, we could not have been more impressed by O’Neills’ ability to provide fully vertically integrated production of “made-to-order”, personalized apparel and uniform solutions that will beautifully showcase our programs with style,” said Bjorn Osieck, Senior Director, Business for Ontario Soccer. “In addition, their focus on exceptional customer service and an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction will be the foundation of a successful partnership for years to come.”
More exciting information on how O’Neills and Ontario Soccer will elevate the beautiful game on and off the pitch in the coming months will follow soon, with the Ontario Soccer Summit later this week serving as the official “launch party”. Be sure to follow us on social media, our e-newsletter Inside the 18 and on our respective websites for special announcements, launches, member offers and more.