New Balance x Red Bull Bragantino: Everything we know so far

On April 8, 2022, New Balance and Red Bull Bragantino announced their partnership. The partnership between Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and the global sports brand has signed up for a sponsorship deal for the 2022 season.

With the sponsorship deal, Massa Bruta, aka Red Bull Bragantino, has become the first ever Brazilian football team to work in collaboration with the American sports brand. The team will be working alongside Braganca Paulista’s Sao Paulo-based team to deliver footwear, lifestyle apparel, and training and technical kits.

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More about New Balance x Red Bull Bragantino

Red Bull Bragantino is a Brazilian football club and has signed with New Balance as its kit supplier, replacing Nike in the position. RB Bragantino is owned by global energy drink brand Red Bull.

It was formed as a new club in April 2019, with the ammalgamation of Red Bull Brazil and Clube Atletico. Ever since then, Nike has been a kit supplier for the team, but Brazilian press reports that the team's hierarchy was unhappy with Nike's service during its time as the supplier.

New Balance will now be the one to deliver world class designs for the team's technical kits, training kits, travel apparel, and even lifestyle apparel.

The brand will represent the next leg of the team's journey as a fearless and independent brand and will align with the motivation both groups want to follow. This will mark a historic moment as RB Bragnino is the first-ever Brazilian football club to carry the New Balance logo on the kit, fueling the sub-label New Balance Football's business across the continent.

Andrew McGarty, New Balance Head of Global Sports Marketing for Football, expressed his excitement about the partnership between the two labels in a press release made by the company. He said,

“New Balance is excited to partner with Red Bull Bragantino, our first club in Brazil. Red Bull Bragantino has challenged the status quo in Brazilian football, and we’re eager to support the club and their fans on that journey with a truly disruptive partnership approach. We’re looking forward to creating a range of innovative and high-performance products, marketing campaigns and community initiatives that will capture the true spirit of the club and its passionate supporters.”

The excitement was the same for both the labels, as the Sports Executive of the team Red Bull Bragantino, Thiago Scuro, expressed his delight over the partnership. He expressed,

"We are delighted to have signed a new Official Supplier Agreement with New Balance. It is a great feeling to have the support of an international brand trusting in our project. I look forward to working with our fans and supporters to strengthen our club, wearing the New Balance brand, which continues to evolve with uniqueness in the areas of fashion and lifestyle as well as sports."

Red Bull Bragantino was originally established in 1928 and has a 94-year-long compelling history in winning the Sao Paulo State Championship. They were also the runner-up in the Brazilian League during the 90s.

After the team was acquired by Red Bull in 2019, the club acquired a position in the finals of the Copa Sudamericana in 2021. The team also qualified for the Copa Libertadores edition for the first-time ever in 2022.

As part of the deal, the New Balance retail store will sell the products to RB Bragantino exclusively in Brazil. Massa Bruta will debut the New Balance sponsored uniforms in late April to start the partnership deal.