Editor’s note: Congrats to the Adidas brand on its new partnership with Team Jamaica Lacrosse!
PORTLAND, Ore. (July 11, 2018) – Better known for its topography of rolling mountains, lush rainforests, reef-lined beaches, some of the fastest sprinters in the world and a famous bobsled team, most people would be surprised that the tiny island nation of Jamaica is set to take center stage at the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Lacrosse Championship.
From July 12-24, 46 countries and 2,000 athletes and fans from all over the world will converge in Netanya, Israel for lacrosse’s flagship international championship competition.
Today, adidas proudly announced a new partnership in which the Portland, Oregon, based company will be the official athletic footwear, apparel and equipment brand for Team Jamaica Lacrosse.
The team is made up of current professional and former NCAA lacrosse players, including co-captain and Major League Lacrosse Chesapeake Bayhawks defender Goran Murray, co-captain Attacker Evan Redwood from Amherst College and Midfielder Hakeem Lecky from Syracuse University.
Our mission is to help athletes perform better and we couldn’t be happier to partner with Team Jamaica on their mission to compete for a World Championship. We believe that sport has the power to change lives and this partnership provides a tremendous opportunity to both empower athletes and help bring recognition to the sport of Lacrosse on a global stage.
– Dan Near, Sr. Director of adidas Lacrosse
Making their first-ever appearance in an international lacrosse competition, Team Jamaica will make their debut sporting a custom adidas Lacrosse kit that includes special edition adidas Lacrosse jerseys and shorts, FREAK gloves & elbow pads, FREAK shafts and heads, and the adidas adizero 5-Star 7.0 and FREAK cleats.
With inspiration from traditional and iconic Jamaican references, the Team Jamaica kit is centered around the green, yellow and black colors of the Jamaican flag and pays homage to the unique history and personality of the nation. The design of the jersey features a repeating flag in the short side panel and on the jersey sleeves. Additionally, the ‘Out of Many, One People’ motto from the Jamaican Coat of Arms is highlighted on the jersey and gloves in order to pay tribute to the unity of the Jamaican population’s multiracial roots. The adidas Lacrosse custom Showcase uniforms feature a dual fabric blend of a stretch knitted poly front panel and shoulders with a full back and side stretch mesh, providing best in class range of motion and ventilation and breathability.
To show the ultimate support for the team, one lucky fan will have an opportunity to win an exclusive adidas x Team Jamaica kit. Within the custom case, which is emblazoned with the Jamaican Flag and “Out of Many, One People” team slogan, the kit features:
- (1) Jamaican uniform
- (1) adidas FREAK head
- (1 pair) custom adidas FREAK Jamaican team colored gloves
- (1) custom adidas FREAK Jamaican team colored shaft
- Jamaican jerk spices and a few recipes for Jamaican cuisine
Follow @adidasLacrosse on Instagram for ways to win the kit in the coming days.
adidas Lacrosse is committed to helping grow the game and building icons in the sport. In addition to partnering with Team Jamaica Lacrosse, adidas is donating 100 custom complete sticks to programs in Jamaica. The sticks will feature a custom strung FREAK head with the same custom shaft used by the Jamaican National Team in the World Championships. Over the past two years the 3-Stripes brand signed partnerships with Four-time All-Star and Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Championship MVP, Drew Snider and 2016 MLL first overall draft pick and 2017 All-Star Game MVP, Myles Jones. Additionally, adidas Lacrosse has more than doubled its number of NCAA lacrosse teams and added dozens of high school and club programs in the past year.
For more information, visit https://news.adidas.com/US and join the conversation on Instagram via @adidas, @adidasLacrosse, @JamaicaLacrosse, #teamadidas.
About adidas
adidas is a global designer and developer of athletic and lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories with the mission to be the leading sports brand in the world. As innovation and design leaders, adidas engineers the best in high-performance products to make athletes better, faster and stronger and creates a range of classic and fresh lifestyle and high-fashion lines. adidas has marketing agreements with the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS) and Major League Lacrosse (MLL).
About Jamaica Lacrosse Association
In recent years Jamaican athletes and the nation as a whole have benefited from the growing realization that the country is blessed with incredible athletic potential. The Jamaican government has been placing an ever-increasing focus on sport as a form of national, human and economic development. The Jamaica Lacrosse Association believes that lacrosse is a sport that captures the spirit of the Jamaican people. The game is fast, high tempo, fun, constantly flowing and celebrates creativity. Lacrosse is dubbed “the fastest game on two feet.” Jamaica is home to the fastest people on earth. Lacrosse and the Jamaican people are a perfect match. The JLA’s short-term goal of introducing lacrosse as a sport to be played in the high schools, has been accomplished and is looking towards enabling sustainability and the benefit of a pre-existing competition and match infrastructure. The JLA President, Calbert Hutchinson, has been working closely with G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport to see how best lacrosse can be added to their curriculum due to the growing demand for the sport to be played in schools in Jamaica. The long-term goal is to strengthen the National Lacrosse Programs as they continue to evolve within the Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships, and when lacrosse is added to the Summer Olympics to compete for Gold Medals. Jamaica is a member of The Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The FIL was established in August 2008 in a merger of both the men’s and women’s international lacrosse associations and is the international governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse.
