Prince Sports last week announced plans to acquire the platform tennis brand, Viking Athletics. The deal is the first for Prince Sports since Nautic Partners, based in Providence, RI, acquired a majority interest in the tennis brand last July. Details of the deal, including the final purchase price, are being finalized.
The Viking brand will be managed by Scott Winters, VP of small court sports at Prince who is responsible for both the Prince Squash and Ektelon brands. Viking Founder David Kjeldsen will join the Prince team and will work closely with Winters. Charlie Osborn, VP of national sales for Prince, who has a history of experience in platform tennis, will manage the sales initiatives for the new brand engaging Princes internal customer service team and extended sales force to handle Viking products and services.
Under terms of the pact, Viking Athletics will retain its name and will continue to conduct business as usual. Viking Athletics was founded in 1984 in Lindenhurst, NY by Kjeldsen, an avid platform player who will be inducted into the ATPA Hall of Fame during the national event in March.
