Sperry Top-Sider announced a major sponsorship agreement with 30 of the top athletes from the world of Olympic sailing to form Team Sperry. The group of World Champion sailors come from Croatia, France, Great Britain and the United States.
Already a committed supporter of sailing in the United States with its official footwear sponsorship of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup and numerous grassroots events, Sperry said the announcement today continues the brand’s major sports marketing initiative that now is going global. The brand said it will soon announce further plans to support additional international athletes and teams and world-class sailing events aligned with the global expansion efforts of the Sperry Top-Sider performance and lifestyle brand.
Team Sperry represents world-class racers including the current top three ISAF ranked teams in Women’s Match Racing and three of the top four Finn Sailors, two 2008 Olympic medalists and a host of Gold, Silver and Bronze World Champion medalists. The Team Sperry athletes will be introduced at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta June 6-11, 2011, at Weymouth and Portland in the UK. The Regatta, scheduled on the same waters on which Team Sperry hopes to compete in July/August 2012 during the Olympic Games, should provide an early snapshot of what the world can expect in 2012. Members of Sperry Top-Sider’s brand team will be present to welcome their newly sponsored athletes at the Regatta later this month.
“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with these world-class athletes and are looking forward to helping the members of Team Sperry achieve their dreams of reaching the podium in Weymouth in 2012,” said Craig Reingold, President, Sperry Top-Sider, LLC. “As the inventor of the world’s first performance boat shoe, our heritage has always focused on technology and innovation and our commitment today maintains that focus as we continue to push ourselves to create the world’s greatest sailing footwear products. The expertise of the Team Sperry sailors and their collaboration with our product development organization will assist us and, over time, benefit all sailors looking for the most technically advanced footwear to elevate and enhance their performance.”
