GameWear Team Sports has
signed with the fledgling United Football League as its official uniform supplier, giving it logo placement on jerseys to be seen during games broadcast on Versus.
The UFL is the
highest-profile sponsorship for the Florida-based GameWear, which specializes in marketing custom-made uniforms directly to teams and leagues. GameWear did not design the UFL jerseys, which are
scheduled to be unveiled at events next week.
The sports arrangement will give GameWear a first-time presence in retail stores with the rights to sell UFL licensed products and apparel. Its
logo will also appear on practice gear worn by the teams.
The new league is promising teams in Orlando, San Francisco, New York and Las Vegas. The games on Versus will be carried primarily on
Thursday nights, with a title game on Thanksgiving weekend.
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Frank Vuono, COO of the UFL, said: "The company's connection to fostering the growth of youth football is what initially attracted us
to them."
The UFL says it came about "to fulfill the unmet needs of football fans in major markets currently underserved ... by providing a high-quality traditional football league comprised of
world-class professional-football players."
Although the San Francisco and New York areas each have multiple NFL teams, the UFL says it will offer a differentiated product, partly because of
the venues where the teams will play. The Bay Area team is slated play in downtown San Francisco, while the New York entrant is also likely to play at a site not occupied by the local NFL teams. The
league has signed former Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman as a marquee player, and there has been speculation former Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick could be a participant.
Other GameWear
marketing initiatives include serving as the uniform supplier to various youth sports organizations and a women's tackle football league.
When the Versus arrangement was announced, the
network's chief programmer Marc Fein said the UFL has a "sound (business) plan."