Uhlsport

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uhlsport GmbH
Company typePrivate-owned, GmbH (=LLC)
IndustryTeam sports
Founded1948
Key people
Günter Daiss, Karsten Dormann, Thomas Keppler, Peter Kuhl
ProductsTeam sports goods
Revenue42.4 million euros (2010)
Websitewww.uhlsportcompany.com

The uhlsport GmbH is a German sports goods manufacturer supplying a full range of equipment for team sports. Originally established in 1948 as Haase & Uhl OHG and later renamed Karl Uhl GmbH, the company became uhlsport GmbH in 1994. It is an international company which has its permanent headquarters in Balingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Uhlsport logo

Company and Brands

Headquarters of the uhlsport GmbH in Balingen

The company was founded in 1948. Early production focussed on the manufacture of leather studs for football boots, and in 1953 uhlsport also began to produce football boot soles for sports shoe manufacturers. In the years which followed more products were added, including shinguards, sports bandages, footballs and goalkeeper gloves, until finally uhlsport GmbH had developed a full range of football equipment. Since 2002 the company has been operating a multi-brand strategy for football, handball and basketball.

The brand uhlsport specialises in football, especially goalkeeper equipment and is the only company to manufacture football boots specifically for goalkeepers, developed to provide better support when jumping.[1] Since 2002 handball equipment has been marketed through the company's own Kempa brand, and uhlsport GmbH also owns the European distribution rights to the American basketball brand Spalding, a division of Russell Brands, LLC.


The German company operates an indirect distribution strategy with subsidiaries in France, Spain and Sweden and with country managers in UK, BeNeLux and Switzerland. uhlsport has a further 80 distribution partners across the world. In 1998 the company was sold by the Uhl family to the Daiss family.

Sponsoring

uhlsport Teamwear

Teams sponsored by the uhlsport football brand include 1. FC Union Berlin, TSV 1860 München and 1. FC Kaiserslautern[2]. The uhlsport Company is the official supplier to the French league cup Coupe de la Ligue.[3] uhlsport also sponsors players including Pepe Reina, Hugo Lloris, Lukasz Fabianski, Michel Vorm and Ron-Robert Zieler.

The Kempa brand became particularly prominent as sponsors of the Germany handball team at the 2007 World Men's Handball Championships. Teams like Atlético Madrid BM and Füchse Berlin are sponsored. The handball players Pascal Hens, Bertrand Gille, Guillaume Gille and Björgvin Gustavsson are some of the Kempa partners.

Football Club Teams

Europe

Equipment

Players sponsored by Uhlsport

External links

Literature

  • Ralf Schmeckenbecher: Die Fussballmarke Uhlsport: Markenpositionierung in Deutschland (The uhlsport football brand. Brand positioning in Germany). 1998

References

  1. ^ Maarten Arts: The Soccer Goalkeeper Coach. Reedswain Inc., 2004, p. 213
  2. ^ 1. FC Kaiserslautern: UHLSPORT ab Juli 2011 neuer FCK-Ausrüster. 2011
  3. ^ Frederik Kahlbau: Analyse der Auslandsvermarktung in den fünf großen Fußballligen und Top-Vereinen in Europa: Verbesserungspotenziale für den deutschen Fußball. 2010
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