Richmond Athletics partners with Adidas, PlayFly Sports

The University of Richmond has made some exciting announcements this past month regarding their Division I Athletics programs. 

On Feb. 16, the Spiders Athletic Department revealed that the Spiders will be entering partnership agreements with both Adidas and Playfly Sports beginning July 1, which would make Adidas the official sponsor of all UR Athletics sportswear, according to an e-mail sent to the UR student body.

Playfly Sports, on the other hand, will work closely with the University of Richmond to assist in marketing campaigns and will gain control of all multimedia rights, states the e-mail. UR Athletics's current sponsor is Nike. 

The partnership with Adidas will run until June 2026, for a period of the next five years, whereas Playfly Sports will be a Richmond Athletics staple for the next decade. 

This move will retire the current uniforms and gear for the University of Richmond that were associated with their former Nike partnership, as the Spiders programs will don a new look for the upcoming fall 2021 season. 

Taylor Coleman, junior defender for the Women’s Soccer team, wrote: “It’s certainly going to take some getting used to seeing the spider paired with the Adidas three stripes as opposed to the iconic Nike Swoosh…I have no doubt that teams will still be looking sharp in competition and around campus.” 

In addition to the multimedia ownership that Playfly will be receiving, UR also announced in its Feb. 11 press release that it will be responsible for making, “strategic capital investments to improve the overall experience for both the corporate community, as well as the fans.”

Contact sports writer Danny Sollecito at danny.sollecito@richmond.edu.