Berlin’s Füchse Berlin handball team have secured a five-year sponsorship deal with sportswear giant Adidas, effective next season, the club and Adidas confirmed on Wednesday.
The agreement, valued at approximately €1.5 million, marks a “new milestone” for the German champion, according to Füchse Berlin Managing Director Bob Hanning. “Going into the future with Adidas opens up completely different possibilities for us. We will grow even faster and be able to implement many strategic things,” Hanning stated.
Adidas will provide the team with playing kits, training apparel, and equipment, extending the partnership to include all staff, volunteers, and youth teams, including the Spreefüxxe women’s team, currently competing in the second division. Hanning expressed particular satisfaction at extending the sponsorship to include the women’s team, calling it a “dream come true” to have all teams sporting the same Füchse look.
Marina Moguš, Managing Director of Adidas in Central Europe, echoed Hanning’s enthusiasm. “The Füchse Berlin and the Spreefüxxe stand for passion, team spirit and enthusiasm – exactly what drives us too. Together we want to obtain off to a really solid start and make handball and our brand even more visible in Berlin.”
Hanning indicated that Adidas initiated the contact, leading to “very good conversations.” He emphasized the club’s ambition to be “number one in handball” as a key factor in pursuing the partnership, describing it as launching “Füchse 2.0, or perhaps 3.0.”
While the deal is expected to bolster the club’s financial position, Hanning clarified that the recent high-profile player acquisitions of Dika Mem and Simon Pytlick were not directly financed by the Adidas sponsorship. Negotiations regarding Pytlick’s potential arrival from SG Flensburg/Handewitt are ongoing, with the club also exploring alternative options, according to Hanning.
The Füchse Berlin are currently one of four teams in the Daikin Handball-Bundesliga sponsored by Adidas, alongside Erlangen, Hamburg, and Hannover-Burgdorf, though those partnerships are locally focused.