England secure improved kit deal with Castore
England will turn out in Umbro kit for the final time in the Red Roses meeting with France on Saturday
- Published
England will switch to kits made by Castore this summer, ending their previous agreement with Umbro three years early.
The new kits will not be unveiled until May, after the Red Roses' Six Nations title decider against France this Saturday.
However initial imagery released to mark the announcement showed the men's and women's shirts with different designs around the neck.
The long-term deal is thought to be worth in excess of £5m a season and represent a healthy increase on the rate paid by Umbro.
The change comes after Castore signed a separate agreement with Umbro last year, giving them the option to take on Umbro's roster of supplied teams.
This year's Women's Rugby World Cup, for which England are hosts and hot favourites, will be the first significant showcase for the new deal.
"We look forward to working with Castore over the coming years and welcome them to the England Rugby family as a much-valued partner," said Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney.
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Castore, founded in Liverpool in 2016, has had a series of high-profile mishaps during its sponsorship of elite teams.
It issued an apology in December after kit delivered to some Leinster fans arrived without the Irish province's crest, , externalwhile Aston Villa players were unhappy with the amount of sweat absorbed by their shirts during their contract with Castore.
England's cricket team wore mismatching Castore kits at the 2023 World Cup after a printing error., external
In August, the RFU announced a deal with German insurance giant Allianz that will reportedly bring in more than £100m in exchange for rebranding Twickenham over the next decade and have since added electronics firm LG to the corporate supporters of the Red Roses.
The latest annual report, which did not reflect those most recent deals, outlined that the 2023-24 accounts showed sponsorship bringing in £25.7m for the RFU.