Partner in Focus – Team England

Kukri Sports are the official kit provider for Team England (alongside Team Canada, Isle of Man and Guernsey) who will all be competing in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games this summer.

The Commonwealth Games is an international multi sporting event. It takes place every four years and first began in 1930 as the British Empire Games. Birmingham 2022 will be the 22^nd edition of the Games and will see the largest ever sporting programme and the first multi-sport Games to award more medals to women than men. As a uniquely inclusive event, Birmingham 2022 will also have the most para sports in Commonwealth history with the addition of 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball.

Team England are the host association for this year’s Games, delivered by the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee in partnership with the Commonwealth Games Federation, Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, and the UK Government.

Team England won 136 medals in the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games hosted in Australia. An impressive 45 of those were gold, 45 were silver, 46 bronze. They will compete in all 19 sports at Birmingham 2022, including Athletics, Boxing, Cycling and Gymnastics.

Over 400 Team England athletes will compete in Birmingham and will be looking to ‘Bring It Home’ this year.

Kukri will supply Team England with a full range of competitive wear, training and leisurewear and a retail range will also be released for all supporters. Kukri will provide competitive kit for all sports and para sports on the programme, excluding Aquatics. 271 individual items have been designed up across all the sport ranges.

Consultation has taken place throughout the project with a panel of athletes from competing sports to support the design and development process. The topics discussed included ensuring the fit is right for the team, that the kit is fit for purpose and has a striking and recognisable design. The design itself is inspired by buildings around Birmingham, the Jewellery Quarter and has a significant ‘English’ theme. Kukri have used lightweight fabrics and included extra features such as gripper print around the leg of athletics products to prevent them from riding up.

Kukri are committed to reducing their environmental impact and this range is no different. Around 50% of the sportswear for Team England has been created using more sustainable fabrics. This fabric is sourced from Repreve, who are the world’s leading recycled fiber supplier. The packaging of the range has also been considered, using recycled polybags, which have been reduced in size where possible to further reduce the impact of single use plastics. Kukri have reduced their labelling waste by removing the swing tickets and kimble tags on the items for the athletes.

“Our work with Team England stems from our initial engagement/partnership with them, from the last time the Commonwealth games was held within the UK, in Glasgow in 2014. Our longstanding relationship sees us move into Birmingham through to our third consecutive cycle (Glasgow, Gold Coast and now Birmingham). Our aim must always be to provide a captivating design, identity and showcase the team on the global stage. Alongside our design work we have continually looked to advance the products over each cycle, with 2022 set to be our biggest development, with huge steps in fit, feel, performance and sustainability.

We can’t wait to see Team England perform and showcase the kit in Birmingham. Bring It Home!” Josh Beal, Sales Director at Kukri Sports.  

“We are thrilled to be working with Kukri on this year’s Commonwealth Games. It’s been wonderful to work with a long-standing partner who has supported us for the last two Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and on the Gold Coast and who understand what we are aiming to achieve. It’s fantastic that we get to continue this close relationship going into a very special home Games in Birmingham this summer. It has been a brilliant creative process producing the kit alongside the designers with crucial input from our athletes to ensure that performance and functionality remain a top priority. We’re excited for what lies ahead and I look forward to continuing to collaborate as we countdown to the Games.” Katherine Benjamin, Head of Stakeholder Programme at Team England.

To find out more about the benefits of partnering with Kukri Sports, get in touch: https://www.kukrisports.co.uk/contact/