Nike FA Cup Match Ball For Wembley Fixtures
This weekend's semi-final dates at Wembley Stadium will be the first to use a Nike match-ball. As part of Nike's new partnership with the FA, the company will supply match balls for every FA Cup game, replacing former sponsors Umbro. Kicking off the new deal, this weekend will see Manchester City, Chelsea, Milwall and Wigan each play with the Nike Maxim.
Unlike Umbro, who tailored tournament edition match balls for the FA Cup, Nike aren't in any mood to shake up the design of their Maxim - at least not for this season. The FA Cup Maxim features the official tournament logo, and has been treated to a new paint job.
The Nike Maxim - labelled by Nike as "the world's best ball" - has been used across each of Europe's top divisions this season. Undoubtedly the ball is fit for purpose, with performance innovations that offer great responsiveness, touch and stable ball flight for accurate passing and striking.
The Nike Maxim features Nike RaDaR technology that is a lab and field-tested standard of visual performance. The technology allows players to see the ball better. The bold geometric graphic - designed in green and blue for this FA Cup update - generates strong visual power with crisp edges for players to pick up on during play.
Nike's new FA Cup match ball featured in both semi-final matches this past weekend. Manchester City and Wigan both progressed into the final, leaving opposition sides Chelsea and Milwall to suffer the disappointment of a semi-final defeat. The same Nike Maxim will be used in the final, before Nike redesign their headline match-ball for next season's tournament.
The introduction of Nike's FA Cup ball moves Umbro further into the abyss of English football. At least they're hanging onto that Manchester City jersey...for now.
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