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West Coast have terminated their contract with apparel and sportswear provider Castore, ending a disastrous two-year association with the British manufacturer.
But the Eagles are already working with a replacement supplier in global athletic brand New Balance.
The Eagles signed a three-year deal with the Castore, who are backed by tennis star Andy Murray, in 2020.
But after a series of embarrassing blunders, the Eagles have finally cut ties a year early.
“The club is still working through some of the logistics attached to terminating the relationship which has seen Castore as the official apparel partner for the last two years,” the club told The West Australian.
“The club has been working with renowned sports and leisure wear company New Balance regarding a new partnership and an official launch is anticipated in coming months.
“The club is excited to introduce our loyal members and fans to new innovation and opportunities in 2023 and beyond.”
New Balance are the current supplier for 2021 premiers Melbourne, the pair on track to record the longest-standing apparel partnership in the AFL after the Demons opted to extend their 12-year affiliation by a further three seasons.
West Coast have marked down their 2022 Castore range by up to 70 per cent, making way for the incoming range.
Men’s home guernseys have been slashed from $110 to $44 while the club’s 2022 Indigenous round guernsey is available for $40. The Eagles were one of three clubs to recycle their 2021 Indigenous design. West Coast CEO Trevor Nisbett earlier this year described elements of the union as “unsuccessful”.
In the first year of the partnership, West Coast were forced to turn to local manufacturer Burley Sekem to create an emergency set of playing guernseys when Castore couldn’t deliver a suitable set in time for the 2021 season. Last August, Harry Edwards was forced to wear a different jumper than his teammates after a manufacturing error. The defender’s guernsey featured an eagle head filled with blue while the rest of the team sported one with a blue outline and yellow middle.
West Coast were also the laughing stock of the AFL in November when first-round draft pick Campbell Chesser was forced to wear a Castore jumper several sizes too big at a photo shoot for Victorian draftees.
Most recently, pre-season supplementary recruit Patrick Naish had to wear inactive defender Tom Cole’s jumper for the opening rounds of the season as he waited for his own number 43 guernsey to arrive.
