LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skechers, in partnership with Pickleball England, today announced it has been named the Official Footwear Sponsor of the 2023 English OPEN and English Nationals pickleball tournaments.
“With the launch of Skechers Viper Court in 2022, Skechers has fast become the leading pickleball footwear brand in the United States, and we’re looking to repeat that success in the UK,” said Richard Parker, managing director for Skechers in the UK and Ireland. “Now as the sport is rapidly growing in the country, it’s time for players here to experience the advantage of Skechers pickleball footwear designed specifically for comfort and performance on the court. The partnership with Pickleball England illustrates our commitment to the sport and is just one of several steps we are planning to continue supporting the fans who love this game.”
Last year, Skechers signed its first two elite pickleball athletes in the United States and Canada, Tyson McGuffin and Catherine Parenteau, who compete wearing Skechers pickleball footwear and Skechers-branded apparel. Shortly afterward, the brand introduced Skechers Viper Court footwear at the US Open Pickleball Championships in Florida. Skechers has since dominated the sport by sponsoring every major tour and organization in North America including USA Pickleball, Major League Pickleball, the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) Tour, the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour, and the Pickleball Canada National Championship. Skechers has now added Pickleball England’s English OPEN and English Nationals to its global sponsorship roster.
Karen Mitchell, Chair and Co-founding Director of Pickleball England, said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Skechers for the English OPEN and English Nationals. Skechers currently sponsors major elite professional pickleball tours in the United States and in Canada, so it’s fantastic to have their support for our biggest events over here. We can’t wait to work together to reach new audiences and help more people fall in love with this incredible sport and Skechers footwear.”
Pickleball England’s English OPEN will take place from August 3rd-6th at the Telford International Centre in Shropshire, whilst the English Nationals will be held October 26th-29th at the Bolton Arena in Greater Manchester. Record turnouts are expected for both events this year, with the English OPEN already surpassing last year’s entry numbers by 90%.
Skechers pickleball footwear brings Skechers’ signature comfort innovations to the court. The Skechers Viper Court provides responsive performance in a breathable, lightweight design. The enhanced grip and stability of the Goodyear® rubber outsole paired with a shock-absorbing Arch Fit® insole deliver comfort and support, match after match. The Skechers Viper Court Pro™ is a lighter and faster high-performance pickleball shoe designed and suitable for everyday players looking for stability and a secure platform in their game.
Styles in the Skechers pickleball footwear collection are available at Skechers retail stores and skechers.co.uk, as well as key retail partners and specialty shops.
About SKECHERS USA Ltd. and SKECHERS U.S.A., Inc.
Skechers USA Ltd. is a subsidiary of Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (NYSE:SKX), a Fortune 500® company based in Southern California. Skechers designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. Collections from The Comfort Technology Company™ are available in over 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through digital stores and over 4,500 Company- and third-party-owned physical retail stores. The Company manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
About Pickleball England
Pickleball England is a not-for-profit organisation founded to support the growth of Pickleball in England. It was launched on 2nd January 2019 and already has over 4,400 registered members. Pickleball England has met the criteria to be recognised by Sport England and has submitted its application. In 2010, three Pickleball clubs were set up in the UK and were set up by people who had seen or experienced the game in the USA and wanted to introduce it to the UK. It is now estimated that there are circa 10,000 players and over 350 venues in the UK. Head to www.pickleballengland.org and use the ‘Club Locator’ feature to find your nearest location and begin your journey.
About Goodyear
Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include the disruption of business and operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; delays or disruptions in our supply chain; international economic, political and market conditions including the effects of inflation and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations around the world, the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States and the impact of Russia’s war of Ukraine; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers; decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in Skechers’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q in 2023. Taking these and other risk factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration, the dynamic nature of these circumstances means that what is stated in this press release could change at any time, and as a result, actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. The risks included here are not exhaustive. Skechers operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and we cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.
