Kitking teams up with Leicester Riders for Retro Night!
On Sunday 13th March, East Midlands based basketball team Leicester Riders played Manchester Giants in a British Basketball League (BBL) Championship game at Manchester Belle Vue. The special Retro themed night saw both teams playing in replicas of retro kits from years gone by.
Kitking was given the opportunity to step in and supply the retro kit when Riders owner Russell Levenston got in touch with CEO Dips Patel less than a week before the game because the team had issues with the supply of their specially designed kit for the event. In danger of not having any retro kit ready for Sunday’s Retro Night, Kitking was approached as a local teamwear supplier to help get the kit produced with only 6 days to go till the event! As a Loughborough based company, teaming up with such a renowned local and national basketball team was a great opportunity.
As winners of the 2020-21 BBL season and the 2021-22 BBL Cup, Leicester Riders are considered to be the best basketball team in the UK. Originally known as the Loughborough All-Stars, the team was founded by students and lecturers at Loughborough University in 1967. The University, located at the heart of UK sport, was the venue for home games from 1967-81 and from 2000-04. In 1987, Leicester All-Stars, as the team was known at the time, became the founding members of the British Basketball League (BBL). The Riders are the oldest club in the British Basketball League and has one of the UK’s biggest basketball apprentice schemes based at Charnwood College in Loughborough, as well as a longstanding partnership with the University. The partnership with Kitking was a perfect match!
To deliver a bespoke product in less than 72 hours is always going to be a challenge but with all our skilled teams in place we were prepared for this. With access to Nike Basketball products, Kitking was able to take the Riders retro kit designs and bespoke them using our brand new Kit-ID process on plain white basketball shirts. Our Print Studio then finished the product by embellishing it with vinyl names, numbers, and sponsors. The finished blue and orange kit looked incredible, the design being a throwback to the early 2000s!
Leicester Riders hosted Manchester Giants in a Retro Night return fixture at the Morningside Arena Leicester on Friday 8th April 2021. Click here to watch a recap of the game!
For more information on how we can help your club design bespoke kits contact our sales team on 0116 232 7332.
Photo Credit: Leicester Riders