Slazenger
Encyclopedia
Slazenger is a British
sports equipment
brand
name sold throughout the world, involving a variety of sporting categories namely cricket, tennis and hockey. Established in 1881, it can trace its roots back to 1810 and is today one of the oldest surviving sporting brand names.
Founded by brothers Ralph and Albert Slazenger in 1881, the elder of the two brothers to found the Slazenger business, Ralph, once described it as ‘rather a small, friendly Company, despite its international operation.’ He also reflected that his father, Albert, ‘had an excellent eye for selecting splendid agents to represent us around the globe, which tended to give the impression that we were a very large organisation, but we were not.’
But over the years following Ralph’s humble assessment of the company he founded Slazenger has grown in size and stature to one of the leading sports companies in the World today.
Despite its long history, Slazenger today shows no signs of slowing down. The brand has gone truly global and the company are continuing its commitment to investment from grass roots to professional level across a wide range of sports and leisure activities.
held its first ever championships, Slazengers produced 'The New Game of Lawn Tennis' complete in a box.
Slazengers were one of the dominant (wooden) racquet
manufacturers in the world of their time. Over the years they produced such a wide variety of sports equipment from tennis
racquets to clothing from golf
equipment to rifle
s. But it was their bold move into tennis ball
manufacturing late in the 1800s that arguably saw their greatest business achievement. Their plant in Barnsley
manufactured tennis balls and exported them round the world.
In 1877 the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club revised the rules of the game and decided on a pneumatic and cloth covered ball (the first rules of 1875 had only stipulated "that the balls be hollow and made of India rubber...balls covered in white cloth shall be used in fine weather").
In 1902 Slazengers were appointed as the official tennis ball supplier to The Championships, Wimbledon
and, with the current deal set to run until 2015, it remains one of the longest unbroken sporting sponsorships in history. In 1877 there were 22 entries and 180 tennis balls were used, at the 1939 Championships there were 531 entries and 8,352 Slazenger Lawn Tennis Balls were used, by 2005 there were 668 entries and a staggering 52,000 Slazenger Lawn Tennis Balls were used.
During Queen Victoria
's reign three manufacturing firms were founded in the 1870s and 1880s by Albert Slazenger and Ralph Slazenger
, William Sykes
and Harry Gradidge each originally manufacturing for the increasingly popular pastimes of the day — lawn tennis
, football (soccer) and cricket
.
Some 50 years or so earlier, the forerunner to them all had been established, The House of Ayres. This company had begun life in 1810 by Edward Ayres, five years before the Battle of Waterloo
. First established in Clerkenwell
, England
initially as a cabinet maker and wood turner for the production of indoor games only he soon developed a wider range of outdoor sporting goods as well.
was the catalyst that brought the four companies together: known after 1940 as the Slazengers Sykes Gradidge and Ayres Group of Companies.
Probably a little known fact was the Slazengers Sykes Gradidge and Ayres contribution to the World War II effort. With government contracts in hand the company set about manufacturing a wide variety of items for use during the war. Mainly utilising their expertise in wood manufacturing the company produced many various items.
On 15 September 1940 during a heavy air raid on London
, incendiary
bombs fell on the Slazenger factory. The Gradidge factory in Woolwich
also suffered similar fate. The Sykes factory located at Horbury
was undamaged by the bombings, and although Slazenger and Gradidge were able to continue production at other centres it was perhaps a sign of the times that the four companies decided to pool their resources and form an association to work for the nation's war effort and then ultimately in peace time. Henceforth the company was known as Slazengers Sykes Gradidge and Ayres.
The following lists just a small snapshot of some of their larger contracts completed for H.M. Government in the years 1939–1945, as recorded by Slazengers, Gradidge, Sykes and Ayres in 1946:
and Africa
and even in remote places such as Iceland
, Newfoundland
, Madagascar
and even Bolivia
.
, Rohan Kanhai
, Mark Waugh
, Geoffrey Boycott
and Sachin Tendulkar
have used Slazenger's bats and products
In 2011, Slazenger have made their move into the Indian cricket market by sponsoring 5 IPL players (Bharat Chipli
, Deepak Chougule
, Paras Dogra
, Raajoo Bhatkal and ODI player Shikhar Dhawan
). Crucial to this, Slazenger have linked up with a licensee in India to cover India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in a 10 year deal.
In addition to its UK operations, Slazenger has offices in: Australia
, New Zealand
, South Africa
, and India
.
The current range of equipment is focussed around the famous V series with bat models the V100, V200, V360 and the V500 alongside a full range of pads, gloves, helmets, clothing and protection, details of which can be found at www.slazenger.com/cricket.
In 1902, Slazenger was appointed as the official tennis ball supplier to The All England Tennis Championships, Wimbledon. This arrangement has continued ever since and, recently, has been extended to 2015, making it the longest, unbroken sponsorship arrangements in sporting history
Since 1902, numerous tennis legends such as Fred Perry, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras have captured Wimbledon titles playing the Slazenger Wimbledon tennis ball. The Slazenger range in recent years has been supported by Tim Henman who was one of the most consistent performers on the ATP Tour and British number one and World Top 10 player for the past decade. Also, US Davis cup player Mardy Fish also placed his trust in Slazenger.
2011 marked the 125th anniversary of the Wimbledon Championships and to celebrate this milestone, Slazenger produced a limited edition tin for the Wimbledon ball.
It is testament to Slazenger’s continued dedication to product quality and performance that for over 100 years they have remained the preferred choice as the Official Ball to The Championships Wimbledon, reinforcing the longest sponsorship association in sporting history.
Slazenger in recent years to have sponsored the England hockey team, supplying the playing and training kit for all the International squads. Slazenger have also been the title sponsor of the England Hockey National leagues and the official shirt sponsor of all England’s national hockey teams.
Today Slazenger sponsors many of the top England & GB Internationals including Alistair Wilson, Iain Mackay, Daniel Fox and Benjamin Hawes from the men’s team and Lauren Turner and Jessica Wood from the women’s.
played a major part in the fluctuations of this famous brand. In the days when wooden tennis racquets held no peer, brands such as Slazenger and Dunlop were a dominant force in the world.
With the popularity of the metal tennis racket from the early 1980s and then the fast transition to even more popular composite materials such as fiberglass
, graphite
, Kevlar
and so on more and more brands became available to the consumer. These 'new' brands were more popular than the old, historic brands such as Slazenger. Add to this the rise in the quality of these products being produced and far cheaper in the East than anywhere else, Slazenger had to cope with a new market place and new competitors.
However with the companies long standing heritage, image for producing innovative quality products and importantly loyal customers, Slazenger eventually begun to develop the sourcing infrastructure with dedicated factories to not only match the competition but begin to undertake new R&D specific to its key sports; cricket, tennis and hockey.
and New Zealand
, the Slazenger brand is owned and licensed by Pacific Brands
, with full and exclusive rights to sell and distribute throughout those territories.
SWI has chosen to carefully diversify the Slazenger brand it has acquired both internally and externally through licensing. With Slazenger this has been achieved successfully, with the Slazenger name being seen on a wide range of products not previously associated with the brand, such as sunglasses, toiletries and push bikes. Internally the group design, develop and manufacture both hard goods for cricket, hockey and tennis and apparel and accessories.
Dunlop Slazenger work closely with Pacific Brands
to further develop innovative and technologically advanced product for use in both of their respective markets.
, Rohan Kanhai
, Mark Waugh
and Geoffrey Boycott
used Slazenger's bats and products. The players today who represent the brand, using iconic Slazenger equipment are noted below.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
sports equipment
Sports equipment
Sports equipment is a general term for any object used for sport or exercise. Examples of sports equipment include:-Exercise equipment:Examples for exercise include swiss balls, weights, equipment for the gym...
brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
name sold throughout the world, involving a variety of sporting categories namely cricket, tennis and hockey. Established in 1881, it can trace its roots back to 1810 and is today one of the oldest surviving sporting brand names.
Founded by brothers Ralph and Albert Slazenger in 1881, the elder of the two brothers to found the Slazenger business, Ralph, once described it as ‘rather a small, friendly Company, despite its international operation.’ He also reflected that his father, Albert, ‘had an excellent eye for selecting splendid agents to represent us around the globe, which tended to give the impression that we were a very large organisation, but we were not.’
But over the years following Ralph’s humble assessment of the company he founded Slazenger has grown in size and stature to one of the leading sports companies in the World today.
Despite its long history, Slazenger today shows no signs of slowing down. The brand has gone truly global and the company are continuing its commitment to investment from grass roots to professional level across a wide range of sports and leisure activities.
History
In 1881, four years after the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet ClubAll England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club , also known as the All-England Club, based at Aorangi Park, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass...
held its first ever championships, Slazengers produced 'The New Game of Lawn Tennis' complete in a box.
Slazengers were one of the dominant (wooden) racquet
Racquet
A racquet or racket is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of cord is stretched tightly. It is used for striking a ball in such games as squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton...
manufacturers in the world of their time. Over the years they produced such a wide variety of sports equipment from tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
racquets to clothing from golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
equipment to rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s. But it was their bold move into tennis ball
Tennis ball
A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis,approximately 6.7 cm in diameter. Tennis balls are generally bright green, but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous fluffy felt which modifies their aerodynamic properties...
manufacturing late in the 1800s that arguably saw their greatest business achievement. Their plant in Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
manufactured tennis balls and exported them round the world.
In 1877 the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club revised the rules of the game and decided on a pneumatic and cloth covered ball (the first rules of 1875 had only stipulated "that the balls be hollow and made of India rubber...balls covered in white cloth shall be used in fine weather").
In 1902 Slazengers were appointed as the official tennis ball supplier to The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
and, with the current deal set to run until 2015, it remains one of the longest unbroken sporting sponsorships in history. In 1877 there were 22 entries and 180 tennis balls were used, at the 1939 Championships there were 531 entries and 8,352 Slazenger Lawn Tennis Balls were used, by 2005 there were 668 entries and a staggering 52,000 Slazenger Lawn Tennis Balls were used.
During Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
's reign three manufacturing firms were founded in the 1870s and 1880s by Albert Slazenger and Ralph Slazenger
Ralph Slazenger
Ralph Slazenger was the founder of the Slazenger sports goods company. He started with his brothers Albert Slazenger and Isaac Slazenger in a significant general outfitting network based in Manchester before moving to London to start a rubber sports goods business noted for its tennis balls and...
, William Sykes
William Sykes (businessman)
William Sykes was just 23 when, against the advice of his father he married and then with his own and his new wife's savings purchased a saddler business in Horbury, England around 1870.He married Ethel Marshall, sister of Herbert Marshall and Alice Whitmarsh - née Marshall. Herbert worked at...
and Harry Gradidge each originally manufacturing for the increasingly popular pastimes of the day — lawn tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, football (soccer) and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
.
Some 50 years or so earlier, the forerunner to them all had been established, The House of Ayres. This company had begun life in 1810 by Edward Ayres, five years before the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. First established in Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
initially as a cabinet maker and wood turner for the production of indoor games only he soon developed a wider range of outdoor sporting goods as well.
The war years (1939–1945)
The bombing of England during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was the catalyst that brought the four companies together: known after 1940 as the Slazengers Sykes Gradidge and Ayres Group of Companies.
Probably a little known fact was the Slazengers Sykes Gradidge and Ayres contribution to the World War II effort. With government contracts in hand the company set about manufacturing a wide variety of items for use during the war. Mainly utilising their expertise in wood manufacturing the company produced many various items.
On 15 September 1940 during a heavy air raid on London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, incendiary
Incendiary ammunition
-World War I:One of the first uses of incendiary ammunition occurred in World War I. At the time, phosphorus—the primary ingredient in the incendiary charge—ignited upon firing, leaving a trail of blue smoke. They were also known as 'smoke tracer' for this reason. The effective range of...
bombs fell on the Slazenger factory. The Gradidge factory in Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
also suffered similar fate. The Sykes factory located at Horbury
Horbury
-Demography:In 2008 Horbury had a largely white population compared with Yorkshire and the Humber.-Population change:The population of Horbury in 2001 was 10,002-Transport:...
was undamaged by the bombings, and although Slazenger and Gradidge were able to continue production at other centres it was perhaps a sign of the times that the four companies decided to pool their resources and form an association to work for the nation's war effort and then ultimately in peace time. Henceforth the company was known as Slazengers Sykes Gradidge and Ayres.
The following lists just a small snapshot of some of their larger contracts completed for H.M. Government in the years 1939–1945, as recorded by Slazengers, Gradidge, Sykes and Ayres in 1946:
| Larger Completed War Contracts | |
|---|---|
| Rifle Rifle A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the... Furniture - No.4, Mark 1 | 858,500 sets. Each set comprising: 1 Butt, 1 Forestock, 1 each Handguard (front and rear) |
| 95,222 butts | |
| 150,000 forestocks | |
| 200,000 hand guard, front | |
| 200,000 hand guard, rear | |
| Lanchester SMG Lanchester SMG The Lanchester is a submachine gun manufactured by the Sterling Armaments Company between 1941 and 1945. It is a copy of the German MP28/II and was manufactured in two versions, Mk.1 and Mk.1*; the latter was a simplified version of the original Mk.1, with no fire selector and simplified sights... Machine Gun Carbine Butts | 80,000 |
| Stoppers, Leak - Wooden | 430,000 |
| Bayonet Bayonet A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear... , No. 5, Mark 1, Grips, left and right hand | 466,500 |
| Stoppers, Leak - Wooden | 430,000 |
| Detonator Detonator A detonator is a device used to trigger an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the latter two being the most common.... Caps | 17,500,000 |
| Standard Snow Snow Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by... and Sand Sand Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal... Goggles Goggles Goggles or safety glasses are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and in woodworking. They are often used in snow sports as well,... | 3,000,000 |
| Gloves, M.T (Motor Transport) | 280,335 pairs |
| Gloves, Workman U.S Forces | 122,450 pairs |
| Gloves, Boxing Boxing Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds... , 8oz, laced | 22,239 pairs |
| Gloves, Boxing, 8oz, elastic Elastomer An elastomer is a polymer with the property of viscoelasticity , generally having notably low Young's modulus and high yield strain compared with other materials. The term, which is derived from elastic polymer, is often used interchangeably with the term rubber, although the latter is preferred... | 19,394 pairs |
| Machetes, 15 inch Blade Sheaths | 250,400 |
At its peak
In its heyday the empire of Slazengers Gradidge Sykes and Ayres stretched across the world with either licensed distributors or agents and/or manufacturing operations in which the company had partnerships or licensing agreements with. Distributors were flung far and wide as far away as New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and even in remote places such as Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and even Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
.
Cricket
Slazenger have been making cricket bats since the early 1900's. Since the company was formed, many of the greatest players who have played the game at some stage in their career have used Slazenger products or been sponsored by Slazenger. A generation of cricketing superstars including Sir Don Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Viv Richards, Sir Len Hutton, Denis ComptonDenis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
, Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Bholalall Kanhai is a former West Indian Cricket player of Indo-Guyanese descent. He is widely considered as one of the best batsmen of the 1960s. Kanhai featured in several great West Indian teams, playing with, among others, Sir Garfield Sobers, Roy Fredericks, Lance Gibbs, and Alvin...
, Mark Waugh
Mark Waugh
Mark Edward Waugh AM is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as...
, Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
and Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
have used Slazenger's bats and products
In 2011, Slazenger have made their move into the Indian cricket market by sponsoring 5 IPL players (Bharat Chipli
Bharat Chipli
Bharat Chipli is an Indian cricketer who plays for Karnataka in first-class cricket. He is married to Shruthi Shetty, who is a HR Lead with an IT consulting giant.-Career:...
, Deepak Chougule
Deepak Chougule
Deepak Chougule is a cricketer who plays for the state of Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy cricket tournament of India. He has also represented India in the Under-19 international tournaments. He made his debut for his state at a junior level in the Under-13 tournament held at Chennai in 1997...
, Paras Dogra
Paras Dogra
Paras Dogra is an Indian Cricketer. Dogra made his debut in first-class cricket in 2001. He is a defensive right-handed batsman and a right-arm legbreak bowler . He was signed by the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League...
, Raajoo Bhatkal and ODI player Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is an Indian first class cricketer who played in the 2004 U-19 Cricket World Cup where he was the leading run scorer, his total of 505 runs from seven innings is a record for a single U-19 World Cup...
). Crucial to this, Slazenger have linked up with a licensee in India to cover India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in a 10 year deal.
In addition to its UK operations, Slazenger has offices in: Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The current range of equipment is focussed around the famous V series with bat models the V100, V200, V360 and the V500 alongside a full range of pads, gloves, helmets, clothing and protection, details of which can be found at www.slazenger.com/cricket.
Tennis
The Slazenger name remains synonymous with the very highest quality tennis equipment in the world – a reputation founded on an unrivalled history of achievement in the sport. Slazenger tennis has one of the longest and most distinguished heritages in sports history. As official supplier of tennis balls to every Wimbledon Championship since 1902, and racket designer to some of the world's best players, Slazenger has a history in tennis that few others can equal.In 1902, Slazenger was appointed as the official tennis ball supplier to The All England Tennis Championships, Wimbledon. This arrangement has continued ever since and, recently, has been extended to 2015, making it the longest, unbroken sponsorship arrangements in sporting history
Since 1902, numerous tennis legends such as Fred Perry, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras have captured Wimbledon titles playing the Slazenger Wimbledon tennis ball. The Slazenger range in recent years has been supported by Tim Henman who was one of the most consistent performers on the ATP Tour and British number one and World Top 10 player for the past decade. Also, US Davis cup player Mardy Fish also placed his trust in Slazenger.
2011 marked the 125th anniversary of the Wimbledon Championships and to celebrate this milestone, Slazenger produced a limited edition tin for the Wimbledon ball.
It is testament to Slazenger’s continued dedication to product quality and performance that for over 100 years they have remained the preferred choice as the Official Ball to The Championships Wimbledon, reinforcing the longest sponsorship association in sporting history.
Hockey
Over the past 45 years Slazenger has been developing hockey equipment that suits all player types, from top internationals to players at grassroots level. Their new 2011/12 range has been carefully crafted to offer the next generation of hockey players product that not only performs but offers contemporary styling.Slazenger in recent years to have sponsored the England hockey team, supplying the playing and training kit for all the International squads. Slazenger have also been the title sponsor of the England Hockey National leagues and the official shirt sponsor of all England’s national hockey teams.
Today Slazenger sponsors many of the top England & GB Internationals including Alistair Wilson, Iain Mackay, Daniel Fox and Benjamin Hawes from the men’s team and Lauren Turner and Jessica Wood from the women’s.
Brand History
It is probably fair to say that technology and ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
played a major part in the fluctuations of this famous brand. In the days when wooden tennis racquets held no peer, brands such as Slazenger and Dunlop were a dominant force in the world.
With the popularity of the metal tennis racket from the early 1980s and then the fast transition to even more popular composite materials such as fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, graphite
Graphite
The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...
, Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
and so on more and more brands became available to the consumer. These 'new' brands were more popular than the old, historic brands such as Slazenger. Add to this the rise in the quality of these products being produced and far cheaper in the East than anywhere else, Slazenger had to cope with a new market place and new competitors.
However with the companies long standing heritage, image for producing innovative quality products and importantly loyal customers, Slazenger eventually begun to develop the sourcing infrastructure with dedicated factories to not only match the competition but begin to undertake new R&D specific to its key sports; cricket, tennis and hockey.
- 1959: Ralph Slazenger sells the family business to Dunlop RubberDunlop RubberDunlop Rubber was a company based in the United Kingdom which manufactured tyres and other rubber products for most of the 20th century. It was acquired by BTR plc in 1985. Since then, ownership of the Dunlop trade-names has been fragmented.-Early history:...
.
- 1985: Dunlop Rubber is purchased by BTR plc, which forms a Sports Group combining Slazenger with the Dunlop SportDunlop SportDunlop Sport is a tennis, squash, golf, badminton, clothing, travel and bicycle equipment brand, that specializes in sporting goods.After Dunlop Holdings was acquired by BTR plc in 1985, Dunlop Sport was combined with the Slazenger brand which Dunlop had acquired in 1959 to form Dunlop Slazenger...
branded goods.
- 1996: BTR sells Dunlop Sport in a management buyout for £300 million - the buyout was backed by investment company CinvenCinvenCinven is a British private equity firm founded in 1977 with offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan and Hong Kong. Currently, the company has raised four funds, with the last one signing up €6.5 billion...
. The new company is known as Dunlop Slazenger.
- 2004: CINVen sells Dunlop Slazenger to Sports World International for a reported £40 million.
Global rights and licencing
With the purchase of Dunlop Slazenger by Sports World International did not come the global rights to the brand. In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, the Slazenger brand is owned and licensed by Pacific Brands
Pacific Brands
Pacific Brands is a major Australian company marketing Berlei, Bonds, Clarks , Dunlop, Everlast, Grosby, Holeproof, Hush Puppies, King Gee, Malvern Star, Sheridan, Slazenger, Sleepmaker and Tontine . It once held the Asian Pacific licence for British Knights footwear. It was formed as a division of...
, with full and exclusive rights to sell and distribute throughout those territories.
SWI has chosen to carefully diversify the Slazenger brand it has acquired both internally and externally through licensing. With Slazenger this has been achieved successfully, with the Slazenger name being seen on a wide range of products not previously associated with the brand, such as sunglasses, toiletries and push bikes. Internally the group design, develop and manufacture both hard goods for cricket, hockey and tennis and apparel and accessories.
Dunlop Slazenger work closely with Pacific Brands
Pacific Brands
Pacific Brands is a major Australian company marketing Berlei, Bonds, Clarks , Dunlop, Everlast, Grosby, Holeproof, Hush Puppies, King Gee, Malvern Star, Sheridan, Slazenger, Sleepmaker and Tontine . It once held the Asian Pacific licence for British Knights footwear. It was formed as a division of...
to further develop innovative and technologically advanced product for use in both of their respective markets.
Sponsorships
Slazenger has been at the heart of a golden era of cricket for the past 40 years, generations of cricketing superstars including Sir Don Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Viv Richards, Sir Len Hutton, Denis ComptonDenis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
, Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Bholalall Kanhai is a former West Indian Cricket player of Indo-Guyanese descent. He is widely considered as one of the best batsmen of the 1960s. Kanhai featured in several great West Indian teams, playing with, among others, Sir Garfield Sobers, Roy Fredericks, Lance Gibbs, and Alvin...
, Mark Waugh
Mark Waugh
Mark Edward Waugh AM is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as...
and Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
used Slazenger's bats and products. The players today who represent the brand, using iconic Slazenger equipment are noted below.
Kingdom of England England
- James AndersonJames Anderson- Arts :*James K Anderson , American actor*James Anderson , British actor*James Arthur Anderson , American writer*James Anderson , American television writer...
- Jonny Bairstow
- Tim BresnanTim BresnanTimothy 'Tim' Thomas Bresnan is an English cricketer. He is a fast-medium bowler, as well as being respected for his ability with the bat for Yorkshire. He normally fields in the deep. He won the NBC Denis Compton Award in 2002 and 2003. In June 2006 he was called up to the England One Day...
- Paul CollingwoodPaul CollingwoodPaul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
- Eoin MorganEoin MorganEoin Joseph Gerard Morgan is an Irish cricketer who plays for the England national cricket team. A left-handed batsman, he plays county cricket for Middlesex and has been selected for England's Test, ODI and Twenty20 squads. He originally represented his native Ireland at international level...
- Matt Prior
- Adil RashidAdil RashidAdil Usman Rashid is an English cricketer of Pakistani origins, who plays for Yorkshire. Previously a player with England Under-19s, in December 2008, he was called into the full England Test squad, for the Test matches to be played in India...
Australia Australia
- Doug BollingerDoug BollingerDouglas Erwin Bollinger is a professional Australian cricketer who currently plays first-class cricket for the New South Wales Blues and international cricket for Australia. He is a left-handed batsman and a left-arm fast bowler...
(Pacific Brands) - Michael ClarkeMichael Clarke (cricketer)Michael John Clarke is an Australian cricketer. He was appointed captain of the Test and ODI teams on 30 March 2011. Nicknamed 'Pup', he is a right-handed batsman, and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler...
(Pacific Brands) - Jason KrejzaJason KrejzaJason John Krejza is an Australian cricketer. He also plays for the Tasmanian Tigers and Leicestershire. Krejza's father was a association football player from Czechoslovakia and his mother was born in Poland...
(Pacific Brands)
India India
- Bharat ChipliBharat ChipliBharat Chipli is an Indian cricketer who plays for Karnataka in first-class cricket. He is married to Shruthi Shetty, who is a HR Lead with an IT consulting giant.-Career:...
- Deepak ChouguleDeepak ChouguleDeepak Chougule is a cricketer who plays for the state of Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy cricket tournament of India. He has also represented India in the Under-19 international tournaments. He made his debut for his state at a junior level in the Under-13 tournament held at Chennai in 1997...
- Paras DograParas DograParas Dogra is an Indian Cricketer. Dogra made his debut in first-class cricket in 2001. He is a defensive right-handed batsman and a right-arm legbreak bowler . He was signed by the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League...
- Raajoo Bhatkal
- Shikhar DhawanShikhar DhawanShikhar Dhawan is an Indian first class cricketer who played in the 2004 U-19 Cricket World Cup where he was the leading run scorer, his total of 505 runs from seven innings is a record for a single U-19 World Cup...