April 25, 2019, 11:30

Korean sports equipment brand Nassau has donated soccer balls to TNT Fitogether FC, Korea’s only independent football club.

Founded in 1971, Nassau has served as an official sponsor of the Korea Football Association (KFA) for 25 years. Its recently developed 4-panel soccer ball, the first of its kind in the world, has been adopted as the official match ball for the FA Cup, hosted by the KFA. Through this donation, Nassau aims to support TNT Fitogether FC’s players in their efforts to return to the professional field.

Lee Won-il, Director at Nassau, stated, “We understand the dedication of TNT Fitogether FC players who are striving to achieve their dreams of becoming professional athletes. We plan to continue supporting them so they can train under optimal conditions.”

Since Ju Eun Hyung, an economist by background, became CEO in 2017, Nassau has taken bold steps to open new markets. In December last year, the company signed a sponsorship agreement with professional esports team OGN Entus and secured a licensing deal with Marvel. Thanks to these strategic moves, Nassau received the Grand Prize in the Sports Company/Brand Category at the 2018 Sports Marketing Awards.

TNT Fitogether FC is a unique independent football club in Korea, comprised of players aiming to turn professional. Over the past four years, the club has produced over 40 professional players, including Park Yi-young (St. Pauli FC, Bundesliga 2) and Park Beom-hyun (Chonburi FC, Thai League 1).

Last month, TNT Fitogether FC signed a major partnership agreement with Fitogether, a FIFA-certified EPTS (Electronic Performance & Tracking System) company and official partner of the K League. With this partnership, the team now uses the same football science systems adopted by professional K League clubs.

Kim Tae-ryung, Head of TNT Fitogether FC, said, “Soccer balls are one of our most essential training tools, as training happens every day. To conduct high-quality training, we need balls that meet professional match standards. Since Nassau balls are used in official tournaments hosted by the KFA, our players naturally prefer them.”

This year, Nassau soccer balls will once again be used as the official match balls for both professional and amateur teams in the FA Cup, as well as in the KFA’s Youth League, one of the association’s core development initiatives.