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Interview with Matt Forbes, adidas Sailing UK Director of Sales & Marketing

by Mark Jardine 26 Nov 2015 13:19 GMT 26 November 2015
adipower Trapeze: Olympic class sailing engineering with super levels of grip © Mark Jardine

We spoke to Matt Forbes, the UK Director of Sales & Marketing for adidas Sailing, at the METS Marine Equipment Trade Show in Amsterdam.

Mark Jardine: Matt, how did adidas get into sailing, and why?

Matt Forbes: We see it as a really exciting, developing market and I've had a lot of positive feedback with people saying it's fantastic that a tier 1 sports brand like adidas want to invest in this level of development. We are all sailors who are passionate about our sport and want to develop more technical & better designed kit that also looks great.

I think we are in a period of real change in sailing now, especially with economies growing in the world. We are seeing a lot more investment in boats with more foiling classes making our sport really exciting and probably a little more attractive to younger people and those that wouldn't have previously considered sailing. I want adidas sailing to appeal to the traditional and established market within the marine sector as a whole, be it powerboat or sailing. Also we want to engage with the new type of customer that is interested in the highly competitive, stadium based, sailing that makes them want to get out on the water themselves.

We are a major Olympic sponsor that supports Team GB amongst others and we are also looking forward to our USone and Land Rover BAR agreements.

MJ: And what ranges are you concentrating on for 2016?

MF: Good question. We have a broad range of product from ocean going Gore-Tex Jackets to Neoprene and luggage and we really are determined to make ourselves prominent in footwear. We will have the largest selection of footwear coming into next year which we're really pleased about. We have our Speed range, which is wet boat sailing showing our commitment to dinghy sailing, wind surfing and kite-boarding. Also we have a full neoprene set that we will grow to incorporate more shorties, long wetsuits, spray tops, performance tops with hybrid fleece and obviously all the footwear you need on wet boat sailing.

We also do a full Gore-Tex® range so we will have an offshore and inshore Gore-Tex® range as well as our own 2 and 3 layer fabrics, which we are really focused on. We will be able to leverage all of the Adidas technology in terms of climalite, climawarm, climacool, climaproof that a lot of people will be familiar with from other sports such as running, cycling and hiking.

MJ: With your sponsorship of Taylor Canfield on the World Match Racing Tour, you must be very excited about the move across to the M32 catamarans and the photogenic nature of the racing. Could you tell me more about your sponsorship with him?

MF: Absolutely. Taylor is a great ambassador for us, and really understands, and is actually very passionate about, our products because he wouldn't sail in something he doesn't like. He feeds back to us what he wants from garments and we now produce them with him and other performance sailors in mind. Taylor is full of positive energy and passion for our sport which is super important for us. As the M32 expands into the world tour, we can only be in great shape, as USone won the series this year. We look forward to our continuing relationship and building on this year's success.

MJ: I notice you talk about sponsorships very much as a two-way process where your athletes feed back to you for the development of your product. What other sponsorships would you be interested in doing and getting involved in, to get this feedback from your athletes?

MF: I think it's important to reach out to a broad range of sailors. Yes Taylor is fantastic for us and he's a performance athlete, but it's also important to have people that cruise, or do long distance sailing. For instance we work with Tim Kruger in Germany, twice round the world champion sailor, and also leisure sailors as well as a lot of youth. Through the Olympics we supply less able-bodied sailors, so we support them with what they need to achieve maximum performance on the water. We really want to listen and get feedback from a lot of different people with different needs and wants. We have actually just had a conversation with one of the leading kite-board teams to get development information to activate the kite-board market.

MJ: Finally, you've just signed to support Land Rover BAR as a Technical Supplier of footwear and sports luggage products. Do you think this is the team that will finally bring the America's Cup home to Great Britain?

MF: Yes, I met with Sir Ben and I was blown away with his focus and determination. I think these factors are critical for Land Rover BAR to #BringTheCupHome and, as with adidas, I was acutely aware of the passion and commitment within the team. These shared values will make us a great combination and we are looking forward to having Land Rover BAR product available for sale in the near future.

MJ: It looks like a very exciting range for 2016. I'm looking forward to seeing it on the market, and thank you for your time.

MF: Thank you very much, Our new web shop is now open at www.adidassailing.com and please come and see us at the London Boat Show where we will be exhibiting in January.

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