In the realm of sportswear, Castore, the British brand founded by siblings Thomas and Philip Beahon in 2016, garnered attention for its lofty ambitions and blinding rate of growth. The English brand set out to revolutionize technical apparel with a strong focus on quality and customer service. However, recent incidents have cast serious doubt on their ability to deliver on their early promises.

One of the most glaring problems encountered by Castore was the subpar quality of jerseys supplied to various teams. Reports surfaced of torn jerseys, misaligned badges, and the absence of prominent sponsors on the apparel. These lapses in quality and attention to detail sharply contrasted with Castore’s initial mission to deliver top-tier sportswear.

Notwithstanding these challenges, in 2021, Castore secured a significant sponsorship deal with Cricket South Africa (CSA), the governing body of cricket in South Africa. This three-year agreement granted Castore exclusive status as the official apparel partner for CSA, including its teams, staff, and players. Furthermore, Castore was designated CSA’s official merchandising partner. The partnership officially commenced on October 1, 2021, and was slated to run until September 30, 2024.

However, Castore’s partnership with CSA left South African fans wanting, with a dearth of available fan kits for purchase. Only a white knitted sweatshirt, priced at a substantial R1,800.00, was on offer. In a perhaps unsurprising turn of events, the deal has been terminated by mutual consent one year ahead of schedule, just before the highly-anticipated World Cup in India. “It was decided to mutually end the relationship earlier this year, but we agreed to continue with their kit until we secure someone else that we were comfortable with,” said our source close to the matter.

Ultimately, CSA settled on Lotto Sport, the renowned Italian sports equipment manufacturing brand. Under this fresh collaboration, Lotto Sport was named the official technical partner for all South African national cricket teams, including men, women, and under-19 squads. The agreement granted Lotto Sport exclusive rights to design and produce playing and training kits for all Proteas’ teams. Additionally, the partnership extended to the production of merchandise and CSA staff apparel.

 

Castore promised much but has failed to meet their lofty ambitions. For South African fans who were unable to get hold of national team merchandise, this annuncement will come as a welcome change but for Castore, perhaps the brand needs to tone down its growth trajectory and focus on the fundamentals.

Castore Cricket Cricket SOuth Africa Lotto Sport