Hartlepool will be the first professional football clubs in England to wear BLK when the deal starts in the 2017­/18 campaign.

The club now will join a group of leading British sports teams supplied by BLK UK, which includes Premier League rugby club and European Champions Cup winners Saracens, England Rugby League, Scotland Rugby League and England Netball.

Hartlepool United Chief Executive Pam Duxbury said “We are delighted to announce BLK United Kingdom as our new kit supplier from the start of next season. The brand comes with a great pedigree across professional sport and we’re proud to be the first English club to wear its kit."

He added “The fact that’s it based in the North East is also an added bonus as its team share the passion for football that exists in this region.”

Mark Holt, Commercial Director of BLK UK, said: “We’re extremely pleased to enter in to this partnership with Hartlepool United. This is a great opportunity for BLK United Kingdom to enter professional football and work with a forward-thinking club.

Holt added “Working with Hartlepool United is part of our strategy to increase our presence across a growing number of UK sports and support the international reach of the global BLK brand with the supply of high-quality, fit-for-purpose sports apparel.”

JC