Dunlop will become the official ball provider for Slinger across the global market, further enhancing the collaboration between the two companies
BALTIMORE, Jan. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Slinger (OTCQB: SLBG) ("Slinger" or the "Company"), a leading connected sports technology company, is excited today to announce a new 4-year exclusive tennis ball partnership with Dunlop. As one of the most iconic tennis brands in the world, Dunlop provides the official ball of the ATP World Tour and the Australian Open Grand Slam Tournament. Dunlop also supplies several WTA tournaments their official tennis balls, and its cooperation with leading individual ATP tournaments gives Dunlop the status as the NO.1 ball on tour.* With this new partnership, Dunlop becomes the official ball provider for Slinger across the global tennis market.
“Our goal in further aligning ourselves globally with Dunlop is to provide optimum performance from the Slinger Bag launcher with the best tennis balls in the world and provide access to premium tennis balls for all Slinger Bag users,” said Slinger CEO Mike Ballardie. “Our first year of commercial partnership with Dunlop as our distributor across nine leading European regions has been a big success and we look forward to further collaboration with their international team.”
Dunlop and Slinger first announced a commercial partnership in 2020, as Dunlop International Europe Ltd. currently serves as the distributor for Slinger Bag across the core European tennis markets of Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. Specific to today’s news, Dunlop will be co-branding its premium FORT TR Plus balls, as well as the pressureless FORT XTRA Life ball for Slinger, with custom eco-friendly packaging aimed at reducing plastic waste. This partnership will be serviced via Dunlop’s global sales subsidiaries to facilitate local inventories and market pricing.
“We are thrilled to take the next step in our partnership with Slinger. We share their passion and drive for innovation within the sport of tennis, and we look forward to enhancing the on-court experience for all Slinger Bag users with the world’s best tennis balls,” said Ken Yamamoto, Head of Tennis Business, Sumitomo Rubber Industries LTD. “Slinger has had a major impact on the tennis industry over the past year, and we are eager to get more involved with the company as its growth continues.”
The Slinger Bag is available to order now - to find out more about Slinger Bag, visit https://slingerbag.com.
ENDS
About Dunlop: Dunlop is owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries and has its headquarters in Kobe, Japan. Dunlop has a legendary history in the sport of tennis. Dunlop is the Official tennis ball partner of the ATP Tour and the Australian Open Grand Slam. Current players on tour using Dunlop products include Miomir Kecmanovic, Kevin Anderson, Qiang Wang, Liam Broady, Roberto Marcora, Ann Li, Jamie Murray, Misaki Doi, Zarina Diyas, Michael Mmoh and Kurumi Nara. Dunlop U.S. legends James Blake and Michael Chang as well as Patrick Mouratoglou, Nick Bollettieri and Rod Laver are also ambassadors for the brand. Learn more at www.DunlopSports.com.
About Sumitomo Rubber Industries: Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) was founded in 1909 in Kobe, Japan and employs over 37,000 people across the world and has sales revenue of around $8 billion. SRI acquired the global rights to the Dunlop brand in April 2017 and owns fellow sports brands Srixon, Cleveland Golf and XXIO. SRI specializes in the tire industry but also in providing rubber-based products for many other industries such as medical, construction, marine and sports facilities.
About Slinger: Slinger® is a leading connected sports company focused on delivering innovative, game improvement technologies and equipment across tennis and other ball sports. Slinger® enhances the skill and enjoyment levels of players of all ages and abilities and is initially focused on building its brand within the global tennis market, through its Slinger Bag® Tennis Ball Launcher and Accessories. Slinger has underpinned its proof of concept with over $250M of retail value in global distribution agreements since the Spring of 2020 for the Slinger Bag®. Led by CEO Mike Ballardie, the former Prince CEO and Wilson EMEA racquet sports executive, Slinger® is disrupting what are traditional global sports markets with its patented, highly transportable, and affordable Slinger Bag® Launcher and its suite of connected app and SaaS services.
* Based on Dunlop supplying tennis balls to more ATP Tour tournaments than any other brand.
Contacts:
For Slinger Investor Relations inquiries, please visit www.slingerbagir.com, or contact investors@slingerbag.com or 443-407-7564
For Slinger media inquiries, please contact the press office at press@slingerbag.com 443-407-7564
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