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CASE STUDY
LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY

KUKRI SPORTS AND LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
A DECADE OF SPORTING SUCCESS

Kukri Sports was founded in 1999 and in the last twenty years has become a truly global bespoke multi-sportsteamwear specialist. A huge part of our success has been our ability to partner with some of the world’s’ leading educational establishments. These long-standing partnerships highlight our expertise in providing bespoke sportswear for multiple sports across all age ranges and abilities and one such partnership is with Loughborough University.

“THE BEST INTEGRATED SPORTS DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENT IN THE WORLD”

LORD SEBASTIAN COE

This historic partnership spans almost a decade and includes the provision of kit for over 60 of Loughborough’s sports teams, including men’s, woman’s, para sport, elite and recreational teams.

Loughborough University was founded in 1909 with a vision that educating mind and body is central and Loughborough has been leading the way with this philosophy for over 100 years. Fast forward to 2021 and the university has been named No 1 sporting university in the world for sports related subjects for the past 5 consecutive years. Loughborough was also named University of the Year 2019 in the Times and Sunday Times Good University guide.

World famous alumni include Lord Sebastian Coe, Tanni-Grey Thompson, Sir Clive Woodward andPaula Radcliffe to name but a few. It is home to the Loughborough Lightning franchise which brings world-classfemale sport to campus with its six squads; netball, rugby union, cricket, cycling, football and wheelchairbasketball. Lightning have recently been crowned Champions of the 2021 Vitality Netball Superleague. Loughborough has a history of excellence in women’s sport and continues to strive for equality and inclusionwith a team playing in the world’s first professional female wheelchair basketball league in 2021.

With over 18, 000 students, over 70% of which regularly participate in sports and over 700 performance athletesthe supply of kit to this sporting giant is no mean feat.

The campus itself contains the Elite Athlete Centre, the UK’s first hotel designed specifically for athletes and encompasses the National Performance Centre for British Swimming and British Triathlon and is also the home to the LTA National Tennis Academy, one of only 2 in the UK.

The National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine and the Sports Technology Institute are both also housedat Loughborough University delivering world class education, research and clinical services in sport. With these outstanding sports facilities and over 60 Athletic Union sports clubs with over 4,500 members Loughborough University is a world class multisport facility and as such looked for a world class supplier to meet the needs of this diverse group of athletes and students.

Since 2012 Kukri has been supplying playing and training wear to all athletes of all abilities across a diverserange of sports and with the shared values of inclusivity, ambition and commitment Kukri were and continue tobe a great fit. Over the last 9 years Kukri has supplied Loughborough with over 75,000 pieces of kit acrossover 60 sports and our product development over the past few years has ensured the kit continues to inspire as
well as perform at the highest level. This ensures that students are as proud to wear the kit off campus as they are on it.

LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
ACHIEVEMENTS

Number 1

SPORTING UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD (GLOBAL QS HIGHER EDUCATION LEAGUE) 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 (FOR SPORTS RELATED SUBJECTS)

1st

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL WORLD’S FIRST PROFESSIONAL FEMALE LEAGUE (AND UK’S FIRST PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE)

TOP 10

TOP 10 UNIVERSITY IN THE UK WITH THE BEST STUDENT EXPERIENCE

The Kukri design team are at the forefront of design and fabric technology and the Loughborough kit designs are constantly evolving year on year with the iconic V shaped panel on the chest always remaining a constant feature. Input from a panel of Loughborough athletes is a hugely important step in the design process ensuring the final kit is both dynamic in design and perfect in fit across a wide range of sports.

2018 saw a major overhaul of the complete product range introducing a new “athletic” contemporary fit moving away from the relaxed style of earlier years. The introduction of cutting edge quick drying fabrics, breathable mesh panels and reflective trims have ensured the Loughborough product range is constantly helping athletes across all levels from grass roots to elite, perform to the very best of their abilities.

“LOUGHBOROUGH IS ONE OF THE MOST DEMANDING SPORTING ENVIRONMENTS IN THE WORLD. OUR PROFILE, REPUTATION AND SPORTING SUCCESS REQUIRES A PARTNER AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. THE CONTINUED SUPPORT KUKRI PROVIDE FOR OUR CLUBS HAS BEEN FANTASTIC TO SEE,WE VALUE WORKING WITH A TEAM THAT SHARESOUR VALUES AND VISION FOR LONG TERM SPORTING SUCCESS.”

JO SIMPSON, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, LOUGHBOROUGH SPORT