Everton's tie in with Hummel has borne some decent fruit since the deal to use the Danish sportswear manufacturer was announced earlier this year. Three very good kits, some tasty training gear and now, the icing on the cake, the Alan Ball trainers.
The World Cup winner was the first player to wear white boots after hearing a rumour that Hummel was looking for a professional to sport their new webs and would pay £2,000. Ball agreed on a deal with them and first showcased his distinctive white football boots in the Charity Shield at the beginning of the 1970/71 football season. Although £2,000 was a lot of money at the time, it was a canny investment.
The match commentator, Kenneth Wolstenholme, commented several times on these 'new innovative white boots' and together with several TV camera close-up shots of Ball's boots 'the white boot idea' was a sensation. The Monday after the game, the Hummel sales line was buzzing with 12,000 pairs of white boots sold, doubling Hummels previous entire sales quota of 5,000 in one morning.
Now, in a nod to those famous boots, Hummel will be releasing a pair of limited edition trainers, only available via the Official Everton website. The shoes feature a black tongue label with Ball's name on it, the Everton crest and the hummel logo in gold. The heel has the year ‘1970’ also in gold, and the insole features a gold Everton crest.
Alan McTavish, Commercial Director at Everton, said: “We hope that the Alan Ball trainer provides a fitting tribute to a true Everton legend, who was responsible for our first association with hummel. The design is yet another example of the dynamism and creativity at the heart of our partnership. This limited-edition trainer is not only a must for a certain generation of Evertonians but also a chance for young Blues to learn more about one of the greatest players in our Club’s rich history.”
Hummel's CEO, Allan Vad Nielsen, said: “We are proud to be able to remember a true Everton legend and his historic association with our brand. We wanted the trainer to be a true homage to Alan Ball and his achievements but also a wearable classic. We are sure this will be a big hit with fans.”
Alan’s son Jimmy said “Even after all this time people still associate white boots with my dad, which we all think is great! My dad loved Goodison Park and we, as a family, all love getting back there, too - he’d be made up at the thought of Evertonians wearing white hummel trainers now. Everton was always his club and he’d be so proud to know that he is still so well thought of by the fans.”