Reebok finalizes deal with Hillsborough, More to come?

The Hillsborough football team finalized its deal with Reebok this week, coach Earl Garcia told the Times, making the Terriers the first Florida high school to be outfitted by Reebok.

Reebok hopes it is the first of many in Florida and specifically the Tampa Bay area.

"We want every high school athlete playing sports wearing Reebok shoes and apparel," said Richard Keast, Reebok's director of team sports for the state of Florida.

As part of the deal, Hillsborough purchased its team shoes through Reebok and the company will provide Terriers players with workout apparel and sideline apparel for all Terriers staff, Garcia said. The coach said the school will also be able to purchase  uniforms from Reebok at discount and he hopes to be equipped in Reebok from head to toe within the next two seasons, with new uniforms possibly being ready for the '08 season. Garcia hopes fundraising efforts will cover the costs.

Reebok is the official outfitter of the NFL, so the uniforms would be of the same quality as official NFL uniforms, including form-fitting jerseys and moisture wicking technology. The shoes the Terriers purchased will say "NFL Equipment" on them.

"What high school player wouldn't want to wear the same NFL equipment worn by NFL players," Keast said.

Keast said Reebok chose Hillsborough because of its success on and off the field.

"They've been a very consistent program on the field over the years and they're a program that teaches their kids valuable lessons off the field and consistently sends players to college," Keast said.

Backed by the high pofile that comes from being the official brand of the NFL, Reebok is focusing its efforts into high school football programs (efforts into high school basketball will follow). But unlike rival outfitter Nike (Read more about Armwood's exclusive deal with Nike here), which has targeted only the state's elite programs, Reebok's outfitting efforts are not exclusive to any type of program.

"The high school arena has become very competitive," Keast said. "And we're right in the middle of it. We're trying to grow our business. Any team that would like to explore being outfitted by Reebok, we welcome the discussion."

-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA