STREEThing

With the World Cup being held this Summer in South Africa, it isn’t a surprise that Nike’s Innovation Summit this year solely focuses on football.

Nike President and CEO Mark Parker opened the summit, held over the course of two days at the Battersea Power Station in London, by stating:

“Now with Umbro as part of the Nike family, we are now the biggest football company in the world.”

“No company delivers more innovation than Nike, we have the most advanced sports research lab in the world and we continually push the boundaries of what’s possible.”

Parker’s statement shows how far the company has come since its first football boot design in 1971, which unlike other iconic Nike achievements, isn’t celebrated for its technical excellence or success as a product, but rather as a sign of the company’s continual push for innovation and desire to build upon experiences.

The event brought media from all over the world to witness the launching of the new Mercurial Vapor Superfly II boot with Real Madrid superstar Christiano Ronaldo, the new ’100% recycled’ National Team jerseys and the launch of Nike Football+, an after service that provides young players with on-demand tutorials with elite footballers, coaches and trainers.

Here’s a pictorial recap of the event, head here for an in-depth look at the Mercurial Vapor Superfly and here for the team jerseys.

(Click on images twice to enlarge)