Nike have not been watching too much of England lately

Clearly impressed by what they've seen of the English national team so far, sportswear giant Nike has agreed to fork out £400m in order to continue to provide their kits for the next 12 years.

The extension means England will don Nike clothing for every single one of their disappointingly early major tournament exits from now until 2030. Because the FA is a not-for-profit organisation, the new deal - which starts in August 2018 - represents enormous investment across English football, with an FA statement pointing out that it will be used to further support grassroots initiatives and the development of the women's game across the nation. It should come in handy the next time they decide to sack a manager, too. https://twitter.com/FA/status/808672827985399808 "We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Nike until 2030," said Mark Bullingham, FA group commercial and marketing director. "It was always important for us to secure such a long-term commitment to allow both parties to build an even stronger partnership together.

"With The FA striving to be a world-class organisation, it’s vital for us to partner with innovative global leaders such as Nike and look to the future together. "As well as supplying all of our England teams with state-of-the-art apparel, Nike is a huge supporter of our technical division’s work and of grassroots football across the country.  It’s fantastic that this support will not only continue but increase from now until 2030.”