THE new group running North Wales Crusaders have clinched a five-year partnership with a leading sportswear brand which includes investment in the relaunched Championship club.

Danish firm Hummel, through their UK distributor Sports Logistics Ltd, will not only supply kit for the Colwyn Bay side, but according to Crusaders, commit a “major five-figure annual investment”.

The club announced: “We are proud to officially welcome them as a director to our board as a new co-owner with a minority share.”

The development comes just days after a new company, NW Rugby League 26 Limited, took control of Crusaders, last year’s League One champions, after an ‘insolvency event’ which led to a twelve-point deduction for the current campaign and plunged the team to the bottom of the second tier.

That company is registered in Mold, between Colwyn Bay and Wrexham, and led by Jamie El-Kaleh, a 33-year-old cryptocurrency entrepreneur who owned Crusaders between June 2024 and December of that year, when Egg Chaser, a Surrey company who offer rugby union merchandise and sevens coaching, acquired the club.

While the initial licence granted by the governing body is for this year only, El-Kaleh, also a former RFL employee who also held roles at Hull KR, Salford, Warrington and Widnes, has pledged to rebuild the club on a sustainability-focused model and said: “The future is bright.”

The deal with Hummel, known for their chevrons logo, is a major boost, with the club saying: “When industry giants back your vision for half a decade, you know you’re building something exceptionally good.”

The brand, founded in Germany in 1923 and now based in Aarhus, Denmark, previously produced kits for the England Rugby League team and current supply Super League side Toulouse.

A five-year deal with Premier League football club AFC Bournemouth was recently announced.