EFL club using one-of-a-kind pre-season training equipment to boost instant promotion bid
A League Two club are arming their players with specialist footwear to maximise their ability and recovery ahead of the new season.
Cambridge United are gearing up for their first campaign back in the fourth tier of the EFL after four years in League One.
The U’s, who were relegated on the penultimate matchday of last season, have been hard at work on-and-off the pitch this summer.
Neil Harris‘ side have agreed a two-year partnership with American sports equipment company Brooks Running.
The deal is one of the most significant marketing milestones in the club’s history, ahead of its upcoming Docu-Series for CBS, aimed at emulating Wrexham in boosting its commercial presence in the US.
In addition to Brooks becoming Cambridge’s front-of-shirt sponsors, the Seattle-based company are also providing footwear to support player training and recovery.
Brooks, who are also the shoe provider for Olympic Silver Medallist Josh Kerr and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois, are now supporting the U’s players’ training and recovery routines.
A spokesperson for the brand have confirmed that they’re not working with any other club, and are unaware of a run speciality brand working with any of the other 71 EFL teams.
Carl Newman, Territory Director Northern Europe at Brooks Running, told talkSPORT.com: “Part of our partnership with Cambridge United includes fitting each player with the best shoe to help both their performance and recovery.
“Our team will do individual assessments to give the players the right shoe based on their position, and the type of training they need to be at optimal performance.
“We have a wide range of running shoes to suit different needs – whether a player needs extra cushioning like the premium material in the Ghost 17’s, or the Hyperion Max 3 for speed and high-intensity work.
“Our goal is to deliver the right support, so players can train harder, recover faster, and be game-ready.”
Cambridge have already started their preparations for their League Two return with a 3-1 friendly win at Cambridge City on Saturday.
Goals from captain Michael Morrison, Zeno Ibsen Rossi and Elias Kachunga gave the EFL side the local bragging rights in the first meeting between the two outfits in seven years.
Head coach Harris had already promised that Cambridge would be a ‘completely different animal’ next season.
The U’s only managed one point from their opening nine games of last season, leading to Garry Monk’s sacking in February.
Replacement Harris only won four of his 15 games in charge, losing eight, as the club failed to avoid the dreaded drop.
“The team’s going to change, and the mindset of conceding cheap goals, not scoring enough goals and also probably having a soft underbelly,” Harris told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire in April.
“Ultimately, we have to be fitter as a group because a lot of the goals we have conceded have been after 67 minutes.
“We are going to be a completely different animal next year.
“We’re not going to think too much about what we look like now compared to next year.”
Following a summer clearout, Cambridge have since made five signings thus far, headlined by ex-Tottenham star Dom Ball.
Ben Knight, who made one first-team appearance for Manchester City in their 2021 Community Shield defeat by Leicester, signed a one-year deal, with Ben Hughes, Ben Purrington, and Zak Bradshaw all arriving as well.
League Two Top 3 Finish 2025/26 – Win only
Odds via talkSPORT Bet, correct as of time of writing…
- MK Dons 1/1
- Chesterfield 2/1
- Notts County 7/2
- Gillingham 7/2
- Bristol Rovers 4/1
- Salford 9/2
- Walsall 9/2
- Colchester 11/2
- Swindon 11/2
- Cambridge United 6/1
