PUMA will gain a high brand visibility by outfitting the national teams of World Cup Winner Italy, the host nations Austria and Switzerland as well as Poland and Czech Republic. PUMA expanded and strengthened its position as Number 3 of the leading football brands, increasing the number of teams from four at the European Championship 2004 in Portugal.

“We are looking forward to three exciting weeks, especially with PUMA’s unique positioning as the partner of both host nations and World Cup Winner Italy,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA.

The SQUADRA AZZURRA from Italy who won the World Cup in 2006 are one of the top bets in the upcoming tournament. The contract between PUMA and the Italian Football Federation has been signed in 2003 and was renewed in November 2005 beyond the Football World Cup in 2014.

In September 2007, PUMA announced a long-term partnership with the British non-profit organization Peace One Day at Peace One Day’s gala hosted at London’s Royal Albert Hall. PUMA’s commitment was based on the organizations’ shared values such as inclusiveness, leadership, passion, and willingness to push boundaries. Filmmaker, Jeremy Gilley began Peace One Day (POD) as a film project to establish an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence. In 2001 Peace One Day’s efforts were rewarded when the United Nations unanimously adopted the first-ever day of global ceasefire and non-violence on September 21st annually – Peace Day.

“We support the aim of Peace One Day and want to make a contribution to the generation of global peace on one day,” said Jochen Zeitz, PUMA CEO and Chairman, “We are delighted to be a strong and long-term partner of this exemplary initiative.”

To help raise visibility and awareness of Peace Day, PUMA launched the PUMA Peace One Day Football Collection, which was unveiled at the African Cup of Nations in January 2008. PUMA’s established relationships with its African football teams ensured this exciting football collection was seen on some of Africa’s leading players throughout the tournament. The collection consists of specifically designed footballs and accessory items, which have been available in PUMA retail stores world wide since May 2008. A portion of the profits generated by the collection will be donated to POD. PUMA’s long-term goal is to source all products related to this collection in Africa.

The first ‘ONE DAY ONE GOAL’ match was also initiated during the January 2008 activities in Ghana. Through this collaborative initiative, PUMA and Peace One Day have asked people around the world to play football on September 21st, with each match celebrating cooperation, unity and the power of football to bring people together in peace. The aim of the ‘ONE DAY ONE GOAL’ initiative is to encourage people to play football all over the world, whether in major stadiums, local pitches, in the streets, on the beach, in the office, at home – it doesn’t matter. Over 150 matches are expected to take place in countries across the globe in honor of the Day, many supported by PUMA sponsored club teams and top talent.

As a direct result of Peace One Day’s campaign in 2007, parties in Afghanistan recognized Peace Day resulting in 1.4 million Afghanistan children being vaccinated against polio. Last year, 100 million people in 200 countries were engaged in Peace Day activities and in 14 of those countries, efforts were targeted towards providing life-saving activities and medical services on the Day. PUMA has worked alongside Peace One Day since 2007 and has developed a Peace One Day collection of products available in stores in September to benefit the non-profit organization.

For more information on PEACE ONE DAY, visit www.peaceoneday.org and for global stockist information, please visit our websitewww.puma.com

The early extension of the agreement, which was initiated in July 2002, underpins PUMA’s successful cooperation with VfB Stuttgart. By being crowned champion of the German premier league Bundesliga in 2006/2007, the team celebrated one of its greatest successes. Internationally, VfB Stuttgart made headlines with Champions League and UEFA Cup matches and set standards in innovative marketing off the pitch.

Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA AG: „VfB Stuttgart is one of the best teams in the German premier league. It is not only associated with accomplishments in sports but also with lifestyle and innovative marketing. We are happy to continue this successful partnership in the long-term which will not only strengthen but also expand our position as one of the leading football brands“.

Erwin Staudt, President of VfB Stuttgart: „We are happy about PUMA’s decision to convey their message together with VfB Stuttgart. PUMA is an innovative company and by now one of the most respected players in the market. The agreement extension underpins the effective cooperation between PUMA and VfB Stuttgart.”

“We are pleased that we can support this initiative with PUMA footballs sporting the fair trade mark,“ said Horst Widmann, Vice President of PUMA. “The football games will bring young people together in a peaceful way and will help curtail youth violence. At the same time, we further improved the working conditions in our supplier’s factory in Pakistan.”

Horst Widmann handed over the fair trade ball to the President of missio in Munich, Pater Eric Englert (osa), who said: “I am sure the young football players will be very delighted about the ball. The passion for football truly connects people. Pastoral care, educational programmes and sports all contribute to social integration of unprivileged young people in South Africa.”

PUMA has carried out audits at its suppliers’ factories for more than ten years, monitoring strict adherence to its Code of Conduct. This guarantees that the manufacturers comply with criteria such as respecting human rights, freedom of association, prohibition of child labour as well as the payment of minimum wages. The PUMA auditors also monitor the employees’ working hours, the overtime accrued, the contractual rates of pay, pay rolls, employment contracts, health and safety standards in the workplace as well as the appropriate disposal of waste.

The independent fair trade certification mark guarantees in addition that the PUMA manufacturer in Pakistan receives a premium of 10 percent of the ball’s purchasing price, which the firm has to invest – after a democratic vote among the factory’s management, workers and employees – into social, economic or ecological development projects on the premises.

The PUMA football was publicly launched on November 17, 2008 at the Bavarian Ministry of Education in Munich during the presentation of the initiative “Club der guten Hoffnung”. The event was attended by representatives of the different charity organisations, Secretary of State for Education Dr. Marcel Huber, PUMA Vice President Horst Widmann and other corporate representatives, politicians and sportsmen.

PUMA also presented the ball at its annual stakeholder meeting which took place at the Banz Monastery at the same time. PUMA employees discussed sustainability, sourcing, environmental and social issues with the President of the Fair Labor Association, Auret van Heerden, the author of the book „The China Price: The true cost of Chinese competitive advantage, Alexandra Harney as well as with representatives from Oxfam, Misereror, Fair Wear Foundation, Carbon Disclosure Project and the Global Reporting Initiative.

The two-day meeting of PUMA employees with stakeholders from different organisations, that have different goals, has led to many productive results in the past. Numerous initiatives emerged from the open and transparent dialogues and discussions and made an impact on PUMA’s sustainability strategy.

“The long-term extension of our partnership with the Egyptian Football Association underlines PUMA’s commitment to support African football”, said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA. “We are the leading football supplier on the African continent with 11 national teams under contract as Africa becomes the center of attention in the world of football with the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola leading up to the 2010 World Cup™ in South Africa.”

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with PUMA and are grateful for the excellent cooperation in the past years,” said Samir Zaher, President of the Egyptian Football Association. “We are proud to be partners with such a global brand that has made a commitment to football in both Egypt and the African continent as a whole.”

The sixth time and reigning African Champions (1957, 1959, 1986, 2006 and 2008) qualified twice for the World Cup™ in 1934 as well as 1990 and will face Rwanda, Algeria and Zambia in the final stages of the qualification to the 2010 tournament. In the first qualification game – taking place on March 28th 2009 – they will play against the team of Zambia.

“PUMA has built up a strong momentum in women’s soccer over the past 10 years collaborating closely with pioneering partners that have redefined the game on a global and local stage. Today, we are proud to be one of the founding partners of Women’s Professional Soccer in what promises to be a new pioneering chapter for women’s soccer,” said PUMA Chairman & CEO Jochen Zeitz. “The WPS partnership provides PUMA with a perfect platform to reinforce the brand’s positioning as the most desirable sportlifestyle brand in the world as well as underline our continued commitment to women’s sports.”

With the WPS partnership, PUMA further underlines its commitment to women’s soccer where it already has long-term partnerships with the likes of two-time FIFA™ World Player of the Year Marta da Silva of Brazil, who was drafted by the WPS Los Angeles Sol, U.S. National Team star Leslie Osborne, who will be playing for WPS in the Bay Area, and several Club teams in Europe including Swedish champion’s Umea IK, UEFA Women’s Cup Champions in 2003 and 2004.

“To have PUMA, the world’s leading sportlifestyle brand, as a founding partner in Women’s Professional Soccer is a great endorsement for our league,” said Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “We are proud to have PUMA’s commitment to support, supply and grow the league and we recognize the creative, stylish and unique ways PUMA will promote WPS and women’s soccer on the whole.”

PUMA will have a presence in each market and stadiums for WPS games, as well as the WPS All-Star Game, WPS playoffs and WPS Championship game. PUMA and WPS have agreed to cross-promotional marketing opportunities via national print media, online media and television. This agreement also marks PUMA as an official licensee of the WPS for items including on field and sportlifestyle apparel, footwear and a wide variety of accessories.

PUMA is a leader in the game of soccer with a European portfolio of five National Teams, including current FIFA World Cup™ holders Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Czech Republic. In addition to being the official supplier to these European teams, PUMA has a long standing relationship with 11 African soccer Federations including the current CAF African Cup of Nations™ holders, Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon, Angola, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and Namibia. In the U.S., PUMA has worked with all-star Major League Soccer athletes such as Matt Reis, Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario.

The joint initiative aims at raising awareness for PEACE ONE DAY and the necessity of peaceful cohabitation. adidas and PUMA will also take the message and idea of PEACE ONE DAY into the football stadiums in Munich and Stuttgart through surprise highlights during the halftimes of the German premier league games FC Bayern München – 1. FC Nürnber and VfB Stuttgart – 1. FC Köln on 19 September.

„We at adidas are very proud to support PEACE ONE DAY together with PUMA.
We firmly believe that sport can bring the world together. Sport has shown this at countless occasions in the past and we are committed to the positive values found in sport: performance and passion, teamwork and fair play,” said Herbert Hainer, CEO of adidas AG. “I am looking very much forward to our adidas and PUMA football match and I hope that our joint initiative helps to raise further awareness for PEACE ONE DAY around the world.”

Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA, said: „We are uniting on this day as a commitment to Peace Day. Our common goal being that our collaboration today will help create awareness for the day. Kofi Annan once said that ‘individuals can make a difference and collectively we can make a major contribution’. I believe that is the case also for companies. And our unity, in support of Peace Day, is a small step in a positive direction as well as an expression of the united power of sport in a world which we are all responsible for.”

The companies adidas and PUMA were founded by the brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler in the 1940s. Until they separated and went their own ways, they both owned a factory called “Gebrüder Dassler Sportschuhfabrik” where they together manufactured sports shoes – quite successfully as the world records of Jesse Owens proved. In the last decades, adidas and PUMA became worldwide leading brands. Both companies are still based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

Both teams, which were made up of 40 employees of both competitors as well as a few local journalists, demonstrated their support for PEACE ONE DAY on the premises of the adidas headquarters and proved that sport can help overcome boundaries and promote a peaceful cohabitation.

„Our joint football match in support of PEACE ONE DAY and Global Peace Day was a unique experience for the participating players and our employees. It showed that everyone – and companies as well – can make their contribution to peace,” said the two Chief Executives Jochen Zeitz and Herbert Hainer. “The symbolic handshake of adidas and PUMA helped to raise awareness for Global Peace Day and the necessity for non-violence and ceasefire.”

Particularly for this memorable football game, adidas and PUMA had created a football kit in black and white that sported adidas’ three stipe logo as well as PUMA’s leaping cat. The kit is part of a limited collection of 80 pieces, that will be auctioned for PEACE ONE DAY.

Football celebrity Alexander Hleb, player of German premier league club VfB Stuttgart and captain of the Belarus national team, supported the initiative by signing autographs and giving PEACE ONE DAY footballs to the fans onsite.

Following the match adidas and PUMA employees went together to PUMA’s Brand Center in Nuremberg to watch the movie „The Day after Peace“ by British actor and director Jeremy Gilley.

Last weekend, both companies had already taken the message and idea of PEACE ONE DAY into the football stadiums of Munich and Stuttgart. During the halftimes of the German premier league games FC Bayern Munich – 1. FC Nuremberg and VfB Stuttgart – 1. FC Cologne adidas and PUMA employees took part in a penalty shoot out with former premier league goalkeeper Walter Junghans and shared PEACE ONE DAY balls with the fans.

The companies adidas and PUMA were founded by the brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler in the 1940s. Until they separated and went their own ways, they both owned a factory called “Gebrüder Dassler Sportschuhfabrik” where they together manufactured sports shoes – quite successfully as the world records of Jesse Owens proved. In the last decades, adidas and PUMA became worldwide leading brands. Both companies are still based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

The International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) is a global initiative launched by the United Nations for 2010 to help raise awareness on the importance of biodiversity and to encourage worldwide action to conserve plants and animals and the environments in which they live. The ‘Play for Life’ campaign focuses on Africa, a continent that hosts exceptional biodiversity including two of the five most important wilderness areas on Earth – the Congo Basin, and Miombo-Mopane Woodlands and Savannas of Southern Africa. Nine of the planet’s 35 Biodiversity hotspots, the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth, are also in Africa.

The ‘Play for Life’ campaign focuses on Africa, a continent that hosts exceptional biodiversity including two of the five most important wilderness areas on Earth – the Congo Basin, and Miombo-Mopane Woodlands and Savannas of Southern Africa. Nine of the planet’s 35 Biodiversity hotspots, the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth, are also in Africa.

According to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), biodiversity is under threat around the planet – we are creating the greatest extinction crisis since the natural disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Species have been disappearing at up to 1,000 times the natural rate, and this is predicted to rise dramatically. Based on current trends, an estimated 34,000 plant and 5,200 animal species – including one in eight of the world’s bird species – face extinction.

At their ‘Play for Life’ press conference held today in Nairobi, Kenya, PUMA unveiled their key fundraising lever, the revolutionary new Africa Unity Kit –the world’s first ‘continental football kit’ designed to be worn by the 12 African football national teams that PUMA sponsors. These include the World Cup qualified teams Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Algeria who are headed to the Africa Cup of Nations’ with hosts Angola and the national teams of Egypt, Mozambique, Togo and Tunisia, as well as non-qualified federations of Senegal, Morocco and Namibia. Puma also sponsors some of the continent’s best players — Samuel Eto’o, Emmanuel Eboué and John Mensah.

The Africa Unity Kit has been approved by FIFA who have officially recognised it as the Official 3rd kit* to be worn by those PUMA-sponsored African teams.

With all eyes on Africa during the 2010 football season– the Africa Unity Kit makes a compelling global statement. By supporting the Africa Unity Kit, African teams are not only uniting as a powerful force in world football, but also raising awareness of the importance of environmental issues. PUMA’s profits from sales of the replica fanwear for the Unity Kits will help fund biodiversity programs in Africa, and in particular endangered species on the continent such as lions, elephants, gorillas and the desert fox.

The sportlifestyle company has a host of other gear designed to generate additional funds to support biodiversity, including PUMA Unity t-shirts and PUMA Lacelets, collectable shoe laces featuring patterns from world-renowned artist Kehinde Wiley. These products all bear the PUMA Yellow “life” Label, which gives consumers an easy way to identify products that benefit projects supported by PUMAVision, PUMA’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program. A portion of the profits from the Yellow “life” label products will also go to fund the biodiversity programmes.

“In 2010, Africa will be at the centre of the footballing world. The ‘Play for Life’ campaign and the release of the Africa Unity Kit is a powerful statement for PUMA. PUMA is creating a unique kit embracing the diversity of African Nations teams while valuing the unity of players and supporters towards a common goal,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO, PUMA AG who helped launch the Africa Unity Kit. “Biodiversity and therefore valuing and protecting all life on our planet is a huge issue, not only in Africa, but around the world – and we are proud to partner with UNEP to raise both awareness and funds through the sale of our Unity products.”

“As the whole planet comes together for the World Cup, 2010 marks the year when people around the world will unite to conserve the planet’s almost priceless natural resource – its biodiversity. UNEP is delighted to partner with PUMA to bring this important message to millions of fans,” said Angela Cropper, UNEP’s Deputy Executive Director, at the press conference today.

“The planet’s living organisms are the building blocks of the multi-trillion dollar services– from freshwater to agricultural nutrients–that underpin all life on Earth including its economic, social and sporting life. Bringing together the public’s global passion for football with its global passion for animals, plants and other life-forms surely makes a match-winning team,” she added.

Cameroon’s captain Samuel Eto’o, flanked by fellow squad members at the unveiling in Nairobi, commented: “The new Africa Unity Kit has inspired me and my teammates. Not only are we very proud to wear a shirt that helps bring the continent of Africa together but to do so for such an important cause is truly an honour. Supporting the Africa Unity Kit sends out a positive message for Africa – we are a uniting as a continent to help life and the planet.”

The UNEP-PUMA ‘Play for Life’ campaign will support the International Year of Biodiversity by:

• Raising awareness worldwide about biodiversity and the International Year of Biodiversity among football fans and the general public during football events including the African Nations Cup and international friendly games
• Raising awareness through Public Service Announcements featuring football stars
• Encouraging the public to take action to conserve biodiversity
• Raising funds through the Africa Unity Kit and other PUMA Unity football products under the Yellow “life” label to support biodiversity projects in Africa.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

*Football teams have standard home and away kits. The third kit is traditionally worn when both the home and away kits clash. PUMA has given a new twist to the third kit, by launching the Africa Unity Kit, creating the world’s first ‘continental’ kit. This third kit will be worn by PUMA-sponsored African teams in 2010 in matches yet to be finalized.

“We are very happy to announce the continuation of our partnership with the Cameroon Football Federation,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA. “During the fourteen years we have worked with them, their forward thinking has allowed us to undertake and execute several exciting and innovative projects that simply would not be possible with other federations. They are one of our key partners in World football, and we have some great ideas that we look forward to unveiling in the coming months and years.”

“PUMA is a key partner for us, and when the previous agreement concluded there was never any question that we wouldn’t re-sign with them,” said Iya Mohammed, President of the Cameroon Football Federation. “PUMA understands implicitly what we want to achieve, and it is a privilege to work with a company with the same values and ambition. We look forward to working with them for many years to follow.”

In addition to the Cameroon national team sponsorship, PUMA also sponsors individual Cameroon players including captain and record goalscorer striker Samuel Eto’o, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Stephane Mbia, Landry Nguemo and Mohammadou Idrissou.

In keeping with PUMA’s mission to be the most sustainable sportslifestyle brand, the Cameroon Football Federation will take a carbon neutral stance for the entirety of the partnership. Using UNEP’s carbon neutral standard, PUMA and the Cameroon Football Federation will offset the carbon footprint of the Federation through the next FIFA World Cups™.

PUMA’s commitment to Africa extends beyond team and player partnerships, as well. PUMA will continue to support a number of grass roots initiatives across the continent. Coinciding with this announcement, 10,000 durable footballs were delivered to Africa following a joint pledge in collaboration with Intersport® earlier this year, a third of which will go to football projects in Cameroon. PUMA was also the official sponsor and fanwear supplier of the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola.

For more information about PUMA Football, please visit www.pumafootball.com.

The new PUMA South Africa kit was also launched in Johannesburg today, by South African captain Stephen Pienaar along with Siphiwe Tshabalala, Renielwe Letsholonyane, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Darren Keet and Katlego Mphela. Featuring the very latest innovations of PUMA technology, the kit incorporates performance enhancing fabric through moisture wicking properties, mesh inserts on the side for improved ventilation and embossed fabric to enhance the optical appearance. The shirt will also feature both the Protea and SAFA badges. In line with PUMA’s CSR commitment to Africa, all proceeds from replica home shirts sales will be donated to the SOS Children Villages in South Africa, a cause designated by the South African Football Association.

Christian Voigt, Senior Head of Global Sports Marketing at PUMA said “We are delighted to enter into this new partnership with the South African Football Association. PUMA has a longstanding commitment to Africa and African football, and this new relationship further underlines our continuing investment in the continent. In partnering with the South African Football Association, we are proud to have added another great asset to our sports marketing portfolio, and we look forward to a long and successful relationship.”

Kirsten Nematandani, President of the South African Football Association said, “To announce this new commercial relationship with PUMA is a great privilege for us, and we are very happy to have secured this deal. PUMA’s presence in African football really speaks for itself, and they were the most desirable company for us to align ourselves with. Their technical innovation and excellence is of course important, but more so is the heritage and support they have demonstrated for this continent over a number of years. They are the perfect partner as we strive to grow the profile of football in South Africa in the years to come.”

South Africa will become the twelfth current African international team to be currently outfitted by PUMA, the German company is also supplying the Orange African Cup of Nations champions Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Algeria, Senegal, Morocco, Togo, Burkina Faso, Malawi and Namibia.

As part of the brand’s commitment to Africa, PUMA continues to support a number of grass roots and charitable initiatives across the continent. In 2010, the sportlifestyle brand launched the Africa Unity kit – the official FIFA sanctioned third kit of all PUMA sponsored African national football teams, with proceeds from global sales supporting biodiversity causes in Africa. Later the same year, 10,000 durable footballs were delivered to various football projects across a number of West African countries. PUMA was also the official sponsor and fanwear supplier of the 2010 Orange African Cup of Nations in Angola. In 2009, PUMA incorporated the use of sustainable cotton sources from Africa into its product ranges, supporting the Aid by Trade Foundation’s ‘Cotton Made in Africa’ initiative, developed to improve the living conditions of African cotton farmers and promote environmentally responsible farming practices.

PUMA is the sport-lifestyle brand with the longest heritage in motorsport, and its development of fire retardant technology has revolutionized driver racewear by dramatically reducing weight while maintaining the optimal performance of safety and comfort. PUMA will continue to supply Scuderia Ferrari with the latest technological innovations in team and racewear, enabling Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa to compete for the coveted Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in one of the lightest and safest race suits in Formula One.

Luca di Montezemolo, Chairman of Ferrari S.p.A., said: “We have enjoyed a very successful relationship with PUMA over the past six years, and we are very happy that this will continue long term. Their commitment to product design, development and racewear technology is unrivalled in the industry, and they continue to impress us on all counts. Clearly licensed apparel and footwear is a key business area for us, and it could not be in better hands. We look forward to continue working with PUMA for many years to come.”

Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA AG, said: “We are delighted to continue and deepen our partnership with Ferrari. To extend a relationship with the most prestigious brand in the automotive industry and the most popular and successful team in Formula One is of great benefit to us both commercially and reputationally. The Ferrari licensed product development we have undertaken so far has been very successful, and the plans we have for the coming years are equally exciting. They are an ideal motorsport partner for us in every respect.”