Nike Football - 10 Years & 10,000 Goals

Nike Football - 10 Years & 10,000 Goals

An ordinary September Premier League weekend could go down in history for Nike Football, who are on the verge of a very special landmark...

It was way back on August 19th, 2000 when Ipswich Town's Mark Venus (below) scored at White Hart Lane, notching the very first Nike Football Premier League goal.

Nike had taken over the sponsorship of the division's football from Mitre, and this goal a decade ago marked the very first to hit the net for the then-revolutionary Nike Geo Merlin football.

Nike are celebrating 10 years of their partnership with the Premier League this season, and we've already featured each of the Nike footballs released over this long standing relationship.

The very first Nike Premier League football, the Geo Merlin Vapor, delivered the latest in Swoosh design and innovation. Developed around the revolutionary DART (Dynamic Acceleration Response and Touch) casing system, the Geo Merlin Vapor had everything from a softer touch to explosive speed.

Fast foward to today, and the evolution of Nike's football design is there for all to see in the shape of the Nike T90 Tracer. A design that is very different to previous Nike footballs, with a depth-enhanced performance graphic to engage vision quickly, which basically means the ball catches your eye quicker to improve player reactions.

Now, 10 years later on 25th September 2010, West Ham United's Frederic Piquionne becomes the player to score Nike Football's 10,000th Premier League goal as he bagged the opening goal against Tottenham (well, at least that's one thing that hasn't changed in 10 years!)