Adidas has beaten off its rivals, including Nike, to become the first official ball sponsor of the Bundesliga.

The deal is a boost for the German company, which recorded just US$12 million profit for the first quarter of 2009. The Bundesliga was the only top league in Europe without an official match ball.

"The Bundesliga will profit from the introduction of an official match ball in many ways. For one thing, we establish objective and uniform conditions for competition. In addition, we further sharpen the league's brand profile at home and abroad" said Christian Seifert, chairman of the DFL, the governing body of German soccer. "The result underlines once more the attractiveness of the league and the Bundesliga brand. We're looking forward to the partnership with the world's leading football manufacturer."

Adidas will produce the official match ball for the competition for four years from the start of the 2010/2011 season. The sponsorship is a lucrative one because of the dramatically increased amount Adidas can charge for official competition balls.

"We're looking forward to our cooperation with the DFL," said Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer. "We bring our know-how as market leaders and our experience as a supplier of the official ball with World Cups and European Championships, Uefa Champions League and the Uefa Europa League into this partnership. The league ball offers Adidas an outstanding opportunity to increase our presence in the invariably important domestic market of Germany, and beyond."