Drinking water from a football jersey How Stanley 1913 has transformed the scene

In the world of sport the Stanley Cup has always been the term used to refer to the trophy awarded in the NHL to the team that wins the championship. One of the largest cups in sports history, it is made up of a series of metal plates on which the names of the players on the winning team’s roster are engraved. Its size makes it so difficult to handle that it is probably one of the few trophies in the world that is raised to the sky horizontally rather than vertically. Also, thanks to the bowl placed on top, the trophy lends itself to various uses: some have drunk champagne or beer from it to celebrate, some have filled it with hot dogs, some have used it to feed their dogs. All these reasons have made the Stanley Cup a cult object among hockey fans. Now, however, it risks losing the exclusivity of the name.

Stanley Cup and football

For a couple of years now, when people think of a Stanley Cup the direct reference is to the thermos made by Stanley, the American brand that, thanks to a viral exposure on TikTok, has conquered the water-bottle market. A rise without the slightest sign of pause that allowed Stanley to achieve an unprecedented result: making drinking water cool. "Our brand has been crafting high-quality, reusable drinkware for over a century, constantly innovating to meet evolving consumer needs - as per Ben James, General Manager EMEA at Stanley 1913 - . When people leaned into wellness and hydration during and following the pandemic, we met them where they were at, providing hydration products that became necessary in their everyday lives. We disrupted the category, creating products that were built for performance and supported their active lifestyles."

The first collaboration in football has involved the más grande. Lionel Messi is in fact a testimonial for Stanley 1913 with two lines designed exclusively for the Argentine player’s fans. In addition to the classic bottle with a handle, a complete mate kit has also been launched including a thermos, a cup and a spoon available both in sky blue, to celebrate Argentina, and in pink, to further emphasize his link with his current club, Inter Miami.

"Lionel Messi - explain James - has been a long-time, authentic fan of our brand, often seen sipping from his Stanley mate gourd pre-match - well before we established our multi-year partnership with him. For Messi, mate is more than a beverage, it’s a ritual tied to family, culture, and community. This authentic connection laid the foundation for the co-branded Messi x Stanley 1913 Pink Goat and Striker Blue collections, and a partnership born from shared values of performance, precision, and passion. Stanley 1913 and Messi closely collaborated to bring the Pink Goat and Striker Blue collections to life. He provided input into the silhouette selection and product details such as the inclusion of his cherished jersey number."

The collaborations with Arsenal and PSG

The partnerships between Stanley Cup and the world of football don’t end there. At the start of the 2025/26 season the collaboration with Arsenal was announced, probably the club most attentive to managing its commercial activities off the pitch. The line dedicated to the Gunners is simple and elegant, based on the club’s social colors so all products are a solid red broken by white details. "In 1913, we patented our Classic Bottle - James explains proudly - only a matter of days before Arsenal played its first match at Highbury. Over 112 years later, and we’ve come together as two of the world’s most culturally-relevant brands that people associate with innovation, performance, and community. Sport is culture, and football connects communities globally, making Arsenal an ideal partner. From our first meeting, it was clear that Stanley 1913 and Arsenal share core values."

The second step of this collaboration resulted in the creation of a line paying homage to the iconic Bruised Banana kit. This confirms that the influence of football jerseys extends beyond the pitch. Ben James agrees with that: "Stanley 1913 operates at the intersection of sport, style, and culture. Our products support our consumers’ self-expression as well. And we do lean into football kits for product design inspiration, further supporting fandom of iconic teams and athletes through food and beverage culture. The new Stanley 1913 x Arsenal Bruised Banana collection draws inspiration from one of football’s most recognisable jersey designs".

Then at the end of September the announcement of the collaboration with PSG arrived. In this case the agreement did not result in an exclusive collection but it's only a matter of time, as recounted by James: "We were proud to recently announce our brand’s multi-year partnership with Paris Saint-Germain, further anchoring our brand in the world of sport and the rich intersection of culture and community that it provides. Through our recent partnerships with iconic teams such as PSG, we’ve witnessed the power of prioritising authenticity when creating products for fans. Together, Stanley 1913 and PSG embody a culture of ambition and excellence, uniting across hydration, performance, and style via the new collection. By forming this new alliance, Stanley 1913 and Paris Saint-Germain will deliver a collection later this year that elevates match day experience for fans and players."

Water as a status symbol

When we think of footballers drinking, the first image that comes to mind is that of the plastic squeeze bottles that players squeeze with all the strength they have to spray as much water as possible into their mouths so they can speed up the operation and get back on the pitch. Only more recently have Serie A clubs introduced Tetra Pak water containers to show greater sensitivity to environmental issues. In general, however, the concept is that we associate the image of a footballer drinking with the idea of physical exertion on the pitch.

Now, Stanley 1913 is attempting to change this paradigm. Not so much in terms of how, though. Using the popularity of a sports star to sell a product is not a new practice. It is the foundation of advertising. However, Stanley 1913 has worked hard to make drinking water a status symbol and a message of healthy living, proving that it doesn't have to be boring. Quite the opposite, in fact. And to broaden a message that so far has reached a well-defined market segment, Gen Z, it uses the strongest medium in the world: football. Collaborations with top European clubs are the first step. We should not be surprised if in the near future, perhaps very soon, we come across footballers who, stepping off the team bus or during the pitch inspection wearing their tailored suits, their iPhones and their earbuds, will also sport a Stanley Cup — triggering an emulation effect that will lead fans to find themselves drinking water at the office or at school using a Stanley just like their favorite players on the pitch.