The clocks have changed, we are now into November and the Premier League Winter Ball is in action… but what happened on the Kit front in this week’s Premier League Fixtures….
As always you can find last week Matchweek’s review – here
The current Kit Overview for Premier League is below, we now have all 60 shirts released… still waiting for confirmation of the shorts that will be used with Luton Town’s 3rd.
Matchweek 11 Fixtures
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 70 (+6 from Matchweek 11)
Goalkeeper Kits – 52 (+2 from Matchweek 11)
New Kits this Matchweek
After two weeks of four new kits on show we had one better with this weekend with six new outfield kits, meaning over half the games fielded a kit look we have not seen yet this season, plus a couple new Goalkeeper kits in their as well!
Manchester United, sporting their 5th different Home Kit look of the season (8th Overall) with one of their more traditional Home Kit Variations, using white shorts and socks against Fulham.
West Ham United used their 3rd Kit for the first time this season in the League, having previously used it in Europe.
Wolverhampton Wanderers used alternative shorts to create an all “Old Gold” look on the road, this was the first time we have seen this kit colour variation since 2018/19 Season against Southampton (13th April 2019).
Aston Villa were another team to use their 3rd Kit for the first time in the league having previously used it in Europe this season.
Liverpool used a change kit for the first time this season in their visit to Luton Town, using their away kit!
Chelsea used a variation of their Home Kit for the first time this season, pairing it up with alternative blue socks, to give an all blue look, something not seen since 2021/22 season, as navy socks (from the Away kit) were used as alternative last season
There were two new goalkeeper kits also used for the first time this weekend, both shades of purple…. Having used just one kit for the first nine games of the Season Everton made it three kits in three games for Jordan Pickford and Luton Town used a purple keeper kit, interestingly it was the keeper template from last season that they used not the current Umbro goalkeeper offering!
Kit Highlights
Nottingham Forest have now worn their default Home Kit (Red / White / Red) six times in total and are unbeaten this season in this look, winning three and drawing three of their games!
My favourite Kit Match Up of the weekend was the game between Luton Town and Liverpool, Liverpool in one their best away kit looks of recent years, matched up with Luton Town’s retro inspired home kit just worked for me and looked great in action.
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen 15 Home Kits, 3 Away Kits and 2 3rd kits in action in this Matchweek.
However there was four variations on show, all from home kits
Manchester United, Home with white shorts and socks
Arsenal used their Home kit with alternative red socks, this was the 3rd time this has been used this season
Wolverhampton Wanderers and their All Old Gold look
Chelsea in all blue using alternative blue socks with their home kit
Kit Grid – Up to 7th November
Kit News
Something we have been looking into is the Manchester United sock situation, well we may have some more insights on what is going… Kit Guru Phil Delves has got some inside information, which appears to be that the players are not happy with the default socks, complaining that they are too tight, this being the reason behind the use of Teamwear Socks.
There may be some interesting looking logos for some teams next season, it is rumour that Adidas will bring back the “Trefoil” Logo for their teams third kits next season likely to be Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League.
Nike also looking to do something different with their logo, having used the “Futura” logo a couple of seasons ago, this time it is rumoured that Nike shirts will have a double tick, and possibly have it on its side (potrait view rather than landscape if you will)… I guess we will find out next summer but interesting both stories being reported in the same week!
That wraps up Matchweek 11, plenty of new kits to look back on both outfield and goalkeepers.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and Matchweek Kit Review will return next week.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup held in France ended with South Africa taking a record 4th Title with an 12-11 Victory against New Zealand.
The tournament was held between 8th September and 28th October 2023, with 20 teams playing in total of 48 games during 7 week Tournament.
I shared some regular updates on the Kits used during the competition, but wanted to consildate this in one place for your perusal.
Overall Kit Stats:
20 Teams
37 Kits worn in the Tournament
2 Teams in 3 Kits
13 Teams in 2 Kits
5 Teams in just the 1 Kit
Pool Stage, there were four Pools containg Five Nations, with the Top Two Nations moving to the Knock-Out Stages.
Pool Fixtures Overview
Knock-Out Rounds
Knock-Out Rounds, this consisted of Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, 3rd / 4th Place Playoff and of course the final, so a total of eight fixtures in the final stages of the Tournament.
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals / 3rd & 4th Place / Final
Looking at the Nations in more detail, I will look at each Pool and the Kits worn by the Nations here!
Pool A
Pool A provided four Nations with Blue as their Primary Colour and New Zealand in their traditional “All Black” look, so there was plenty of Alternative Kits on show from this group, with a total of 9 Kits seen in the Pool Stage here.
Uruguay and Italy both used their Alternative Kit in 3 of their 4 Pool Matches, with Namibia using their two kits twice each and Tournament Hosts France only using their Alternative Kit once, in the opening game of the Competition against New Zealand.
New Zealand who reached the final ended playing all seven of their games in their Primary All Black Kit
Pool B
Pool B provided the most Kits used in the Pool Stage, with a total of 10 Kits used by the Nations here.
South Africa were one of two teams to use three kits through the tournament, and the only Nation to use three different shirts, with their Alternative Shirt deemed to contain too much green when they played Ireland, this also meant they wore three different kits in their opening three games.
Ireland, Romania and Tonga all wore two kits in total, with their Primary used three times and their alternative kit worn just the once.
Scotland the other team in the group only appeared in their Primary kit, unusual as even in the 6 Nations Tournament they are one of three teams who play in Blue but with Pool A taking a large portion of the teams in Blue meant it was only the Primary Kit this time around for the Scots.
Pool C
Pool C was another Pool with 9 Kits used, however only 8 were used in the Pool Stage with Fiji being the only Nation to use a kit in the Knock-out Stages that was not previously used in the Pool Stage, with their Alternative Kit used in the Quarter-Final game against England.
Along with Fiji, Georgia, Portugal and Wales all used two kits, with Georgia and Portugal going with Primary and Alternative kits in two games each and Wales just the once in their game againt Portugal.
Australia were one of the five Nations to use just their Primary Kit after failing to progress from the Pool Stage.
Pool D
The final Pool, Pool D was one of the most interesting in terms of kits used.
In total their were 9 Kits used by the Nations here, however it was the only Pool that had two Nations that used just the one Kit, with Chile and Japan playing their four Pool games in their Primary Kits.
Argentina and Samoa would use both Primary and Alternative Kits in their Pool matches, with Argentina also using their alternative kit in a later game (we will come on to that below).
England however were the second team in the Tournament to use three different Kit Looks, this one being a little more subtle than the South Africans, as the Alternative red socks were used with the Primary shirts / shorts to create the only Kit Mash up of the competition, this look was used twice, once in the Pool game against Samoa and then in their second meeting against Argentina in the 3rd / 4th Placed Play-Off.
Kit Highlights
As mentioned there were two teams that used three different kits in the tournament:
South Africa Kits – Primary worn 5 times, Alternative worn 1 time and White Alternative shirt worn 1
England Kits – Primary Kit worn 3 times, Alternative Kit worn 2 times and Primary / Alternative socks worn 2 times
Argentina v England – The two nations met twice in the Tournament, in their opening game in Pool D and then in the 3rd / 4th Place Playoff game, so their final game of the tournament, each game game was played in different kits….
There we have it, the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Kits and congratulations to South Africa on their Record Victory.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or over at @Kit_Geek
We are now in double figures for Matchweeks and over a quarter of the way through the season as Matchweek 10 is now completed.
As always you can find last week Matchweek’s review – here
The current Kit Overview for Premier League is below, we now have all 60 shirts released… still waiting for confirmation of the shorts that will be used with Luton Town’s 3rd.
Matchweek 10 Fixtures
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 64 (+4 from Matchweek 9)
Goalkeeper Kits – 50 (+3 from Matchweek 9)
New Kits this Matchweek
For the second Matchweek in a row, there were four new kit looks on show….
Sheffield United made an interesting Kit Choice to their visit to Arsenal, going for the first time this season with their light grey / off white 3rd kit paired with alternative red socks… The Blades have gone with their Yellow Away Kit for all their games on the road this season and maybe this would have been a better choice this week, as this look did create somewhat of an overall clash!
Newcastle United used their Away Kit in its default (Green / White / Green) look for the first time this season at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Everton used their wonderful 3rd Kit for the first time in their victory at West Ham United, the kit is part of the 100th Anniversary Celebration for Hummel and is a variation of their classic “Mexico” design. I wrote a detailed piece on all those kits which you can find here!
Fulham complete the new outfield kits on show this week, debutting their neon pink Away Kit at Brighton & Hove Albion, a kit ot brighten up those dreary winter days…!
There were also three new goalkeeper used for the first time this weekend… with Chelsea using the green version of the Nike Template for the first time and in the game at The London Stadium saw both Keepers in new kits, with West Ham United using the Pink Umbro template as seen by all Umbro Teams in the Premier League now and Everton moving from their green keeper kit for the first time this season by using their Black / Blue alternative kit!
This takes up to 50 Goalkeeper Used this season so far.
Kit Highlights
We will start as always with Manchester United “Sock Watch”, this weekend in the Manchester Derby it was a return the most recent Adidas Teamwear socks, with just the Adidas Logo… this was the 2nd time they have worn these socks with their Home Kit.
Liverpool have worn their Home Kit in their opening TEN GAMES, so currently have the longest running Kit Streak in the Premier League.
My favourite Kit Match Up of the weekend was the game between Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham, although the Brighton Home Kit is not one of my favourite kits of the season, the match up with the vibriant Fulham Away gave us a nice balance in kit looks and for me just worked well on the eye!
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen 13 Home Kits, 5 Away Kits and 2 3rd kits in action in this Matchweek, this was the second week in a row that we have seen this breakdown.
However there was one Home, Away and 3rd Kit Variation on show this weekend!
Manchester United, Home with Teamwear Socks (New Logo)
Luton Town, Away with Home Shorts & Socks, 2nd Time this variation has been used this season
Sheffield United, 3rd with alternative red socks.
As mentioned above Liverpool have now worn their Home Kit for all 10 games so far, therefore using just the one kit this season! This run is likely to end next weekend when they visit Luton Town so a change kit will be used there.
Sheffield United have used change kits in all five their Away games this season, using their Away kit four times and 3rd kit for the first time this weekend!
Kit Grid – Up to 30th October
Kit News
The Arsenal x Maharishi collection was released in the last week, Maharishi were founded in London in 1994 and are known for using camouflage as in the heart of their designs. Another example of The North Londoners branching their “kits” across from the standard playing and training gear, with these items likely to be used as Pre-Match kit.
To the other side of North London, Tottenham Hotspur launched their “Legacy” Number initiative for their kits, this is wear players wear a unique number on their kit, the number represents their place in order of players to represent the club, something originally seen in Cricket and recently seen used by England National Football Team as well… will more clubs follow this lead, time will tell?
The Numbers will be on the back of the shirts, above the players name – See “805” for Son below!
That wraps up Matchweek 10 plenty new kits on show and some interesting Kit News for the week.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and Matchweek Kit Review will return next week.
The second International Break is completed and the Premier League returns reaching Matchweek 9 and we around a quarter of the way through the season..!
As always you can find Matchweek 8’s review – here
The current Kit Overview for Premier League is below, we now have all 60 shirts released… still waiting for confirmation of the shorts that will be used with Luton Town’s 3rd.
Matchweek 9 Fixtures
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 60 (+4 from Matchweek 8)
Goalkeeper Kits – 47 (No Change from Matchweek 8)
New Kits this Matchweek
There was quite a few new kits on show this Matchweek, with four new looks seen!
Brighton & Hove Albion were used their Away Kit for the 2023/24 season for the first time, this was the first time they have used any change kit this season.
Luton Town used another different combination of their Away kit, this one paired with Home Shorts created the third different look on the road this season with their change shirt!
Manchester United used their Away kit for the second time, this time paired with bespoke alternative White Shorts and socks. We will talk about this kit a bit more in the Kit Highlights….
West Ham United used their Away for the fourth time this season, however this look was paired with Alternative light blue shorts, likely to be also available to use with Home Kit too.
Kit Highlights
As with most weeks we will start with Manchester United, who wore their 7th Kit Variation in the opening 9 games of the season, with their Away Kit with alternative shorts and socks at Sheffield United
There was some controversy around this shirt choice given the impacts to colourblind fans / viewers (impacting 12% of Male population, 5% Female population), arguably it could be considered that the 3rd All “Off-White” Kit may have been a more suitbale alternative given the prodomentaly red Sheffield United Shirt.
Although there was no “new” goalkeeper kit on show, there was an interesting detail highlighed by Museum of Jerserys with Manchester United’s goalkeeper kit, with André Onana has now worn both the Competition and Pro versions of the yellow Tiro 23, wearing the Pro version of the shirt this weekend
Details of differences can be seen below in the illistration from MoJ. There is also a difference in fit, with the competition version being a more form fitting shirt, could this be the reason behind the choice in style of shirt?
Luton Town have now used their Away Kit with three different combinations and yet to use it in its default All White look. Each variation has only been used the once but we have seen the following (SHIRT / SHORTS / SOCKS):
Away / Away / 3rd at Chelsea
Away / Home / Home at Everton
Away / Home / Away at Nottingham Forest
My favourite kit match up of the weekend was the game was the Claret / Blue Derby with Aston Villa and West Ham United, the use of the alternative shorts by West Ham and the claret details in collar / cuff of their away shirt gave a nice overall balance against Aston Villa in their home kit, very pleasing on the eye (for me anyway).
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen 13 Home Kits, 5 Away Kits and 2 3rd kits in action in this Matchweek.
However there were a few variations on show as we looked in the new kits of the week!
Arsenal in alternative red socks with their home kit for the 2nd time
Luton Town, Away with Home shorts
Manchester United, Away with alternative white shorts and socks
West Ham United, Away with alternative blue shorts
Liverpool are now the only team to wear just one kit this season, now 9 games since the start of season in their Home Kit, being at Home Next week means this is streak will continue for 10 games.
And again Everton have used just the one Goalkeeper kit
Kit Grid – Up to 24th October
Kit News
A very quiet week on the Premier League Kit News front.
The only story that peaked our interest was after signing for Luton Town Andros Townsend is going for a slight change of name on his shirt for his new club, adding “Sr” to as a tribute his son (Andros Junior).
That wraps up Matchweek 8 and a few new kits on show, some interesting kit highlights.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and Matchweek Kit Review will return next week.
The 13th Cricket World Cup will be “kicking off” on Thursday 5th October, being held in India who are hosting the tournament on their own for the first time, previously “Co-Hosting” in 1987, 1996 and 2011.
England will be kicking off the competition at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad where they will play New Zealand, who they beat by the “barest of margins” in the 2019 Final.
I want to take some time to look at the “ODI” (One Day International) colours worn by England through-out the tournament’s history, from 1992 up to the current 2023 competition and will rate each kit out of 5 Stars!
1975 to 1987
First, a quick overview of the those earlier tournaments, there were four competitions here with England hosting the first three (1975, 1979, 1983) and India / Pakistan hosting in 1987, These tournaments were all completed with Countries wearing the traditional whites, with the England Team barely changing their look over these 12 years!
1992: Australia / New Zealand
Welcome to modern cricket, coloured clothing, the return of South Africa, new ways to calculate rain effected matches… the Cricket World Cup was about to change!
The Biggest Change was the introduction of coloured kit for each country, there was a nice uniformity to the kit with all countries having the “rainbow” element across the shoulders of the shirt and names were introduced to the back of players shirts. The shirts were produced by Australia Manufacture Hogger Sports.
Each Country was a different colour and England were in Sky Blue, a colour used before the country in their tours of Australia and the ODI Competitions on those tours of the late 80s and early 90s.
England CWC Performance:
Runners Up
2nd in League Phase (9 Countries)
Total Games – 10 (6 Wins, 3 Lost, 1 No Result)
ODI Kit Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1996: Pakistan / India / Sri Lanka
The second Cricket World Cup that saw a uniformity in the kit design of coloured clothing, with all Twelve (increased from 1992) Countries in the same “Template” with each country in it’s own colour. Again a “Rainbow” element was part of this design, this kits were produced by Rolex Hosiery a Delhi based clothing company and Wills was a brand of cigarettes made by the India Tobacco Company who sponsored the 96 World Cup – thank you to Andy Rockall (@Statto_74) for this information.
England had a darker shade of Blue for this tournament not quite a Royal Blue but certainly darker than England had been seen in before with coloured cricket clothing becoming more and more common place in the International matches, again there were player names on the shirts.
England CWC Performance:
Quarter-Finals
4th in Group B
Total Games – 6 (2 Wins, 4 Lost)
ODI Kit Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
1999: England / Wales / Scotland / Ireland / Netherlands
The Cricket World Cup returned to England but this time with 5 Countries in Total hosting games across Europe. The 1999 Tournament was the final time that there was just one company making all the kits for the 12 countries participating in this competition, with Asics. The Japanese sports manufacturer produced bespoke kits for all Nations, each using elements of their National Crests into the shirt desgin.
Another first in Cricket World Cup History was Squad Numbers, which paired with player names on the shirts were used in this tournament, the numbers used were just 1-15 (as we see in Internation Football tournaments), rather than the free for all with numbers we see now.
England’s blue kit was another shade of blue, not as dark as the previous World Cup but it was the first time red was included in the kit as additional detail, something that would be part of the England kits for the next 12 years in World Cups.
England CWC Performance:
Group Stage
4th in Group A
Total Games – 5 (3 Wins, 2 Lost)
ODI Kit Rating – ⭐⭐⭐
2003: South Africa / Zimbabwe / Kenya
2003 Tournament was the first to be held in Africa and became the first tournament when countries could use their own Kit Suppliers in the competition, as well as players using their own numbers from ODI Cricket, so numbers 1-99 could be used by players.
Another first was that the Country names appeared on the front of the shirts, something seen in tournaments to this day and probably linked to the introduction of sponsors being front and centre of cricket playing shirts (as we see in football), having the country name across the chest and sponsor moving to the sleeve, reduced the visibility of sponsors to International Shirts.
England had moved on from Asics and were supplied by Admiral, the first time Admiral had supplied kits for England in a World Cup since the football team in 1982! A return to darker blue, probably the darkerst blue used up to that point by the team.
England CWC Performance:
Group Stage
4th in Pool A
Total Games – 6 (3 Wins, 3 Lost)
ODI Kit Rating – ⭐⭐
2007: West Indies
The Cricket World Cup Circus moved to The Caribbean for the first time and it was the second tournament where the England ODI kit was supplied by Admiral, meaning the classic football kit manufacturer made more appreances in the Cricket World Cup than the Football World Cup for the English National Team.
The red of this kit was a more prominent feature of this kit’s aesthic increasing more the previous two incarnations, this kit was paired with asymmetric red sleeves and trousers.
For me the most dull ODI Kit seen in World Cups for England and what would be the end of the England x Admiral Relationship.
England CWC Performance:
Super 8 Stage
2nd in Group C
5th in Super 8 Group
Total Games – 9 (5 Wins, 4 Lost)
ODI Kit Rating – ⭐
2011: Bangladesh / India / Sri Lanka
In the years between 2007 and 2011 World Cups the England team moved kit manufacturers and were now with Adidas, not necessarily known for the work in the cricketing world but produced some wonderful kits for the team, including a shift to a very dark shade of blue, a colour which was worn in the team’s first victory in an ICC International Tournament winning the T20 World Cup in 2010.
For this World Cup which returned to the Asian Continent, the dark blue was paired with Red Sleeves providing a new look in design for the English Team and one of the best seen in The Cricket World Cup.
England CWC Performance:
Quarter-Finals
3rd in Group B
Total Games – 7 (3 Wins, 3 Lost, 1 Tie)
ODI Kit Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2015: Australia / New Zealand
The pattern of going darker and darker with the shades of blue used by the English Team was broken in the 2015 Tournament in Australia and New Zealand, with a return to Royal Blue shirts, not seen since 1999. Again partnered with Adidas, the shirt also included a pattern of one the “Three Lions” of the National Crest, similar to what we have seen with 1992 England Football 3rd Shirt.
However, there was a change to overall look with the shirt paired with navy trousers and caps, to provide an overall two-tone blue ODI Kit, something not seen before in World Cups for team, another win for me of the England x Adidas years, in their final collaboration for World Cup ODI Kits.
England CWC Performance:
Group Stage
5th in Pool A
Total Games – 6 (2 Wins, 4 Lost)
ODI Kit Rating – ⭐⭐⭐
2019: England / Wales
A return to Sky Blue for England, who hosted the tournament for the 5th Time and manufacturers New Balance pulled off a wonderful homage to the kit worn in 1992 with a shoulder design reminciant to that kit but using various shades of blue with red trim to deliver one of the most iconic England kits in any sport (yes the result also might have something to do with that!!)
The Sky Blue look was only ever used for the World Cup, the shirt was paired with Navy Trousers after this tournament.
A first of this tournement was the introduction of “Alternative” Shirts / Kits for colour clashes, something not normally asscioated (or needed) with cricket, it did provide a new talking point for Kit Lovers like ourselves! India, one of the teams that changed when they played England.
England CWC Performance:
WINNERS
3rd in League Phase (10 Countries)
Total Games – 11 (8 Wins, 3 Lost)
ODI Kit Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2023: India
For this World Cup the English Team will be doned in a Castore Kit, the 5th Kit Manufacturer since 1999 and their 3rd different one in the last 3 World Cups. It is a return to Royal Blue and back to some red detailing within the shirt and to give us an overall look that was reminiscent to what was seen in 2015.
It will be interesting to see if we see “Away” kits used in this tournament, and if England do use one would they use the current Red T20 Shirt which is paired with Navy Trousers as well.
As no performance stats can be shared yet, I will just provide my rating of the Kit.
ODI Kit Rating – ⭐⭐⭐
Cricket World Cup Kit Firsts…
1992 – Coloured Clothing and Player Names
1999 – Squad Numbers, 1 to 15
2003 – Countries own Kit Manufacturers
2003 – Player numbers could be anything between 1-99
2003 – Country Names on Front of shirts
2019 – Away Kits for Colour Clashes
2023 – ???
So there we have it, my deep dive into England Cricket ODI Kits of the World Cups, did my ratings line up with your views of these looks, let me know your thoughts and comments below or at @Kit_Geek
The Premier League reaches Matchweek 8 and it’s second International Break of the season, overall a reasonably quiet week in terms of Kits in terms of usage and new but let’s take a look at the Kits from this weekend.
As always you can find Matchweek 7’s review – here
The current Kit Overview for Premier League is below, we now have all 60 shirts released… still waiting for confirmation of the shorts that will be used with Luton Town’s 3rd.
Matchweek 8 Fixtures
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 56 (+1 from Matchweek 7)
Goalkeeper Kits – 47 (+1 from Matchweek 7)
New Kits this Matchweek
As we start to get into the season, the new kits on show contunue to slow down and this was seen again this week where there was just one new kit look on show.
Tottenham Hotspur used their 3rd kit for the first time in the Premier League, having worn the Kit in the Carabao (League) Cup against Fulham.
1 New Goalkeeper Kit:
Burnley – Two Tone Blue (worn against Luton Town on 3rd October)
Kit Highlights
Again, as last week there is only place to start, is Manchester United “SOCK WATCH” ….
And it is the Teamwear socks again with the Adidas Wordmark… this is two games in a row for these socks, so could they be the sock of choice from now on… who knows!
Another notable Kit Highlight from this game was that Brentford have been in change kits for all their away games so far, using their 3rd Kit for the third time this season at Manchester United, and used change kits four times overall.
Sheffield United continued their use of their away kit when playing on the road this season, their yellow second choice kit was used for the fourth time.
My favourite kit match up of the weekend was the game between Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool, mainly because both clubs have only used their Home / Primary Kits so far in the Premier League this season, so this match up means that run will continue into Matchweek 9!
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen 15 Home Kits, 3 Away Kits and 2 3rd kits in action in this Matchweek.
However there were just one variation on show!
Manchester United in those teamwear socks again
We still have two teams who have only worn 1 kit this season in the opening 8 games
Brighton and Hove Albion
Liverpool
And again Everton have used just the one Goalkeeper kit
Kit Grid – Up to 3rd October
Kit News
There has been both confirmation of Newcastle United leaving Castore and rumours of Aston Villa ending their deal with the manufacturer earlier but it looks a current Premier League Club will be joining their stable from next season, with Everton set to move to them when their deal with Hummel coming to an end this season. This has been reported in the media with sources at the club confirming this.
That wraps up Matchweek 8 and a quiet week in terms of Kits.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and Matchweek Kit Review will return after the International Break
The Premier League is now seven weeks into the season and it is time to have a more in depth look at the kits worn this weekend and some of the stories and news around Premier League Kits.
As always you can find Matchweek 6’s review – here
The current Kit Overview for Premier League is below, we now have all 60 shirts released… still waiting for confirmation of the shorts that will be used with Luton Town’s 3rd.
Matchweek 7 Fixtures
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 55 (+1 from Matchweek 6)
Goalkeeper Kits – 46 (+1 from Matchweek 6)
New Kits this Matchweek
As we start to get into the season, the new kits on show will of slow down and this was seen this week where there was just one new kit look on show this weekend…
Luton Town in a nice looking kit mash up with Away shirt with Home shorts and socks, celebrating this new look with their first ever Premier League victory.
1 New Goalkeeper Kit:
Manchester City (Purple / Pink)
Kit Highlights
The only place to start, is Manchester United “SOCK WATCH” ….
This week it was a return to the Adidas Teamwear socks that include the Adidas Wordmark! This becomes the first look that Manchester United have used more than once in Premier League this season.
Cheslea’s kit was used for the first time with their new front of shirt sponsor, more details below but worth calling out as a kit highlight for the week.
Sheffield United have played all three of their away games this season in their All Yellow Away Kit.
They are not the only team to play in change kits in all their Away Games so far, with both Brentford (Away x1, 3rd x 2) and Crystal Palace (Away x2, 3rd white Away socks x2) continuing their use of change kits on the road this weekend.
My favourite kit match up of the weekend was the game between Everton and Luton Town, the mash up of the Luton Kit working really well and giving a nice balance with the Everton Home Kit, something very nostalgic for me with this game, so calling this one as my favourite of the week!
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen 14 Home Kits, 5 Away Kit and for the 4th time this season just one 3rd kit in action.
However there were just variations on show, one home and one away kit.
Manchester United in those teamwear socks
Luton Town in their Away / Home Kit Mash up (as mentioned above).
We still have two teams who have only worn 1 kit this season in the opening 7 games and with both teams playing each other next weeked, likely to make it 8 games in just the one kit!
Brighton and Hove Albion
Liverpool
And again Everton have used just the one Goalkeeper kit
Kit Grid – Up to 3rd October
Kit News
Chelsea have finally confirmed their front of shirt sponsorship with “Infinite Athlete”, the Sports Technology Company was much rumoured to take the spot on the Chelsea shirt in the past few weeks after initial sponsors Paramount were not sanctioned by the Premier League due to their Broadcast deal with NBC in USA and then fans reacted negatively to the rumours of Stake becoming the headline sponosor of the club.
The Sponsorship with Infinite Athlete was debuted in the West London Derby with Fulham on Monday 2nd October.
Hummel have launched a range of shirts called the “Equality Jersery” to celebrate equality and inclusion in the world of sports. Several of the teams in the Hummel stable will have this shirt, likely to be a pre-match shirt… Premier League’s Everton included in this group. The shirt is the classic “Mexico” template in rainbow colours and goes on sale on 29th September 2023.
There were reports last week coming from Aston Villa that players were unhappy with the quality of the shirts from Castore and that they were impacting performance but holding sweat within the shirt. Added to this, the often seen ripping of Castore shirts certainly brings the quality of the products into the spot light, with Newcastle United already confirmed to moving away from the manufacturer next season, will Aston Villa be the next team?
The game between Luton Town and Burnley which was postponed from Matchweek 2 is being played on Tuesday 3rd October, any additional kit details will be added in next week’s Kit Review.
That wraps up Matchweek 7 and a lot to consider from this recent round of fixtures.
And a final reminder, that the latest Episode of The Football Kit Podcast is out now, we have a chat with @TinyJerserys about all things minitaure kit and create our own “Mount Kitmore”, find it at your Podcast Catcher of choice here
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and Matchweek 8 will be out next week!
Hummel is a sports brand that has had a resurgence in the footballing world over the past few years and the manufacturer is celebrating their 100 year anniversary by producing one their and football’s most iconic kit designs.
The “Mexico” template, most famously worn by the Denmark National Team in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico was also worn by several teams in the late 80s includng English clubs Southampton, Coventry City, Aston Villa and Pisa in Italy.
Several teams across Europe currently supplied by Hummel are being given their own version of the kit this season to celebrate the 100 year anniversary, so I wanted to collect them all in one place… well just because I thought it is only right to have that one place to visit them all in one go!
Denmark
I will start with the spiritual home of the kit design, the Danish National Team who first saw a return to this template with “Red Out” version most famously worn in their Euro 2020 Semi-Final Against England in 2021.
The team have had several Hummel Templates of the 80s and 90s revisited over the past three years, so it was no surprise when there was a return their iconic away kit from 1986 earlier this year and kicked off the 100 Year Celebrations.
Brondby IF
One of the most well known clubs in Denmark, supplied by Hummel, it was always going to be on the cards that Brondby were one of the clubs to showcase the 100 Year Celebration Kits. The design is more a sublte one with slighlty different shades of yellow to give us that iconic striped look.
Coventry City
Coventry City have one of the key clubs in the return of Hummel to the football kit mainstream world, and had versions of this template in 2019/20 seasons with home and away kits using a modern twist to this look.
However this season it will be their 3rd Kit that is part of the celebrations, with this Green and Black version of the kit… at the moment the latest of the kits to be released.
Everton
Everton have been in a partnership with Hummel since 2020 and this is the first time we have seen Grey used as a change colour for The Toffees in this time, a colour that has been used several times over the years since 1980s. This 3rd kit uses a two-tone grey in its design to give a nice look for the template!
FC Koln
The first of German teams to have the kit, FC Koln are using this red version as their away kit this season. It is very similar in design to the “Red Out” kit used by the Denmark team but this one with a round collar, the only playing version of the shirt to do so with more white detailing in collar and chevrons.
Southampton
Probably the most classic in design of all the 100 Year Kits, this kit, like the Denmark Away shirt is a remake of the same kit worn by the club between 1987 and 1989, the remake also goes for the shorts and sock here as well, this is also one of three home kits to use this design.
Malaga
The Spanish Second Division team probably have the boldest designs in terms of colour with their Away and 3rd Kits this season.
Away, combines Purple and Green for what would be an outstanding choice in colour design if it was not for their 3rd Kit…!
3rd Kit uses Neon Green and Neon Yellow, combined with Neon Pink details with Club Crest, Hummel Logo / Chevrons and Sponsor, absolutely my favourite of the 100 Year Celebration Kits!
Real Betis
Real Betis and Hummel is another relationship that goes back to the 80s and 90s, so no surprise when they had their own version of the template for this season. Much more subtle in design than Spanish compatriots Malaga, this all black version is a classic looking kit and with its Green detailing is wonderful looking kit.
St Etienne
Another low key version for French Ligue 2 side St.Etienne, with a predominantly white shirt with a very pale green strip used within the shirt for their away kit, green being the club colours being used here gives a great alternative kit for the team to use on the road.
Werder Bremen
In their first season with Hummel, Werder Bremen will have this home kit. The green and white look for this kit is a look also harks back to the 80s, with rumours of a similar Green Verison of this kit created for Denmark to be used as a 3rd Kit back in 1986. The look perfectly ties in with club colours of the Bundersliga team and finally gives kit lovers the opportunity to see this kit in action.
Wycombe Wanderers
One of four English clubs to have their kits supplied by Hummel, each of them having their own version of this kit. Wycombe Wanderers, also in their first season with Hummel have the “Red Out” look as their away kit, this one does have a similar collar to the Danish version of the kit used in 2021 and Red Chevrons are included!
Equality Shirt
Released on 26th September the Hummel Equality Jersey was created as a limited edition shirt to celebrate equality and inclusion in the world of sports and will be worn by several of the teams mentioned above.
It is yet to be seen how this will be worn but based on last season’s Equality Shirt it is likely to be a “Pre-Match” shirt.
There we have it, 12 shirts from 9 Clubs, 1 Nation and a Pre Match shirt all pulling from an iconic design. It raises as many negative comments as it does positive comments but it drives conversation about kit design and for me that is a positive thing and using templates in football kit design is not a new thing and will always be with us, so lets celebrate when there is a good one and join Hummel in celebrating their 100 year Anniversary.
Let me know your thoughts or if I have missed any kits in the comments below or over at @Kit_Geek I will update the post with the kits missed and of course give you credit for my oversights!
The Premier League hits it sixth week of the season and it is time to have a more in depth look at the kits worn this weekend and some interesting kit usage to take a look into.
As always you can find Matchweek 5’s review – here
The current Kit Overview for Premier League is below, we now have all 60 shirts released… with Luton Town’s 3rd shirt being unveiled in the last week, shorts are still to be confirmed and we are assuming the socks were the navy socks worn at Chelsea.
Matchweek 6 Fixtures
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 54 (+6 from Matchweek 5)
Goalkeeper Kits – 45 (+3 from Matchweek 5)
New Kits this Matchweek
There were another 6 new kit looks on show this weekend…
Fulham in Home Kit with alternative white socks, their first kit variation of the season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers debuted their 3rd kit for this season.
Nottingham Forest in alternative red shorts with their Home Kit, creating a classic all red look, something not seen used by the team since 2019/20 season.
Manchester United used their wonderful 3rd kit for first time this season, it was used with alternative white socks (default being red), to give a nice all white look.
Tottenham Hotspur, used their home shirt with alternative navy shorts and socks (these are not the Away shorts / socks) and contain similar pattern to home kit.
Newcastle United used their 3rd kit for the first time and were another team that used alternative shorts and socks, to create a Navy / Yellow / Yellow look (default being Navy / Navy / White) and what a debut it was!!
3 New Goalkeeper Kits:
Arsenal – Green with black shorts
Newcastle United – All Blue
Sheffield United – All White
Kit Highlights
Let’s start with Manchester United, who used their 6th different kit variation in their first 6 games… with four home kits (check out last week’s report about those socks), one away and this 3rd kit from Saturday’s game against Burnley…
Another Kit that was used for the first time this season was Arsenal’s green goalkeeper kit, I want to call this one out as although it is the standard Adidas Goalkeeper template, this is only version of the kit seen in the Premier League that has different colour shorts paired with it, with black shorts being the default look!
My favourite kit match up of the weekend was Manchester City against Nottingham Forest, Forest in all red is a great look in my eyes for the club, especially combined with those Adidas stripes and matched against Man City’s home kit gave a nice overall match up for me!
There were only two games this weekend with both teams in their default Home Kits…
Brentford v Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion v AFC Bournemouth
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen 16 Home Kits, 1 Away Kit and 3, 3rd kits in action.
However there were plenty of variations on show, with six alternative looks seen this weekend, five already mentioned above as they were new looks for their respective teams.
Fulham / Nottingham Forest / Manchester United / Tottenham Hotspur / Newcastle United
Aston Villa used alternative claret socks for the 2nd time this season
There are still only two teams who have only worn 1 kit this season in the opening 6 games.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Liverpool
And again Everton have used just the one Goalkeeper kit
Kit Grid – Up to 24th September
Kit News
The final Kit release of the 2023/24 Premier League Season has now happened with Luton launching their 3rd shirt this week, the shirt design being based on the aerial view of their Kenilworth Road Stadium.
However we still do not know what the full kit will look it, although the navy socks used at Chelsea appear to be part of this kit, will it “All Navy” or maybe pink shorts to match the pink detailing on shirt and socks.
Newcastle United who returned to the Champions League last week, confrmed that they will wear a slighlty different design of home shirt in that competition, with UEFA rules requiring a space for the nameset when the stripes are of “Light / Dark” combinations. I am very glad to see the red numbers remaining, in my humble opinion Newcastle United should always use a red namset with their home kit.
That wraps up Matchweek 6 and a lot to consider from this recent round of fixtures.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and Matchweek 7 will be out next week!
The Premier League is back after the International Break and it is time to have a more in depth look at the kits worn this weekend and some interesting kit usage to take a look into.
As always you can find Matchweek 4’s review – here
The current Kit Overview for Premier League is below, we now have 59 out of the 60 Kits released so far… with just Luton Town’s 3rd Kit to be confirmed (we may have already seen the socks of this kit in Matchweek 3).
Matchweek 5 Fixtures
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 48 (+6 from Matchweek 4)
Goalkeeper Kits – 42 (+2 from Matchweek 4)
New Kits this Matchweek
There were another 6 new kit looks on show this weekend…
Crystal Palace in their away kit for the first time in the Premier League this season, having already worn it in the Carabao Cup
Manchester United, Home kit with another different pair of black socks…. (we will discuss in more detail below)
Brentford Away kit, which is the same kit used as away from last season, part of their 2 year cycle for kit usage.
Chelsea 3rd Kit, only offically released in the week before this game Chelsea get their new 3rd kit straight into action.
Arsenal in their home kit with alternative red socks.
Burnley, changed from their home kit for the first time this season, using their away kit in the game at Nottingham Forest.
2 New Goalkeeper Kits:
Brighton & Hove Albion – Orange GK Kit
AFC Bournemouth – Pink GK Kit
Kit Highlights
I have to start with Manchester United, who made 5 different kit looks in their opening 5 games!
Again, it is the socks that are the change, the “Teamwear” socks are back but this time with the updated Adidas logo, with just the “3 Stripes” branding (as seen on the shirts from this season), below you can see Marcus Rashford from the game this weekend in the newer socks and then the team celebrating against Nottingham Forest in Matchweek 3 with the older “Teamwear” socks!
An interesting choice of kit from Manchester City for their visit to West Ham United, many people commenting on the clash the away kit caused, maybe using alternative white shorts here or even the currently unused 3rd kit would have be better visual for the game, could this be the first “Claret” Short clash in the Premier League??
My favourite kit match up of the weekend was Tottenham Hotspur v Sheffield United, all white versus all yellow is kit match up we do not often see, given Sheffield United’s kits this season it was probably the best choice but I think worked well to give us a vibriant kit contest.
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen 14 Home Kits, 5 Away Kits and just the single 3rd kit in action.
There were just two kit variations used, both with home kits.
Manchester United and those socks…!
Arsenal in alternative red socks for the first time this season!
There are now only two teams who have only worn 1 kit this season
Brighton and Hove Albion
Liverpool
And just Everton who have used only 1 Goalkeeper kit
Kit Grid – Up to 19th September
Kit News
Just the one New Kit release other the past week or so…
Chelsea completed their Kit Releases for the 23/24 Season with the launch of their 3rd kit (which was worn against Bournemouth this weekend). This is inspired by their original “Eton Blue” kit, means that all three kits this season have element of “Blue” about them…!
Sponsorship news for next season (2024/25) with Manchester United and Qualcomm Technologies announcing an expansion of their current partnership with the club to now become their front of shirt sponsor, the Tech Company’s brand “Snapdragon” will be featured on the shirts, Snapdragon processors power products from the world’s biggest brands across smartphones, PCs, extended reality glasses, gaming devices, wearables, and connected cars.
Adidas have launched a leisure wear range of shirts called, “LFSTLR Range” which are leisure shirts based on the current 3rd Kit Range for some of their “Tier 1” Clubs, so Arsenal and Manchester United being the Premier League Clubs to get these shirts, providing fans with another alternative look to these popular shirts.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and Matchweek 6 will be out next week!
Football Kit Geek - @Kit_Geek 