The revamped Champions League format is now in it’s third season, and we will continue to review the kits worn in each Matchweek, much like the Premier League Kit Reviews.
As with the previous years of this format, Match 2 sees the games return to two days, with nine games on Tuesday and nice on a Wednesday, this will be the format until the final round of group games in January, with these games played across Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th October.
The current Kit Overview for Kits worn by The Champions League Teams.
This gives 103 of the 108 Kits of the 36 Teams, but there will be more thanks to the missing 3rd Kits as well as 4th Kits / Cup Kits that we are likely to see in use over the coming months!
Match 2 Fixtures
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 59
New Kits – 23
New Kits this Matchweek
As we are in Match 2 there was plenty of new kit looks on show this week, with 23 of the 36 Teams in 2 different kit looks in their opening 2 games
Lens – Home
Slavia Prague – 3rd
Arsenal – Home
Lille – 3rd
Atletico Madrid – Home
Manchester United – Away with alternative white shorts / socks
Barcelona – Away
Club Brugge – Away
RB Leipzig – Home
PSV – 3rd
Villarreal – Home
Napoli – 3rd
Feyenoord – Home
Como – Home with white socks
Liverpool – Away with alternative white shorts
Aston Villa – Home
Fenerbahce – Home with alternative navy shorts & socks
Borussia Dortmund – Away
Manchester City – Home
Porto – Away
Shakhtar Donetsk – Home
AEK Athens – 3rd
Slovan Bratislava – 3rd
Kit Highlights
Manchester United wore alternative white shorts and socks with their Away Kit at Atletico Madrid for a lesser spotted look for the Red Devils of Blue / White / White.
Napoli used their European 3rd Kit for the first time, which is all black with gold detailing, this means that it is unlikely we will see their regular red 3rd kit used in action in Champions League this season.
Galatasaray wore their Home Kit with white shorts for the second game in a row (first time at Home), does this mean that this will be their default kit look for the competition this season, lets keep an eye on this one.
It is not often we see Borussia Dortmund use a change kit in the Champions League but it was needed this when they visited Bodø / Glimt who’s first choice colours are also yellow.
LASK and Slovan Bratislava both wore their designated 3rd Kits at Home this week, with LASK now wearing this kit in both games so far in the competition
My favourite Kit Match of the week was the game between Aston Villa and Fenerbahce, with the vistors using alternative navy blue shorts and socks, when matched up against Villa’s current Home Kit look gave us a nice looking balance and Kit Match up.
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen the following kits…
23 Home Kits
6 Away Kits
7 3rd Kits
Kit Variations seen this week.
Manchester United – Away with alternative white shorts / socks
Galatasaray – Home with white shorts
Fenerbahce – Home with alternative navy blue shorts / socks
Liverpool – Away with alternative white shorts
Como – Home with white socks
Champions League will return with Match 3 next week (20th / 21st October).
Any thoughts and comments please let me know over at my Socials…
Welcome to Volume Two, we are looking at the kits worn between 8th September and Monday 6th October
So far this season we have seen:
Championship – 68 Kits (+12 from Vol.1) League One – 65 Kits (+12) League Two – 65 Kits (+13)
Championship – Kit Overview
All 72 Kits have been released.
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 56
Kit Grid, up to 6th October.
Kit Highlights
Four Teams have worn a total of Four different Kit Looks / Variations so far this season – Millwall, Queen’s Park Rangers, Swansea City and West Ham United.
Birmingham City and Burnley released their 3rd Kits, which completes the 72 Kits for Championship this season.
Queen’s Park Rangers wore four different Kit Looks in four games, this included wearing their 3rd Kit at Home in an initiative where fans could trade old shirts for their 3rd Kit in support of “KitAid”.
They wore 3rd Kit and Home Kit in Home games, and then a mash up of Home with Away shorts and socks, and then Away with Home socks for the four different looks.
Wrexham’s visit to West Ham United gave us one of the best Kit Mash Ups of the past month, wearing their 3rd Kit with Away socks for a complementary look.
League One – Kit Overview
All 72 Kits have now been released in League One.
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 65
Kit Grid, up to 6th October
Kit Highlights
Four Teams have worn four different kit variations so far this season in League One – Burton Albion, Leyton Orient, Luton Town and Notts County.
Five teams released their 3rd Kits to complete the 72 Kits of League One, Barnsley, Doncaster Rovers, Huddersfield Town, Leicester City and Luton Town.
Burton Albion are one of the teams that have worn four kits so far this season in EFL and League One, of these four kits, three of their looks have been their 3rd Kit, which they have worn in it’s default look and mashed up with Away shorts and socks.
League Two
Kit Overview – 69 Kits out 72 released (Barney,
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 65
Kit Grid, up to 6th October
Kit Highlights
Tranmere Rovers are the team in League Two with the most Kit Variations used so far this season, with four different kits looks used.
Exeter City released their 3rd Kit which is also their 125th Anniversary Kit, which was worn in their Home game against Tranmere Rovers
There have been another four clubs that have confirmed their 3rd Kits in the past month, Accrington Stanley, Bristol Rovers and Salford City with Fleetwood Town using last season’s Away as their 3rd Kit this season.
The final team to wear a change kit in EFL was Fleetwood Town, who wore their Home Kit in their opening 8 games of the season, wearing a change kit for the first time against Salford City on 3rd October.
EFL Kit News
We had Round 3 of Carabao Cup, this the round where the remaining Premier League Teams (those playing in Europe) enter the competition.
The second EFL Cup cup competition started in September, the EFL Trophy will be called “Jersey Mike’s” Trophy this season, sponsor by the American Sandwich retail outlet have agreed a 5 Year deal to sponsor the competition which includes clubs from League One and League Two as well as 16 Premier League U21 Teams.
Any thoughts and comments please let me know over at my Socials…
The revamped Champions League format is now in it’s third season, and we will continue to review the kits worn in each Matchweek, much like the Premier League Kit Reviews.
And here we go…. just as we have seen in the previous two season, the first round of fixtures were played over three days, 8th to 10th September 2026, a week earlier due to the change in the Autumn International Fixture schedule.
The current Kit Overview for Kits worn by The Champions League Teams.
This gives 103 of the 108 Kits of the 36 Teams, but there will be more thanks to the missing 3rd Kits as well as 4th Kits / Cup Kits that we are likely to see in use over the coming months!
Match 1 Fixtures
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 36
New Kits this Matchweek
As the first week of the Competition, all 36 kits are being used for the first time!
Kit Highlights
Aston Villa have given us several kit looks in various competitions over the past couple of season, and they kicked off another Champions League campaign with a new look, they wore their 3rd Kit with alternative white shorts and socks against Club Brugge.
Inter Milan sported a sponsor free version of their Home Kit against Real Madrid, this is due the Spanish Laws which do not allow gambling sponsorship in this way, the result was a popular one amoungst Kit Lovers and general football fans alike.
One of those rare sights in the football kit world is a Villarreal in an Away Kit, but that is what we saw this week when they came up against Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal wore a Kit look that I am very fond of, when they wore alternative red shorts this week at Napoli, the first time this look has been used since 2022.
Shakthar Donesk gave us one of the more different looking mash ups this week, wearing their Away Kit (light blue shirt with pink detailing and white shorts), with black 3rd kit socks which are black / orange… so plenty going on here.
Manchester United returned to the Champions League for the first time in 3 years and first time since the format change, and they used their classic European first choice look of their Home Kit with white socks.
My favourite Kit Match of the week was the game between Barcelona and Feyenoord, the Barcelona shirt is one of their best in recent years (in my humble opionion), so seeing it action paired with a nice Feyenoord Away kit gave us a nice balance of overall kits!
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen the following kits…
26 Home Kits
8 Away Kits
2 3rd Kits
Kit Variations seen this week.
Aston Villa – 3rd with alternative white shorts & socks
Arsenal – Home with alternative red shorts
Galatasaray – Home with Away (white) shorts
Shakhtar Donesk – Away with 3rd (black) socks
Bayern Munich – Home with alternative red socks
There is a bit of break now with the Champions League, with Match 2 of this season’s competition coming after the extended International Break on 13th / 14th October.
Any thoughts and comments please let me know over at my Socials…
On Wednesday 28th January 2026 the second League Phase of the expanded Champions League came to it conclusion, with the 36 Teams playing 8 games each for a total of 144 games.
Overall Kit Stats:
113 Kits worn in Group Stages – 144 games
44 Home Kits (33 Default / 11 variations)
33 Away Kits (30 Default / 3 Variations)
30 3rd Kits (23 Default / 7 Variations)
3 “Cup” Kits (2 Default / 1 Variation)
2 4th Kits
1 Charity Kit
2 Teams in 5 Kit Variations
11 Teams in 4 Kit Variations
14 Teams in 3 Kit Variations
8 Teams in 2 Kit Variations
1 Team in just 1 Kit
Team Breakdowns
Below you will find the Kit Log of all 36 Teams, I have these in alphabetical order.
Looking at some of my favourite Kit highlights of the League Phase of the competition…
There were two teams that wore five different Kit variations in their eight games, Bayern Munich and Sporting CP.
Bayern Munich, who wore Home, Away and three different variations of their 3rd Kit.
Sporting CP wore two variations of their Home Kit, Away, 3rd and a Charity Kit.
Bayer Leverkusen were the only team to wear a single Kit Look through this phase of the competition.
PSG were the only team to wear four distinct kits with no variations, wearing Home, Away, 3rd and 4th Kit in their eight games!
AS Monaco wore three different Home Kit looks, using red / white shorts and socks in different combinations.
Benfica were the only team to wear just their Home Kit in all of their matches, they did this in two different looks, wearing default look (white shorts) six times and alternative red shorts twice.
Borussia Dortmund as with traditional over the recent seasons wore a Cup Kit, they did this in two different variations, only wearing alternative shorts the once in the opening game against Juventus.
Juventus wore their 3rd Kit more than any other look, wearing it four times including once at Home.
There were three examples of “European” Change kits, with Napoli having dedicated European Away and 3rd Kits (a shame we did not get to see that wonderful brown 3rd Kit in Champions League Action) and Union Saint-Gilloise used a “European” Away Kit.
Manchester City wore a 4th Kit for second season in a row, this season wearing it three times in total for their most used look away from Etihad Stadium.
That’s it, the Champions League “League” Phase has now been completed!
Links to all the weekly reports can be found above.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or over at my Socials…
Our friends over at They Think Kits All Over released their Top 50 Shirts of 2025 Podcast Episode earlier this week, where they ask their followers to send across their Top 5 (in order) which they then collate and create a list of the Top 50 shirts… with many other people sharing their Top Shirt Lists, I thought I would share mine which I submitted to the TTKAO gang!
So queue the countdown music, here are my favourite 5 Shirts of the year!
Number 5 – Hamburg SV Home
My countdown starts with HSV’s 2025 / 26 Home Shirt, as we see with most seasons now there is a look back to past, and this template has also been used by Club America in Mexico but this version in Hamburg’s Tri-Colour combination was my favourite and a great example of retro done right as based on 1994 / 95 3rd Kit.
Number 4 – Swansea City 3rd
Gulf colours are one of the most iconic colour schemes in sport, so when Swansea City built on the success of their commemorative fourth kit from the 2023 / 24 season, when the Gulf logo featured on the front of the Swansea City shirt celebrating the 30th anniversary of their Autoglass Trophy win, the third kit went fully in on the Gulf colours of racing blue and orange.
Number 3 – SSC Napoli 3rd
Brown Kits often be seen in “worst” shirt lists, you the one I mean… so this Napoli choice is a brave one in terms of colour but paired with the light blue detailing and logos just works wonderfully well. We discussed this kit in Episode 35 of The Football Kit Podcast and I called it out then as my favourite Kit from Serie A this season.
Number 2 – Germany 125th Anniversary Shirt
There were so many wonderful Anniversary Shirts from Adidas this season, this list easily could have been made up of the 5 shirts from that “Family”, however I decided I would only include one shirt and that one was the Germany 125th Anniversary Shirt. One of the most elegantly beautiful shirts of this century, and does exactly what you want an Anniversary shirt to do… a special call out the blue goalkeeper version as well (which I purchased, in long sleeve of course).
Number 1 – Port Vale Home
So my Number 1 was Port Vale’s Home Shirt, another Anniversary shirt, this time celebrating 150 Years of the club, with its retro club crest, no sponsor, it just looks amazing and when you take the whole Kit into consideration for me it is Kit Perfection. This Puma template is one the best templates of the season as well, with several clubs have great shirts with it but this one is the stand out in my eyes and my favourite shirt of 2025.
Well that’s it, My Top 5 Shirts of 2025 but I am just one single voice and would love to know what you think and what made your Top 5’s!
Again a huge call out and thanks to They Think Kits All Over Pod for their hard work in creating and sharing their list, also if you enjoy these kind list please also check out Friend of Kit Geek and The Football Kit Podcast @ChatShirt who created a wonderful Top 100 List that is worth spending the time reading – you can find it here
Any thoughts and comments, and what were your favourite shirts of 2025.
We are now three quarters of the way the League Phase of the Champions League this season, the sixth round of fixtures being played on Tuesday 9th December and Wednesday 10th December 2025, the final Champions League games of this calendar year.
The current Kit Overview for Kits worn by The Champions League Teams.
Match 6 Fixtures
Total Kits Used
Kits Worn in Total – 105
7 New Kits used this Matchweek
New Kits this Matchweek
The 7 new kits this week were the following:
Eintracht Frankfurt – Away
AS Monaco – Home with white socks
Slavia Prague – Away
FC Copenhagen – Away
Newcastle United – Away with alternative white socks
Napoli – Euro Away with alternative blue shorts
Bodø/Glimt – 3rd
Kit Highlights
100 Kits has been hit this match week, and it’s 105 Kits used in 108 games in total.
Bayer Leverkusen are the only team to wear just a single kit look in the six games.
Eintracht Frankfurt wore a change kit for the first time in the competition this season.
AS Monaco wore their 3rd different kit look, all of the being Home Kits with different combinations of red / white shorts and socks, they wore white shorts and socks at Home to Galatasaray.
Manchester City used their 4th Kit for the 2nd time in the competition in their game at Real Madrid.
There are ten teams that have now worn four kit looks in the opening six games, Galatasaray and Sporting CP (who used four in four games), Ajax, Athletic Club, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Newcastle United, PSG and Union Saint-Gilloise
My favourite Kit Match of the week was the game between PSV and Atletico Madrid, a nice contrast of kits and the Atletico 3rd Kit is a wonderful example of the current T90 Nike 3rd Kits.
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen the following kits…
20 Home Kits
10 Away Kits
4 3rd Kits
1 “Cup” Kit
1 4th Kit
There were just 5 Kit Variations seen this week…
Chelsea – Away with alternative socks, 2nd time used
AS Monaco – Home with white socks
Newcastle United – Away with alternative white socks
Napoli – Euro Away with alternative blue shorts
Juventus – Home with alternative white shorts, 2nd time used
Let me know your thoughts or other details you spotted this week in the comments below or at my socials.. X – @kit_geek or Bluesky – Kit Geek and I will be back after next round of Champions League games in January, with Round 7 on 20th and 21st January 2026.
If you liked this, then check out the below posts that have recently been published on the site…
The Premier League is back after the final round of International Fixtures of 2025 with the 12th round of fixtures of the season, and this is the start of run of nine Matches over the next six weeks, with these games completed between Saturday 22nd November and Monday 24th November 2025.
There was just the one new Kit on show this weekend.
West Ham United wore their Away Kit with alternative “Ecru” shorts.
Kit Highlights
West Ham United in their 5th Kit Variation of the season, this is the joint-second highest in Premier League this season (Aston Villa in 6, with Manchester United and Newcastle United also with 5).
Crystal Palace wore their Home Kit in an Away Game for the first time this season, this was their 6th Away game of the season, wearing their 3rd Kit in four games and Away once!
Brentford continue to wear change kits in all their Away games this season, wearing their Away for the 3rd time this season, having worn their 3rd kit in their other 3 Away games.
Chelsea wore their Away for the 2nd time this season and again with alternative shorts and socks, they have yet to wear this kit in it’s default look (“Ecru” shorts / Green socks) in any competition including the World Club Cup, which is 8 games in total.
My favourite “Kit Match Up” of the Matchweek was the game between Leeds United and Aston Villa, Villa in All Claret is one of my favourite kit looks, so when this is used it will always be one I keep an eye on!
Kit Stats
Overall we have seen 15 Home Kits, 4 Away and 1 Third Kit in action.
There were four Kit variations used in this Matchweek.
Chelsea – Away, with alternative shorts / socks – 2nd time used
West Ham United – Away with alternative shorts
Aston Villa – Home, All Claret – 2nd time used
Everton – Home, All Blue – 2nd time used
Kit Grid – Up to 25th November
Kit News
The Chelsea front of shirt sponsorship has been an interesting topic over the past few seasons with them carrying no sponsor in the majority of the games over this period, however that appears to be changing in the coming days with rumours of a deal with Oracle (US Software company). It has been reported that sponsorship will start as quick as next with high profile games against Barcelona in Champions League and Liverpool in Premier League – full details can be found here via Footy Headlines
Any thoughts and comments please let me know over at my Socials…
In terms of qualifying the “Road to World Cup 2026” is well underway, however the real start of World Cup Fever kicked off this week with Adidas launching this International Kits for the next two year cycle, so lets take a closer look at some of these kits and just for fun I have rated them!
Germany – Let’s kick off with one of the most anticipated kits, with this being the final Adidas Kit for it’s Home Nation for the foreseeable future (never say never). For me it does not disappoint and is one of the best kits of this launch, a look taking inspiration from 1990 and 1994 World Cup’s, this is going to be a hit for fans and football shirt collectors, and the long sleeve version is simply wonderful… and check the socks out, they will not disappoint!
Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Argentina – World Cup holders Argentina have a thick stripe to this shirt, the thicker Adidas Stripes (as you can see on all shirts) being black take a little some focus away from the overall look of the shirt, especially as the stripes are blue in the shorts, overall it’s OK but for me should have been better.
Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐
Spain – This is my favourite of the Adidas kits launched, a Spain shirt with a twist. The use of dark blue raglan sleeves here works really well, the Adidas stripes in the traditional Spanish colours are fantastic and are the only Country that have this take to the “3 Stripes”, the pinstripe in the body of the shirt is just subtle enough that lifts the overall look…
Kit Geek Rating⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Italy – Italy have not qualified for the World Cup since Adidas has supplied their kits, so this (as long as they do qualify this time around) will be the first time The “Azzurri” have donned the 3 Stripes at this stage. Again another kit that is passable but the gold detailing does not work for me, especially with the opportunity to use the three stripes in the Italian Flag colours.
Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐
Belgium – Belgium shirts often use different shades of red, this time is a vibrant red, paired with black and yellow detailing in collars, cuffs give a nice overall look to this kit, black shorts and socks as well and this is one of the nicest overall looks from this launch.
Kit Geek Rating⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mexico – Returning to Green as Primary colour (as standard within World Cup Cycles), this shirt is another looking back to the 90s, with this “Aztec” pattern in the body of the shirt. Nice use of red / white within the collars and cuffs gives a nice balance to what is ticks all the boxes of what you would expect form a Mexico Shirt, but overall my least favourite of the shirts we are looking at here.
Kit Geek Rating⭐
Japan – Adidas and Japan is often a partnership that delivers, although this shirt is fairly simple in it’s design compared to some recent years, it works in it elegance, some nice design elements, I would have like to have seen the cuffs with red / white trim (as the collar) but overall a solid kit.
Kit Geek Rating⭐⭐⭐
Colombia – A fairly standard looking kit for Colombia, the use of red Adidas stripes and then just the blue trim within the collar and cuffs works very well in my eyes. Interesting pattern within the shirt which are “butterfly motifs inspired by magical realism”, this adds some depth to overall look.
Kit Geek Rating⭐⭐⭐
Wales – With many kits looking to the 90s, its refreshing in some ways to see a kit that looks to the 80’s, with this Wales kit. Again using green as one of the accent colours works well and lifts the kit from standard template to something with a bespoke feel. The central chest band design element is great and this one of the few shirts that has National Crest and Adidas Logo centrally placed.
Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sweden – I like this one, and is inspired by the 70’s (apparently). The pattern in the shirt is inspired by the “popular flower stitching found on jeans and traditional Swedish folk dresses from the era”. What works for me is the use of blue across the shoulders, not going full raglan but this use of colour and then with the white Adidas stripes works well in my eyes.
Kit Geek Rating⭐⭐⭐⭐
Peru – The Peru kit is one that is difficult to much with given it’s iconic sash, this is a solid effort with some detailing with sash itself that is nice but the choice of design in the overall sash, making it blocky may take some getting used too, maybe they were inspired by my kit illustrations which use this look with sash shirts (of course not!).
Kit Geek Rating⭐⭐⭐
Scotland – Adidas and Scotland is another one of the relationships that just feels right and I have really liked the kits produced in the 15 years they have been in partnership. This one is another great shirt, with a really nice subtle “Saltire” within the shirt’s body. My only complaint with the kit is the that this look is all Navy Blue, I preference is seeing Scotland in white shorts and red socks.
Kit Geek Rating⭐⭐⭐
Algeria – The Algeria shirt is another kit that uses colours of it’s flag within the collar and cuffs, this use of green and red really lifts the shirt in my eyes. An interesting pattern with the shirt and certainly helps raise the overall look away from a standard looking template.
Kit Geek Rating⭐⭐⭐
Costa Rica – There is plenty going on here, a vibrant looking shirt with pink detailing being inspired by “Guaria Morada orchid”, the country’s national flower. I think this shirt will prove very popular with Kit Lovers next summer, and one we will see a lot of.
Kit Geek Rating⭐⭐⭐⭐
Northern Ireland – This is an interesting design, there is blend of green tones with a pattern inspired by the “transatlantic ships traditionally built in Belfast’s shipyards”. The look creates a halved shirt, something a little different in International Football Shirts, so I am all for those choices. Matched with green shorts and white socks, so as regular readers will know I love a contrasting sock look!
Kit Geek Rating⭐⭐⭐
There we have it, the build up to the World Cup has started, Any thoughts and comments about these Adidas Kits please let me know over at my Socials…
The Heat Press returns for issue number 6 of it’s summer series looking at the kits released in English Football over the last few days, with 23 new kits launched since Issue 5
A reminder that I will take a regular look at the Kits launched across the English Leagues and beyond, the discussion points and anything else Kit Related that comes up over these pre-season weeks.
I will only share those kits that have been officially released, as there are plenty of leaks that do the rounds but we will keep those official launches.
You will also find my Kit Overview illustrations for each of the four divisions which will used to document the Kit Usage of all 92 English Clubs.
You can also find the breakdown of the Kit Manufacturers this coming season here
Premier League – 30 / 60 Kits
New Kits:
Leeds United, Away: Leeds United’s return to the Premier League will be in a classic looking kit on the road this season, this all blue kit is a nod to the 2001 / 03 3rd Kit and one that I am sure will be popular with fans.
West Ham United, Away: Ecru is back for West Ham, with another Away Kit taking a nod from the past, this one is based on 1996 / 97 Away Kit and has claret trim to maintain that West Ham look!
Everton, Away: Its a return to cream for this Everton Away Kit, and nice clean design by Castore with a kit that is paying tribute to the dockland area of their new stadium. An interesting collar design here as well, very 70s in it’s look.
Manchester City, Away: Its all black for Manchester City’s away, one this is a “nod” to the original kit of the team that became Man City. The detailing is metallic but overly this is a very understated kit, simple and clean.
Arsenal, Away: The lightning design is back for Arsenal with this Navy Away kit, with red Adidas stripes. There is also a touch of the classic “Ipswich” template about this too. The lightning is taken from The Royal Arsenal Gatehouse.
Championship – 39 / 72 Kits
New Kits:
Southampton, Away: Another 90s inspired kit, this time it’s Southampton’s Away and this is a good one, Puma have now given the club two wonderful kits for this season, a marked upgrade from the unremarkable kits of last season!
Watford, Away: Watford’s Away Kit is all about sustainability, the kit itself is green checked with black shorts and green socks, made from recycled polyester with a donation to ‘Your Tree, Our Future’ with every purchase and a new tree planted for every three shirts sold.
Portsmouth, Home: As you would expect from a Portsmouth Home Kit, there is a pattern in the shirt that is signifying the waves of the coastal history of the city.
Blackburn Rovers, Away: It’s all gold kit on the road for Blackburn Rovers this season, the shirt contains images of landmarks from Blackburn including Ewood Park and is part of the 150th Celebrations of the club.
Bristol City, Home: A good example of less is more with Bristol City’s Home Kit, a simple design, nice collar, white side panels give some balance to the overall kit, another win from O’Neills.
Leicester City, 3rd: Leicester City kicked off their pre-season games in their new 3rd Kit, this pink and black kit is a nice looking alternative kit, I am a big fan of the black / white stripe here!
Middlesbrough, Away: This feels a classic looking Middlesbrough Away Kit from Castore, the black and blue stripes are a nod the club’s Away kit used 30 years ago, their first season at The Riverside Stadium.
Sheffield United, Home: A simple striped design for Sheffield United’s Home Kit, there is an interesting design in the cuffs, which incorporate the “Blades” of the club crest.
Birmingham City, Away: As part of the club’s 150th Anniversary they have looked to their first kit for basis of the Away kit with the sash being part of this shirt, which transitions from black to blue.
League One – 47 / 72 Kits
New Kits:
Burton Albion, 3rd: The vast majority of kits are inspired by the past and past looks, however Burton have called out this Kit as one looking forward to a “New Era” as part of their 75th Anniversary Celebrations, this “off white” (we won’t call it Ecru) kit with gold trim is nice clean look for the club!
Stockport County, Away: A cracker of Away Kit for Stockport County, the thicker stripes matched with light blue details in collar and cuffs work well.
Northampton Town, Home: As you would expect from Northampton Town with their Home Kit, there is a nice subtle stripe within the shirt, with white side panels, so more going on that you would first think.
Reading, Away: Reading have used kits inspired by local landmarks before, this Away Kit is one that pays homage to Reading Town Hall in it’s and it’s colour.
League Two – 45 / 72 Kits
New Kits:
Crewe Alexandra, Away: Puma are now supplying Crewe and it’s a navy kit with swirl design in the shirt for the firsts change kit of the partnership.
Crawley Town, Home: Something very Italian looking about Crawley’s Home shirt this season, yes its made by Errea but the collar, the tapping the whole shirt gives me 90s Italian Football vibes!
Newport County, Away: This Away is another shirt looking at history for inspiriation but this time not within the club, this kit pays tribute to Athletic Club Bilbao, and the unique relationship between the clubs that saw Basque children sent to the area in 1937 during the Spanish Civil war and the formation of a local club, Basque Boys FC. The shirt will also be promoted by the Basque Giants this season.
Salford City, Home: The new Salford City Home Kit has a very subtle hoop pattern within it, this is inspired by the terraced streets of the city, the shirt also contains some gold detailing with side panels and Adidas Stripes.
MK Dons, 3rd: MK Dons complete their first kit set with Reebok with this Pink 3rd Kit, a new colour introduced into the club’s history and one designed to stand out.
This week’s Kit News…..
There was no additional Kit News since last Issue.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or over at my Socials…
The Heat Press returns for issue number 5 of it’s summer series looking at the kits released in English Football over the last few days, with 21 new kits launched since Issue 4
A reminder that I will take a regular look at the Kits launched across the English Leagues and beyond, the discussion points and anything else Kit Related that comes up over these pre-season weeks.
I will only share those kits that have been officially released, as there are plenty of leaks that do the rounds but we will keep those official launches.
You will also find my Kit Overview illustrations for each of the four divisions which will used to document the Kit Usage of all 92 English Clubs.
Premier League – 25 / 60 Kits
New Kits:
Nottingham Forest, Home: Well this is a great looking kit, the pinstripes is a nod to kits of the past for Nottingham Forest but this one may be one of the best, the “Garibaldi Red” pinstripe gives the shirt a little more depth, but overall a cracker in my eyes.
Crystal Palace, Home: Macron have delivered one the nicest Home Kits in their relationship, introducing white into the shirt, with white pinstripes with the shirts and white sleeve “tapping”.
AFC Bournemouth, Home: Another nice offering in terms of Home Kit from Umbro for Bournemouth, you just cannot go wrong, however this is a shirt that is let down by the sponsor but luckily there is an option for sponsor-less version for fans to buy.
Aston Villa, Home: Aston Villa are in their second season with Adidas and their new Home Kit fits the current Adidas template, with some gold trim and details which pays tribute to the Holte End at Villa Park.
Manchester United, Away: Manchester United introduce a new colour to their away kit this season, using lilac and plum, this is a kit that is using the classic “snowflake” pattern from their early 90s Away Kit, however much larger in the design than that kit, paired with plum shorts and lilac socks, there are also alternative lilac shorts which I am sure we will see through out the season.
Championship – 30 / 72 Kits
New Kits:
Queen’s Park Rangers, Away: QPR are another team that often look to their past for inspiriation of their change kits, this one looks back 50 years to 1975 / 76 season where they finished 2nd in the old First Division, using pink to give it a modern twist.
Bristol City, 3rd: A funky looking kit is the first offering from Bristol City and O’Neills this season, this all black kit has neon flashes across the shirt (almost northern lights like).
Coventry City, Home: Hummel and Coventry continue their productive relationship, a nice looking kit for this season. It will be all Sky Blue with the rest of the kit in the same shade.
Wrexham, Away: Following a similar template to the home kit, Wrexham’s Away is inspired by colours of the Daffodil, the Welsh National Flower, this will be the first time the club have worn yellow and green since the 90s.
Sheffield United, 3rd: This 3rd Kit is another shirt that is looking to home location for inspiration, this time it is the cultural aspect of the city of Sheffield “Thread Through the Noise, begins at one of Sheffield’s most storied cultural landmarks: The Leadmill. A cornerstone of the city’s music scene since 1980” .
Millwall, Away: A new colour for Millwall’s Away Kit palette, with an all “cream” or dare I day Ecru Kit, paired with navy and mint trim, another nice clean Millwall Kit for this season.
Hull City, Home: Kappa’s only team in English leagues is Hull City and it is a partnership that seems to deliver in terms of design, this season’s Home Kit is another wonderful looking shirt, with the use of “tiger stripes” on the sleeves and a return to amber as the first choice base colour .
Swansea City, Home: The kit launch you did not expect to see, Snoop Dogg and Swansea…. this kit is a “nod” to the Kit worn by 96 / 97 team that reached the Division 3 Play-Off Final under Jan Molby, the kit has a checkered pattern in collar and cuffs, which also appears more subtly within the shirt, shorts and socks.
Sheffield Wednesday, Home: Thicker stripes return for Sheffield Wednesday for this season, and those stripes contain SWFC within them, giving a retro vibe to the shirt. The kit will be matched with blue shorts and socks, the time this colour has been used since 2016 / 17 season.
League One – 43 / 72 Kits
New Kits:
Bradford City, Home: Bradford complete their set for their return to League One by launching their Home Kit, the claret shirt which will contain a thin stripe in amber is a change from the recent years but gives a nice balance in it’s look.
Luton Town, Away: Reflo are looking to make a mark and this away shirt certainly takes a chance, the use of white sleeves really breaks the shirt up and gives it a balance that works with the body of the shirt’s design.
Huddersfield Town, 3rd: This green and gold 3rd kit for Huddersfield Town is a nod to the Yorkshire heritage of the club, the colour is being called “Regal botanical garden green” and there is theme in floral tones with “the main body of the shirt subtly patterned with our floret and the unmistakable Yorkshire rose, the design is inspired by the idyllic hillsides and landscapes present across our home within God’s Own county”, one for those Yorkshire folk!
Port Vale, Away: Port Vale complete arguably the finest set of Retro Home and Away kits this season with this classic looking Away Kit as part of their 150th Anniversary celebrations. The Kit is inspired by the 110-goal title winners of 1958 / 59 Season.
Bolton Wanderers, Away: This all navy kit is a nice alternative to the Home Kit, and looks back to the club’s first European campaign 20 years ago.
League Two – 40 / 72 Kits
New Kits:
Walsall, 3rd: Another team to complete their Kit set, with an all light blue 3rd Kit, Walsall have be a team that have used their kits well in combining elements for Home, Away and 3rd Kits to provide alternative looks to avoid clashes, the black away shorts and shorts may combine well with this shirt, fingers crossed it’s something we will see this season!
Accrington Stanley, Home: Accrington going for a new look this season with this Home Kit, the shirt has a white chest and sleeves with details in red that then continue throughout the rest of the kit.
This week’s Kit News…..
Congratulations on Chelsea wining the FIFA Club World Cup, this will impact the club’s kits moving forward over the coming seasons as they will be wearing a “Champions Badge” on their shirts until the next competition scheduled at the moment for 4 years time!
Manchester City have announced an extension of their Kit Deal with Puma, it has been announced as a multi-year deal but being reported as a minimum of 10 years worth over £1bn throughout that period, this would make it the most lucrative Kit Deal in British Football History.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or over at my Socials…
