I like to look at Football Kits and Kit Stats in many ways, one way that I wanted to revisist for the previous seasons was a Top Trump format.
So for those of a certain age will know all about Top Trumps, so for this set I have looked at the kits of each of the 20 Premier League Teams, Home, Away and Third kits and stats around these kits, the stats I have picked are the following:
League Games Worn – How many league games was the kit (and variations) worn in 22 / 23 Season
Variations of Kit – The number of variations of that kit were worn in 22 / 23 Season
Games Won – Number of games won wearing the kit(s)
Points Won – Numner of points won wearing the kit(s)
Points per game – The average number of points per game (total points / games worn) per kit
I have highlighted the “Top Trump” in each section in “Gold and Black”.
The cards by each team….
There they are, 60 Top Trump cards… any surprises there, Arsenal’s points per game in their 3rd Kit, Manchester United having joint highest points scored in a Kit.
What would you consider as the overall “Top Trump” card, Manchester City Home Kit or something else?
Are there any other stats that you think I should haved used for future Top Trump looks at Football Kits.
Please let me know over at @Kit_Geek on Twitter or in the comments below.
You can find full kit review for the 2022/23 Premier League Season here and last season’s Top Trumps here
On Saturday 10th June 2023, we reached the climax of the longest season when Manchester City won the Champions League (European Cup) against Inter Milan in the Final at Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul and by claiming their first Champions League Title also completing the “Treble”, becoming on the second English Team to complete this remarkable feat.
I wanted to follow my overview of the kits worn in the Group Stages with a Kit Overview of the Knock Out Stages of the competition, as well as a final overview of the competition from The Group Stages
Knock Out Round Kit Stats
30 Kits worn in Knock Out Stages – 29 games
18 Home Kits (14 first choice / 4 variations)
4 Away Kits (3 first choice / 1 variations)
7 3rd Kits (7 first choice)
1 Cup Kit
6 New Kit Variations used in Knock Out Stages
Overall Kit Stats (Including Group Stages)
87 Kits worn – 125 games
38 Home Kits (29 first choice / 9 variations)
26 Away Kits (20 first choice / 6 variations)
19 3rd Kits (16 first choice / 3 variations)
4 Cup Kits used (3 first choice / 1 variation)
Kit Overview
Group A / Group B
Group C / Group D
Group E / Group F
Group G / Group H
The 6 “New Kits Variations” seen in the Knockout Stages:
Napoli in Away kit with home shorts to give an all white look against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Last 16 game
PSG wore their home kit in 7 of their 8 games in the Champions League this season, their only alternative look came in their final game of this season’s competition when they wore their 3rd kit.
Real Madrid wore their Home Kit with 3rd Kit socks in their Quarter-Final game against Chelsea..
Eventual winners Manchester City, used their 3rd Kit in their Quarter-Final match against Bayern Munich, the first used in their Champions League and their 4th Kit Variation of the Competition.
One of my favourite Kit Tales of the Champions League this season was the Semi-Final / Milan Derbies, with both Milan teams opting for alternative (away kit) white shorts and socks in both games, each giving the teams new looks not used in the competion this season.
Kit Variations Stats
Looking in more detail at the Kit Variations worn by the Champions League Teams
There was a reduction in overall kits used from last season, reducing from 96 to 87 (10%) this can been seen in the reduction of variations of default looks used with only 13 teams using variations of their default looks.
Only one team, Borussia Dortmund wore just the one kit in the Competition this season, wearing their “Cup” Kit in their 8 games
Every game in Group C had a team in a change kit…..
Let me know you favourite kits, kit highlights and kit match ups of the 2022 / 23 Champions League in the comments below or over at @Kit_Geek
The 2022 / 23 Premier League season ended on Sunday 28th May 2023 with Manchester City securing their 3rd Premier League in a row with 3 games still to play. At the foot of the table, Everton survivied with a final day victory which means that Leicester City and Leeds United will be joining already relegated Southampton.
As the season has ended, I will follow my tradition of taking a more in depth look into the kits worn through this season, some stats and information behind these kits.
Kit Stats
760 Kits worn (380 Games)
Home Kit used 73% of the time (67% Default, 6% Variations)
Away Kit used 15% of the time (12% Default, 3% Variations)
3rd Kit used 12% of the time (9% Default, 3% Variations)
109 different Kit Variations worn by the 20 teams
Home Kits – 43.1% of total Kit Variations used:
25 Home Kits worn (5 teams wearing 23/24 Home Kit this season)
22 Home Kit variations used
Away Kits – 29.4% of total Kit Variations used:
19 Away Kits worn
13 Away Kit variations used
Aston Villa did not use registered Away kit, wearing 2 different variation
3rd Kits – 26.6% of total Kit Variations used:
19 3rd Kits used
10 3rd Kit variations used
Manchester United did not use registered 3rd kit, wearing alternative shorts
Goalkeeper Kits:
68 Goalkeeper used
2 Teams (Liverpool and Manchester City) in 5 different Goalkeeper Kits
4 Teams in 4 Goalkeeper Kits (Arsenal / Leicester City / Liverpool in 23/24 GK Kits)
Overview of Kits Used
Kit Overview
Kit Log, Match 1 to Match 19
Kit Log, Match 20 to Match 38
Kit Variations
Looking in more detail at the Kit Variations worn by the Premier League Teams:
Two Teams in 9 Kit variations
Manchester United – Home Kit x6, Away Kit x2, 3rd Kit
Newcastle United – Home Kit x3, Away Kit x3, 3rd Kit x2, 4th Kit
Two Teams in 8 Kit variations
Leeds United – Home Kits x2, Away Kit x2, 3rd Kit x4
Southampton – Home Kit x4, Away Kit x3, 3rd Kit
West Ham United in 7 Kit variations – Home Kit x3, Away Kit x2, 3rd Kit x2
Arsenal – Home Kit x2 (including 23/24 Kit), Away Kit x2, 3rd Kit
Liverpool – Home Kit x2 (including 23/24 Kit), Away Kit, 3rd Kit x2
Four Teams in 4 Kit variations
Four Teams in 3 Kit variations
Most variations of Home Kit – 6
Manchester United
Most variatons of Away Kit – 3
Newcastle United
Southampton
Most variations of 3rd Kit – 4:
Leeds United
Six Teams did not wear any Kit Variations, just default Home, Away or 3rd Kits
AFC Bournemouth
Brentford
Leicester City (Including 23/24 Home Kit)
Manchester City (Including 23/24 Home Kit)
Nottingham Forest
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Most worn Home Kit – 31, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Most worn Away Kit – 9, Nottingham Forest
Most worn 3rd Kit – 9, Brentford and Manchester City
Most worn 4th Kit – 1, Newcastle United
Liverpool and Manchester City used 5 Goalkeeper Kit variations including 23/24 GK Kits
Most worn GK Kit – 31, Tottenham Hotspur (Yellow GK Kit)
Kit Grid
Below is a graphic of what kits where worn against what teams, its one that I share on a weekly basis on my Twitter Account – @Kit_Geek
Kit Tables
One area I like to look at is a team’s performance in their kit, I have created the below tables (Home, Away and 3rd Kit), all shirt variations are included in each section, e.g. Manchester United’s 6 Home Kit variations are all included in the “Home Kit” Table and based on “Points per Game” used ratio.
Home Kits
No surprises at the top of table, with Manchester City heading the table up with 2.48 points per game in their Home Kit, followed by Arsenal (2.31) and Manchester United (2.21). Both Manchester Clubs scoring 62 Points in Home Kits.
Chelsea can sum up their disappointing season by scoring less 1 point per game (0.93), only managing 28 points in their 30 games in their home kit, one of four teams (Everton, Leicester City and Southampton) in managing less than 1 point per game.
Away Kits
Newcastle United’s Champions League qualifying season was supported by their performance in their Navy Away kit, worn in 3 different variations The Magpies managed 2.67 points per game in their 6 games.
Arsenal scored the most points in an Away Kit, they managed 18 points in their two away kit looks which was used across 10 games in total.
Only 7 teams managed more than 1 point per game, with Everton who only secured their Premier League status on the final game scored 1.4 points per game in their away kit and remained unbeated in their two away kit looks this season.
Fulham, who used their away kit 3 times, did not manage to score any points in these games.
3rd Kits
Rumour has it that Mikel Arteta did not like the Arsenal Pink 3rd kit this season, however in its two appearences they won both games giving the kit a maximum 3 points per game.
Champions Manchester City, who were the joint highest wearers of a 3rd kit this season score 20 points in total, finishing 2.22 points per game.
Fulham were more productive in their 3rd kit, were the 4th highest points per game scorers in 3rd kits, with a total of 9 points won in 5 games wearing 2 variations of their 3rd Kit.
There were 3 teams that did not score any points in their 3rd Kit (Leeds United x5, Southampton, x5 and Nottingham Forest x2).
Summary and Highlights
There were plenty of discussion points through the season with the kits used, some of the highlights for me are the following:
Lets start with Manchester United, who wore a staggering 6 variations of their Home Kit, the key to this was the socks… they started the season using alternative black away socks and it was not until teams returned from the World Cup on 27th December where the default Home Socks were finally used… see the difference in the socks below? One of the Kit Mysteries of 2022/23 Season
The other four looks for Manchester United were…
As briefly mentioned above, another Kit Mystery for the season is Arsenal 3rd Kit, initally popular with fans when it was first released, however it only made two appearences this season (both victories) and was used in two of Arsenal’s first three games, so its final use in the Premier League was on 20th August in the game against Bournemouth… rumour was the Mikel Arteta did not like the kit but there is no confirmation of that!
Newcastle United ended the season unbeaten in their change kits, they played a total of 12 games in change kits.
6 games in Away Kit (3 Variations)
5 games in 3rd Kit (2 Variations)
1 game in 4th Kit
Leeds United, ended the season with the most variations of a 3rd Kit, using 4 different looks in just 5 games unfortunatley not scoring a point in any of these looks but as a Kit Geek, I did enjoy they use of this kit!
This season was the first since 2019/20 where a 4th Kit was used. However Newcastle United’s 4th was not a traditonal 4th Kit but a training shirt that was matched prepared and partnered with Home Shorts and Socks, the reason being that their designated kits of this season were all considered to clash when they visited Brighton & Hove Albion in just the second game week of the season and their first away game!
Crystal Palace did not use their 3rd Kit in the Premier League in 2021/22 season and it took until their 23rd game of this season against Brentford in February to wear one this time, a total of 651 days and 64 League games between wearing 3rd Kits (both Black with Red / Blue details).
There were some interesting Kit Mash Ups used this season…
Arsenal, using grey Goalkeeper Socks with their Black Away kit… a look they used three times against Manchester United, Liverpool and Brentford!
When Manchester City visited Crystal Palace, their goalkeeper socks were considered a clash with Crystal Palace’s, so Ederson took to the field in white outfied away socks of Palace!!
Leeds United, followed a similar look to Arsenal when they played Manchester United with their Goalkeeper look using grey socks with their black keeper kit, they wore this look in both games against Manchester United… which were in the space of 4 days!
There we have it, The Premier Leagues’s End of Season Kit report for 2022/23, please let me know your favourite kit highlights from this division on the comments below or over at Twitter – @Kit_Geek
The 2022/23 League Two Season came to a close on Monday 8th May 2023, with Leyton Orient securing the title well before the end of the season on 22nd April, Stevenage were runners up with a remarkable turnaround from their previous season and the final automatic spot being secured by Northampton Twon on the final day of the season. Stockport County, Carlisle United, Bradford City and Salford City will compete in the Playoffs for the final promotion place.
I wanted to take a look at the kits worn during the league stage of the season (not including Play Offs).
Kit Stats
1104 Kits worn (552 Games)
93 Different Kit variations used by the 24 teams.
Home Kits – 38% of Kit variations used
26 Home Kits worn, includes 2 23/24 kits
9 Home Kit variations worn
Away Kits – 34% of variations used
24 Away Kits worn
8 Away Kit variations worn
3rd Kits – 27% of variations worn
20 3rd Kits worn
5 3rd Kit variations worn
Special Kit – 1% of variations worn
1 Special Kit worn
Overview of Kits Worn
Kit Overview
Kit Log – Match 1 to Match 15
Kit Log – Match 16 to Match 30
Kit Log – Match 31 to Match 46
Kit Variations
Looking in more detail at the kit variations worn by the League Two Teams
3 Teams wore 6 Kit Variations
Crawley Town – Home x2, Away x3, 3rd
Hartlepool United – Home x3, Away x2, 3rd
Walsall – Home x2, Away x3, 3rd
3 Teams wore 5 Kit Variations
Barrow AFC – Home x2 (Inc 23/24 Home), Away x2, 3rd
Rochdale – Home x3, Away, 3rd
Salford City – Home, Away, 3rd x3
8 Teams wore 4 Kit Variations
8 Teams in just 3 Kit Variations
2 Teams in just 2 Kit Variations
Most Variations of Home Kit – 3 Kits
Hartlepool United: White/Blue – White – White (with hoop) / White/Blue – White – White / White/Blue – White – Red
Rochdale: Blue/Black – White – Black / Blue/Black – Black – Black / Blue/Black – White – White
Most Variations of Away Kit – 3 Kits
Crawley Town: White – Black – White / All White / White – Black – Black
Walsall: All White / White – White – Red / White – Red – White
Most Variations of 3rd Kit – 3 Kits
Salford City: White – Black – Black / White – Black – White / All White
Sutton United in 4 different kits with no variations
7 Teams only used Home, Away kits and 3rd Kits with no variations
2 Teams in just Home and Away Kits
Most worn Home Kit – 39, Mansfield Town, 38 default look and once with away socks
Most worn Away Kit – 16, Stevenage
Most worn 3rd Kit – 10, Swindon Town, 9 default look and once with home shorts
Kit Grid
Below is a graphic of what kits where worn against what teams, its one that I share on a weekly basis on my Twitter Account – @Kit_Geek
Kit Highlights and Summary
In 2022/23 League Two teams wore 93 Kits, this was an increase in the number kits compared to last season where 86 Kits were worn, although there was an increase season on season this was lowest in English Leagues this season. League Two was also the only league which had two teams in just two kits (Home and Away), Colchester United and Stevenage. Stevenage did use a special kit in their FA Cup victory against Aston Villa but this was never used for League games.
Hartlepool United were one of two teams that wore their home kit in 3 different variations, however two of these looks used white socks. They went through a period during the season, from 31st December to 3rd April where their home kit look was with just plain white socks rather than the default home socks with contained red bands and Errea branding within them. Supply Issues, the Kit-Man’s choice, one of the Kit Mysteries of 2022/23 season!
There was just the one “Special” Kit on show this season, and that was Sutton United’s 125th Anniversary Kit which saw The Us turn out in a red kit with white shorts and red socks, their orignal club colours from 125 years ago. This was part of a run that of games that had Sutton in 4 completely different kits in 4 games.
Grimsby Town’s home kit caused some teams in League one some issues with socks this season, Grimsby’s default look uses red socks which meant that 5 teams used alternative socks when playing against The Mariners..
Carlisle United, wore their Away kit with Home socks…
Crawley Town in Home Kit with Away socks…
Crewe Alexander in Home Kit with 3rd shorts and socks…
Doncaster Rovers in their 3rd kit with Away socks…
Walsall in Home kit with Away socks…
Carlisle United only had Home and Away kits this season but used these kits to mix a match two additional looks, as mentioned above using one look to face Grimsby Town and then using Home Shirts, Away shorts and socks against Bradford City
Mansfield Town were one of a number teams across the EFL to use their kit to raise awareness for a charity. The Stags wore the club’s light blue away socks with amber shirts and blue shorts as a display of support to mark Down’s Syndrome Awareness Week, and the Down’s Syndrome Association’s #LotsOfSocks campaign.
On the final day of the season, two teams wore their 2023/24 Home Kits… Barrow AFC wore their new Puma Home Kit and Newport County debuted their kit from VX3 who are replacing Hummel as their manufacturer.
There we have it, League Two’s End of Season Kit report for 2022/23, please let me know your favourite kit highlights from this division on the comments below or over at Twitter – @Kit_Geek
The 2022/23 League One Season came to a close on Sunday 7th May 2023, with Plymouth Argyle securing the title on the final day of the season and breaking the 100 point barrier, runners up were Ipswich Town who themselves managed a staggering 98 points to secure automatic promotion to The Championship. Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley, Bolton Wanderers and Peterborough United will compete in the Playoffs for the final promotion place.
I wanted to take a look at the kits worn during the league stage of the season (not including Play Offs).
Kit Stats
1104 Kits worn (552 Games)
102 Different Kit variations used by the 24 teams.
Home Kits – 38% of Kit variations used
24 Home Kits worn
15 Home Kit variations worn
Away Kits – 37% of variations used
24 Away Kits worn
14 Away Kit variations worn
3rd Kits – 24% of variations worn
19 3rd Kits worn
5 3rd Kit variations worn
Special Kit – 1% of variations worn
1 Special Kit worn
Overview of Kits Worn
Kit Overview
Kit Log – Match 1 to Match 15
Kit Log – Match 16 to Match 30
Kit Log – Match 31 to Match 46
Kit Variations
Looking in more detail at the kit variations worn by the League One Teams
1 Teams wore 7 Kit Variations
Accrington Stanley – Home x2, Away x3, 3rd x2
5 Teams wore 6 Kit Variations
Barnsley – Home, Away x2, 3rd x2, Special
Charlton Athletic – Home x2, Away x2, 3rd x2
Morecambe – Home x4, Away x2
Oxford United – Home x3, Away x2, 3rd
Plymouth Argyle – Home x2, Away x3, 3rd
3 Teams wore 5 Kit Variations
Burton Albion – Home x2, Away x3
Derby County – Home, Away x2, 3rd x2
Lincoln City – Home x2, Away, 3rd x2
5 Teams wore 4 Kit Variations
10 Teams in just 3 Kit Variations
Most Variations of Home Kit – 4 Kits
Morecambe: Red – White – Black / Red – White – White / Red – Red – Black / Red – Red – White
Most Variations of Away Kit – 3 Kits
Accrington Stanley: White – Black – White / All White / White – White – Black
Burton Albion: All Black / Black – Yellow – Yellow / Black – Black – Yellow
Plymouth Argyle: White – Black – White / All White / White – White – Green
Most Variations of 3rd Kit – 2 Kits
Accrington Stanley: Black – Black – White / Black – White – White
Barnsley: All Black – Black / Black / White
Charlton Athletic: All Blue / Blue – Blue – White
Derby County: Black – Black – Green / All Black
Lincoln City: All White / White – White – Black
7 Teams only used Home, Away kits and 3rd Kits with no variations
3 Teams wore 3 kits with no 3rd kit, all using a variation of their Home Kit – Cambridge United, Cheltenham Town, Fleetwood Town
Most worn Home Kit – 38, Ipswich Town
Most worn Away Kit – 16, Cambridge United
Most worn 3rd Kit – 12, Exeter City
Kit Grid
Below is a graphic of what kits where worn against what teams, its one that I share on a weekly basis on my Twitter Account – @Kit_Geek
Kit Highlights and Summary
In 2022/23 League One teams wore 102 Kits, this was an increase in the number kits compared to last season where 94 Kits were worn, the 102 Kits were the most worn in an EFL League this season. All teams wore a minimum of 3 kits with only 3 teams in just home and away kits each of these team wore at least one kit variation of their home kit which gives us some different looks through out the season.
Bristol Rovers had a couple of Kit Tales this season, the first being in their game against Exeter City on 29th December when as the Home Kit they supported The Shelter “No Home Kit” campaign by wearing their Away shirt with Home Shorts and Socks, however they changed shirts at half time to return to their home shirt and ended the game in their full home kit, giving us the only kit variation to be used for half a game!
This half time change led to a run of 18 games, from 29th December 2022 to 22nd April where their only wore their Home Kit, this 124 day run was the longest run of just one kit being used in the English Leagues this season.
Morecambe used 4 Home Kit looks through the season, they used two different looks in home games with their traditional red shirts and white shorts paired with both black (default) and white socks. The other variations used on the road used red shorts with both pairs of socks.
There was only one special kit used in League One and that was Barnsley, who wore a “Red Out” shirt that was to support their “Together Red” campaign which was to help raise awareness Barnsley’s no-tolerance message of discrimination of any kind, ensuring Oakwell is a safe place for all.
Kit sustainability is a topic that has been raised a lot of the past season, so I wanted to call out the many teams in League One that used kits in the 2022/23 season that have been from the previous season… 8 teams re-used 11 kits in total for a second season
Accrington Stanley – Home, Away and 3rd kits were from last season!
Bolton Wanderers – 3rd Kit was last season’s away
Bristol Rovers – 3rd Kit was last season’s away
Exeter City – Away and 3rd kits were from last season
Forest Green Rovers – Home kit from last season
Port Vale – 3rd Kit was last season’s away
Sheffield Wednesday – 3rd kit was last season’s away
Wycombe Wanderers – 3rd kit was last season’s away
Two of these teams left it late to use their 3rd Kits, with Sheffield Wedsnesday using their’s in their penultimate league game and Wycombe Wanderers using theirs in the final game of the season both teams had only used Home and Away Kits up till that point!
Wycombe Wanderes were also part of one of my favourite “Kit Match Ups” of the season, when they played Bristol Rovers on 26th December 2022, giving us the unusual kit site of two quartered shirts playing against each other, and what a sight it was… perfectly balanced kits and works so well in humble opinion!
My final thought of 2022/23 League One season is with the Champions Plymouth Argyle… their away kit this season which pays homage to the kit worn when they played in Playoff Final at Wembley in 1996. This kit is my favourite kit in English football this season, its design, use of the club’s traditional colours and overall balance is a stand out kit from Puma, so my congratulations to The Pilgrims not only for the return to The Championship but doing it in the one of the best kits of the recent years… (please keep it for another year!!)
There we have it, League One’s End of Season Kit report for 2022/23, please let me know your favourite kit highlights from this division on the comments below or over at Twitter – @Kit_Geek
The 2022/23 Championship Season came to a close on Monday 8th May 2023, with Burnley becoming Champions after accumulating a staggering 101 points and returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Sheffield United secured the second automatic spot to return to Premier League after two seasons in the Second Tier. The teams competing in the Play-Offs are Luton Town, Middlesbrough, Coventry City and Sunderland.
I want to take a look at the kits worn during the league stage of the season (not including Play Offs).
Kit Stats
1104 Kits worn (552 Games)
99 Different Kit variations used by the 24 teams.
Home Kits – 33% of Kit variations used
25 Home Kits worn
8 Home Kit variations worn
Away Kits – 35% of variations used
23 Away Kits worn
12 Away Kit variations worn
3rd Kits – 30% of variations worn
22 3rd Kits worn
7 3rd Kit variations worn
Special Kits – 2% of variations worn
2 Special Kits worn
Overview of Kits Worn
Kit Overview
Kit Log – Match 1 to Match 15
Kit Log – Match 16 to Match 30
Kit Log – Match 31 to Match 46
Kit Variations
Looking in more detail at the kit variations worn by the Championship Teams
1 Team wore 8 Kit Variations, most in The Championship
Luton Town – Home x2, Away x3, 3rd x3
1 Team wore 7 Kit Variations
Stoke City – Home x2, Away x2, 3rd x3
7 Teams in 5 Kit Variations
Birmingham City – Home x2, Away x2, Special Kit
Blackpool – Home x2, Away, 3rd x2
Bristol City – Home x2, Away, 3rd x2
Hull City – Home x2, Away x2, 3rd
QPR – Home x2, Away x3
Reading – Home, Away x2, 3rd x2
Sheffield United – Home, Away x3, 3rd
4 Teams in 4 Kit Variations
11 Teams in 3 Kit Variations – Just Home, Away, 3rd Kits
Most Variations of Home Kit – 2 Kits
9 Teams in Home Kit and 1 variation of Home Kit
Bristol City in 2 different Home Kits (Hummel and O’Neills)
Most Variations of Away Kit – 3 Kits
Luton Town: All White – White / Navy / White – White / White / Navy
QPR: Maroon, Navy Hoops / Navy / Navy – Maroon, Navy Hoops / Maroon / Maroon – Maroon, Navy Hoops / Maroon / Navy
Sheffield United: All White – White / Black / White – White / Black / Black
Most Variations of 3rd Kit – 3 Kits
Stoke City: All Black – Black / Red / Red – Black / White / White
13 Teams worn no variation of kits
11 Teams in just Home, Away and 3rd Kits
Huddersfield Town in 4 kits, Home, Away, 3rd and Special
Bristol City in 5 different kits – 22/23 Home, Away, 3rd and 23/24 Home, 3rd
Most worn Home Kit – 38, Norwich City
Most worn Away Kit – 15, Rotherham United, West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic
Most worn 3rd Kit – 13, Stoke City (including variations)
Kit Grid
Below is a graphic of what kits where worn against what teams, its one that I share on a weekly basis on my Twitter Account – @Kit_Geek
Kit Highlights and Summary
In 2022/23 Championship teams wore 99 Kits, this was an increase in the number kits compared to last season where 97 Kits were worn. The increase of two can be directly linked to one club…. Bristol City.
After Hummel’s UK Kit Supplier Elite Sports Group when into Administration it meant there were supply issues for the teams they provided kits too in EFL, Bristol City took this opportunity to introduce their 2023/24 Kit Produced by O’Neills and took to the field in their new kits from end of February with 14 games still to play, they also introduced their 3rd kit for next season as well, wearing that 3 times in total, this meant that they wore 5 different kits this season with no variations.
Stoke City promised the world for a Kit Geek like me this season, their initial kit launched promised several looks that the team could take to the field in this season, in the end they “only” used 7 different Kit Variations through-out 2022/23 but the overall idea and execution of their Kit Set should be applauded in my eyes.
Socks are often overlooked in terms of Kit desgin, so I want to call out Hull City’s away socks which are a thing of beauty with their black, amber, red hoops which complement the details on cuffs and collar of their away shirt
Blackpool were the only team not to wear their away kit in it’s default look, initially launch with “Tangerine” shorts, the actual shorts were never used with the white shirts and socks, The Seasiders going for an all white when wearing their away kit on just 3 occasions. However the shorts did see plenty of action by giving Blackpool an alternative all “Tangerine” look which was used 8 times on the road and interestingly not used after Michael Appleton was sacked as Manager in January.
For the second season in a row there was a theme of clubs wearing their 3rd Kits more than their Away kits… with 8 times falling under this bracket.
Blackburn Rovers – 10 times
Blackpool – 8 times (2 variations)
Brisol City – 8 times (Hummel and O’Neills)
Coventry City – 10 times
Huddersfield Town – 9 times
Hull City – 5 times
Middlesbrough – 7 times
Stoke City – 13 times
There were two “Special” Kit used this season in The Championship.
Huddersfield Town’s kit for Yorkshire Air Ambulance which was a yellow and red kit, very Melchester Rovers and worn against Norwich City (one of only two teams to wear yellow as their home kit), the match shirts were auctioned after the game.
Birmingham City, had a special kit for their “Arthur” memorial kit with profits going directly to NSPCC Birmingham and was worn at home against Preston North End, again a team which caused a clash with the special kit.
There was other examples of teams wearing change kits in Home Fixtures, there was a second campaign across the EFL for Shelter, “No Home Kit” inititiave was used to highlight homelessness around the Christmas period this season and teams took part in The Championship this season… with Cardiff City, Coventry City and Wigan Athletic
Watford celebrated their centenary with a black and white kit (used as their 3rd Kit this season), the colours they initially wore 100 years ago.
Sunderland went with red shorts in their game against Hull City, this was for the Foundation by Light charity and the charity’s Small Change Big Difference campaign. The shorts were auctioned at the end of the game.
There we have it, The Championship’s End of Season Kit report for 2022/23, please let me know your favourite kit highlights from this division on the comments below or over at Twitter – @Kit_Geek
Friday 6th January 2023 saw the sad passing of one the games greats, Gianluca Vialli after his battle with pancreatic cancer since 2017.
For people like me of a certain age, Vialli was one the footballers of our youth, Italia 90, Football Italia on Channel 4, that Champions League winning Juventus team, Player Manager of Chelsea… so many wonderful memories of football for me!
A total of 673 Club Appearences, with 259 goals and 58 International Caps with 16 goals… a rare winner of all European Competitions with Champions League, UEFA Cup and Cup Winners Cup as a player and European Super Cup as a Manager. Add to that Domestic success with Serie A, Coppa Italia, FA Cup and English League Cup titles.
I wanted to create my own small tribute to a football man that gave me so much joy over the years!
Gianluca Vialli’s club career
So many classic kits are linked to Vialli over the years…. here are some of my favourites!
Cremonese – 1980 to 1984. 113 Appearences / 25 Goals
Sampdoria – 1984 to 1992. 327 Appearences / 141 Goals
The first time I heard of Vialli was his time with Sampdoria, that timeless classic look…
One of the most classic European Cup / Champions League Final Kit Match ups…
Juventus – 1992 to 1996. 145 Appearences / 53 Goals
Winning the Champions League in 1996
Chelsea – 1996 to 1999. 88 Appearences / 40 Goals
A Player Manager, it does not get more fairytale than that for me…. Another reason why I love Vialli was his stint as Player Manager, winning four cups with Chelsea.
International Years
1985 to 1992 as player, 2019 to 2022 as an Assistant Coach
59 Appearences / 16 Goals
Italia 90, a World Cup played at Home!
Captaining his country
Lifting the Euros as Assistant Coach of the Euro 2020 Team
A legend in my eyes, Rest in Peace Luca and thank you for the memories!
Well that’s it, the 2022 World Cup is over, and after 64 Games Argentina have been crowned World Cup Winners for the third time after remarkable final against France, a game that will live forever as one of, if not the greatest World Cup Final ever!
It is time for me to take a look at the Kits worn through-out the tournament and those worn in the knock out stages.
There have been a total of 66 kits used throughout the tournament in the 64 games.
We have seen “Primary” Kits (and variations) used 68% and “Secondary” kits (and variations) used 30% of the time and 3rd kit 2% (just used the once)!
Argentina are the only team to wear 4 kit variations, with 3 different primary kit looks and their secondary kit worn once.
6 Nations wore 3 different kit variations in the tournament with 4 of those teams (Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, Canada) in 3 different kits in their only appearances. Morocco and Brazil, using their 3rd variation within the knock out stages.
19 Teams have worn two kits and 6 Teams in the same kit for their 2022 World Cup games.
Knock Out Rounds Overview….
Primary – 10
Primary variations– 8
Secondary – 4
Secondary variations – 1
We have seen 7 new kit variations used in the final round of fixtures.
Knock Out Round Fixtures
Last 16
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
3rd / 4th & Final
Looking at the teams journeys in a little more detail by group…
GROUP A– 8 Kitsin total
The Netherlands reached the Quarter-Finals and only used their Primary kit, Senegal the other team to reach the knock out stages wore their Secondary Kit for the first time in their defeat to England.
GROUP B– 8 Kits
No new kits on show in the knock out games from teams in Group B, England ended the tournament without using their secondary kit, just the two variations of Primary Kit, this was the case for the second Major Tournament in a row.
GROUP C– 10 Kits
Argentina in 4 kits, used their Primary with white shorts and socks in three of their four games in the knock out phase of the competition, Poland were one of those teams that only used one kit in all their appearances.
GROUP D– 7 Kits
France were another team that did not use their secondary kit (one of the most popular kits before the start of the tournament), using two variations of their Primary kit, the all blue look was used twice including the Final.
GROUP E– 9 Kits
Spain were the only team in the competition that did not wear either their default Primary or Secondary kits, following their use of all red in the group stages with alternative white shorts with their Secondary Kit. Japan also in a second look for the tournament in their knock out game against Croatia, with alternative blue shorts used with their Primary Kit.
GROUP F– 9 Kits
Two teams from the group reached the final four of the competition, with Morocco using a Kit Mash up in their Semi Final against France, pairing their Primary Kit with Secondary white socks. Croatia unlike recent tournaments were mainly seen in the Primary kit with their Secondary only used in their Semi-Final appearance.
GROUP G – 9 Kits
Brazil in their quarter final gave us another alternative kit for the competition, using their secondary socks with Primary Kit to give us a Yellow / Blue / Blue look, one often used by the Brazilians as an alternative look.
GROUP H– 6 Kits
No new kits on show from the teams in Group H, with South Korea only using their Primary Kit in the tournament and an appearance of both Primary and Secondary Kits for Portugal.
Overall kit highlights from the Knock Out Rounds…
The Semi-Final between France and Morocco gave us Kit Match Up with two teams in “Tri-Colour”, each element of the kit being made of different colour, thanks to Morocco using their secondary white socks with their Primary Kit.
Argentina the only team to wear four kit variations, with three different Primary looks worn and their secondary kit worn once.
Would it be a World Cup with Brazil using an alternative kit, this one with secondary socks works well with the green details in all elements of the kit given a clean variation of their Primary Kit.
There we have it, the 2022 World Cup is over, what are your favourite kits on show and favourite kit moments of the tournament?
Let me know in the comments below of over at @Kit_Geek on Twitter
The FA Cup, the oldest football competition in the world, first kicked off over 150 years ago in November 1871 has now completed its full Second Round of the 2022 / 23 season.
The second round was made up of 40 Teams made up from 29 League One and League Two teams and 11 teams from the Non-League English Football Pyramid, with Alvechurch FC being the lowest rank team in the round who play in the 7th Tier (Southern League Premier Division Central).
Second Round Kit Log
The 40 Teams were provided by 19 Kit Manufactures, giving us a wide range of kit makers to look at.
Overall Macron produced the most kits in this round with seven teams, Puma second with five teams and third were Hummel with four teams (all EFL Clubs). There were ten manufactures that only provided the one team in this round, ths included Adidas (Accrington Stanley) and Canterbury (Buxton).
Taking a look at this per round, shows there were two manufactures lost from the First Round games.
Second Round Replay – Kit Log
There were only two replays in this round and of these only Gillingham’s match against Dagenham & Redbridge gave us a different kit match up from the original game.
Kit Highlights
I want to call out a few Kit Highlights from the total 22 Second Round games.
Gillingham – In their first game with Dagenham & Redbridge then went for a Kit Mash Up combining their Home Shirt with Away shorts and socks, to give a look which is a more a “traditional” Gills look of Blue / White / White that was used by the club until the mid 90s.
MK Dons – Another team that have combined kits to create a Mash Up, this with their home shirt and 3rd shorts / socks for white and black look, one that they have now used a few times this season but one that is not often seen by the League One Club.
Chippingham Town – One of the Non League sides who played in the Second Round, also one of the only teams that were the only representaton for their kit manufacturer. Uhlsport, a classic name in football are often seen in the England from an outfield Kit point of view but their home kit for Chippingham Town is a stylish one, with a nice use of the “yolk” in the shirt to give us something different in terms of kit aesthetics.
Let me know your favourite kits from this season’s FA Cup Second Round at either the comments section below or over at Twitter – @Kit_Geek
There have been a total of 59 kits used throughout the tournament, out of a possible 96 kits,
We have seen “Primary” Kits (and variations) used 69% and “Secondary” kits (and variations) used 29% of the time and 3rd kit 2% (just used the once)!
5 Teams wore three different kit variations in their three Group Games, with 17 Teams have worn two kits in the first two group games and 10 Teams in the same kit for their three Group games.
We have seen 12 new kit variations used in the final round of fixtures.
Game 3 Fixtures
Group A and Group B
Group C and Group D
Group E and Group F
Group G and Group H
Looking into the Groups in more detail…
Group A– 7 Kits
The stand out from a Kit point of view in Group A was Ecuador, who wore three different kits in their three appearences in this World Cup, with two variaitons of the Primary Kit being used. Hosts Qatar, used both Primary and Secondary Kits, with the two Nations progressing (Netherlands and Senegal) only using their Primary Kit in their three matches so far.
Group B– 8 Kits
Each team in Group 3 used two kit variations, with USA (x2) and Iran (x1) using both Primary and Secondary kits and Home Nations England and Wales only using their Primary Kit but with alternative shorts, Wales’ red shorts being part of their secondary kit and England’s white shorts being a bespoke alternative short for the Primary Kit. Wales’ final appearance in the group in the default Primary look was the 50th Different Kit Variation used in this World Cup.
Group C – 9 Kits
The most kits used in a Group, two Nations in the Group, Argentina and Saudi Arabia where two of the five Nations that wore three different kits in their three Group Appearances, with Argentina in both Black and White socks with their Primary kit and Saudi Arabia in their secondary kit twice, once pairing with Primary shorts and socks to give a “Green / White / White” look. Mexico and Poland are Nations that just used their Primary Kit, with Mexico in alternative green shorts once, meaning Poland were the only team to use just one kit in the Group.
Group D – 7 Kits
Three nations wore two kit variations in Group D, France in Primary Kits in all three games with their last game being paired with alternative blue shorts and socks. Australia and Denmark in both Primary and Secondary kits, with Denmark’s one appearance in a Secondary kit was paired with Primary shorts to give a “White / Red / White” look. Tunisia, the only team in the group not change from their Primary kit, wearing the one kit in their three appearences at this World Cup.
Group E– 7 Kits
The stand out Nation from a Kit view in Group E was Costa Rica, with three kit variations worn their three games, with Secondary used first, then two outings of the Primary kit, once with white (secondary) socks against Japan. Spain in all red of their games was something of a disappointment for me, Germany another team to go with the single colour look (twice) and one of the kits of tournament, Japan’s Primary being worn in all group games.
Group F– 7 Kits
Red is a common theme in this group but surprisingly both Croatia and Belgium have only worn their Primary Kits, with some controversy surrounding the Belgium secondary kit which was scheduled to be used but was changed on the eve of the tournament Canada one of the only Nations in the Tournament that has three registered kits, was the only one to use all three kits, wearing 3 of the 7 different looks in this game. Morocco, in one of my favourite kits of the competition with their Secondary kit which was worn against Belgium and Canada.
Group G– 8 Kits
Almost a nice simple group in terms of kits, all Nations in two kits, with Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland in Primary and Secondary Kits, with only Cameroon using a variation of kit when in their first group game against the Swiss they wore alternative (Secondary) green shorts, this created a Red v Green look that is something that is not normally seen due to impacts on Colourblind supporters / viewers, with the yellow socks of Cameroon being the only constrast in the two kits.
Group H – 6 Kits
The Group with the fewest kits on show, with just 6 kits used and no variations of kit used. South Korea and Ghana just playing in their Primary Kit, with Portugal and Uruguay using their Primary Kit twice and their Secondary kit just the once in their three group games.
Overall kit highlights from the final round of games…
Canada the only team in Primary, Seconday and Third Kits, first time a Nation has done this in The World Cup since Spain in 2014.
Mexico wore alternative shorts with their Primary Kit against Saudi Arabia, at first glance these appear to the Secondary Kit shorts but although they are also a darker shade of green they have white Adidas detailing in promo shots before the tournament and their use against Paraguay in September, so are these the secondary shorts for this tournament of just alternative home shorts, so why the darker shade of green? One of the Kit Mysteries of World Cup 2022.
Brazil used their secondary kit for the first time in their last group game against Cameroon, this vibrant blue kit is one of the best in the Nike Locker for this World Cup and seeing it action cemented that for me, I also think its the best change kit the Brazilians have had since 2002 World Cup.
That’s it, the Group games is now complete, what are your favourite kits on show and will we see more variations of kits through the knock out rounds?
Let me know in the comments below of over at @Kit_Geek on Twitter
Football Kit Geek - @Kit_Geek 