Tag: Football

The Heat Press – Issue 17

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After a small break to complete the End of Season Kit Reports, its time for Issue Number 17 of The Heat Press – a brief roundup of news in the Kit World and Kit Community, to catch up on Issue 16 click here

The Headlines

  • 2022 / 23 Kit Launches
  • Red Star Kit Competition
  • UEFA Kit Assistance Scheme x Errea

2022 / 23 Kit Launches

Kit Launches are coming thick and fast, so here some of the releases these past few weeks, now I am sure I will miss a lot but here we go…

Arsenal – Arsenal launched their kit ready to be used in the last game of the season against Everton, so one of the only 22/23 Kits we have seen in action already. Influenced by the Nike kits of 1994-96 see a collar return to their home kit since 2017/18 so this being only the second collared home kit at The Emirates Stadium.

Manchester City – Man City have launched another kit that is inspired from the past, this time we are going back to the 70s with this shirt. This is a less is more kit for me and the details of claret / maroon in the shirt to give a different look… the best Home Kit produced by Puma for Premier League Champions so far in my humble opinion. A big call out here, is the alternative shorts that will be used with the home shirt, they will be claret / maroon, so give a unique look to the team.

York City – A design that has already got the Kit Community buzzing with excitement, a bespoke design to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the club… there is a really interesting interview with the designer of the shirt on Episode 20 of Kit Mag Podcast, it is worth having a listen to.

Coventry City – Hummel have really delivered the goods for Coventry City and continue this wonderful partnership with their new kit. Again taking influence from the past, this kit is re-imagining of those wonderful tramlines from Admiral in the late 70s…

There was also an interesting tweet from @tyscopey which gives us a little bit of insight into how long the design process of a shirt takes.

Sutton United – In their second season in EFL, Sutton United will be changing kit suppliers moving from Macron across to O’Neills, who produce the club a quartered looking kit for their home and away kits, very similar in design to another club they supply Wycombe Wanderers.

England – The Lionesses have launched their kits for upcoming Euro 2022 Competition and the following seasons, again a bespoke design for national team and an interesting look, especially with the crest and logo on the home kit, the away design is my favourite, in particular the socks.. which give a nice balance to the overall look.

Red Star Kit Competition

As mentioned in Issue 14 of The Heat Press, Red Star FC in partnership with Fiverr created a competition to design a shirt for the club. The finalists have been selected and you can vote for your favourite here

Our friend Phil Delves is one of the final five with his design…

UEFA Assistance Kit Scheme x Errea

The UEFA Assistance Kit Scheme is something that UEFA brought in which sees “lower ranked” European Countries get kit deals as a whole group, there are currently eight countries in this scheme and they have launched their new kits for 2022-24, the first in a new deal with Italian Manufacturer Errea.

Countries included – Luxembourg, San Marino, Faroe Islands, Cyprus, Andorra, Malta, Liechtenstein, Belarus.

And Finally….

Whats happening in the Kit Community.

I like to end each issue with some of the “going ons” within the Kit Community.

Forgive the self promotion, however my Kit Reports for 2021 / 22 Season are all now available, check out my home page for all the details but a big thank to both @UniWatch and @FootyHeadlines for picking up the report and sharing the Premier League Report

Our friend Chris at Kitbliss is continuing his countdown of Top 100 Templates, with number 82 being this classic look from Hummel – check this out and of course the templates already discussed here

Lots of Kit Trackers for 2021/22 have come to close for the season, here some great ones to check out…

@BeesShirts – Brentford

@_luke1878_ – Everton

Let me know your thoughts and comments and if there is any content that you would like me to share in future issues, please message me and let me know the details or use the comments field below or contact me over on @Kit_Geek on Twitter

Premier League 2021/22 – End of Season Report

Posted in Kit History, Kit News, Premier League Kit LogTagged , , , , , , 7 Comments

The 2021 / 22 Premier League season ended on Sunday 22nd May with a thrilling last round of fixtures which ended with Manchester City pipping Liverpool to the title, winning their 4th Premier League in the last five seasons. At the foot of the table, Leeds United survivied with a final day victory which means that Burnley will be joining already relegated Norwich City and Watford.

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 74% of the time (68% Default, 6% Variations)
  • Away Kit used 16% of the time (14% Default, 2% Variations)
  • 3rd Kit used 10% of the time (9% Default, 1% Variations)
  • 101 Kits different Kit Variations worn by the 20 teams
  • Home Kits – 42.6% of total Kit Variations used:
    • 21 Home Kits worn (Arsenal wearing 22/23 Home Kit this season)
    • 22 Home Kit variations used
  • Away Kits – 30.7% of total Kit Variations used:
    • 20 Away Kits worn
    • 11 Away Kit variations used
  • 3rd Kits – 26.7% of total Kit Variations used:
    • 18 3rd Kits used
    • 9 3rd Kit variations used
    • Crystal Palace did not use 3rd Kit in 21/22
    • Manchester United did not use registered 3rd kit, only variations (x3)
  • Goalkeeper Kits:
    • 65 Goalkeeper used
    • Arsenal used Away Kit as a Goalkeeper kit for the second season running
    • Wolverhampton Wanderers were only team to use alternative socks with Goalkeeper kits, using alternative black socks for both 2nd / 3rd choice Keeper 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:

  • Manchester United in 11 Kit variations – Home Kit x4, Away Kit x4, 3rd Kit x3
  • Aston Villa in 8 Kit variations – Home Kit x4, Away Kit x2, 3rd Kit x2
  • Two Teams in 7 Kit variations
    • Arsenal – Home Kits x4 (including 22/23 Home Kit), Away Kit, 3rd Kit x2
    • Newcastle United – Home Kit x3, Away Kit x3, 3rd Kit
  • Three Teams in 6 Kit variations
    • Brighton & Hove Albion – Home Kit x2, Away Kit x2, 3rd Kit x2
    • Everton – Home Kit x3, Away Kit, 3rd Kit x2
    • West Ham United – Home Kit x3, Away Kit, 3rd Kit x2
  • Five Teams in 5 Kit variations
    • Burnley – Home Kit, Away Kit x2, 3rd Kit x2
    • Chelsea – Home Kit x2, Away Kit x2, 3rd Kit
    • Leeds United – Home Kit x2, Away Kit x2, 3rd Kit
    • Manchester City – Home Kit x2, Away Kit x2, 3rd Kit
    • Southampton – Home Kit x3, Away Kit, 3rd Kit
  • Most variations of Home Kit – 4:
    • Arsenal (inclucing 22/23 Home Kit)
    • Aston Villa
    • Manchester United
  • Most variatons of Away Kit – 4:
    • Manchester United
  • Most variations of 3rd Kit – 3:
    • Manchester United
    • However they did not wear their default 3rd Kit (Dark Blue shirts, Black shorts, Yellow socks)
  • Six Teams did not wear any Kit Variations, just default Home, Away or 3rd Kits
    • Burnley
    • Crystal Palace (only wore Home and Away Kits)
    • Leicester City
    • Liverpool
    • Norwich City
    • Watford
  • Most worn Home Kit – 32, Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers
  • Most worn Away Kit – 14, Brentford
  • Most worn 3rd Kit – 6, Burnley
  • No Fourth Kit used this season, second season in a row.
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers used 5 Goalkeeper Kit variations
  • Three teams used 4 Goalkeeper Kit Variations
    • Arsenal (including outfield Away Kit)
    • Brentford
    • Manchester 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 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 4 Home Kit variations are all included in the “Home Kit” Table and based on “Points per Game” used ratio.

Home Kits

As you would expect Manchester City and Liverpool head up the “Home Kit” table with a points per game score of 2.44 and 2.43 respectively, Arsenal making up the top three with 1.96 points per game in their Home Kits.

Liverpool scored the most points overall, with 73 points in their 30 games in their home kits.

Only two teams scored under 1 point per game in their Home Kit and again no surprises that it was the relegated Teams of Watford and Norwich City.

Away Kits

The top two slots in the Away Kit table are again taken up by Manchester City and Liverpool, however here there was a larger gap between the two, with “City” scoring 16 points in the six games away kits were used, only dropping points once in the draw at Crystal Palace, the most points won in an Away kit.

Tottenham Hotspur had a good season in their change kits, ended undefeated in their away kit to complete the top 3 in the “Away Kit” Table, Brighton & Hove Albion also ended the season unbeaten in their away kit wearing the kit 7 times in total and scoring 13 points to end joint 5th with Chelsea in this table.

There were 7 teams who averaged 1 point or lower in their away kit, including Mid table finishers Brentford, Crystal Palace and 8th placed Leicester City who only managed 4 points in their away kit.

3rd Kits

The 3rd Kit table has a different look to it, with Chelsea who only wore their 3rd Kit once in The Premier League and were victorious end with a maxium 3 points per game, Tottenham Hotspur (unbeaten in their 3rd Kit) finished second with 10 points from 4 games, only dropping points in their draw with Southampton.

Manchester City scored the most points again, completing the change kit league double!

Two teams scored “0” points in their 3rd Kit, with Aston Villa (5) and Watford (2), with a total of 9 teams scoring an average of 1 point or lower, this does not include Crystal Palace did not use their 3rd Kit.

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:

Crystal Palace only used two kit variations through out the season, just their home and away kits, this meant we did not see their wonderful 3rd kit in action in the Premier League, it was used in the Cup however.

Wolverhampton Wanderers went 23 League games in row in their home kit, this meant the last time they wore a change kit was on Saturday 11th December 2021 against Manchester City. They wore their home kit a total of 32 times, which was joint highest in the Premier League this season.

In their first season in The Premier League, Brentford wore change kits in 18 of their 19 away games, wearing their away kit 14 time and 3rd kit 4 times, the only time they wore their home kit away from The Community Stadium was against Manchester City on Wednesday 9th February 2022.

Tottenham Hotspur ended the season unbeaten in change kits, wearing their away kit 3 times (2 wins and 1 draw) and their 3rd kit 4 times (3 wins and 1 draw). A great season for two designs that have divided kit lovers but in this Kit Geek’s opinion are two great looking kits.

Brighton & Hove Albion wear undefeated in their “Hyper-Turq” Away kit, wearing it a total of 7 times (3 wins and 4 draws), interestingly they only worn the default version of the kit with black shorts once, at Everton.

There were three teams that wore four distinct goalkeeper kits…

Arsenal

Brentford

Manchester City

There we have it, The Premier Leagues’s End of Season Kit report for 2021/22, please let me know your favourite kit highlights from this division on the comments below or over at Twitter – @Kit_Geek

You can find other End of Season Reports below.

Championship – End of Season Report

League One – End of Season Report

League Two – End of Season Report

EFL, The Championship 21/22 – End of Season Report

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The 2021/22 Championship Season came to a close on Saturday 7th May 2022, with Champions being Fulham, who are returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking and scoring over 100 goals in the process. AFC Bournemouth secured the second automatic spot with a game to go to return to Premier League after two seasons in the Second Tier. The teams competing in the Play-Offs are Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United and Luton Town.

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)
  • 97 Different Kit variations used by the 24 teams.
  • Home Kits – 38% of Kit variations used
    • 24 Home Kits worn
    • 13 Home Kit variations worn
  • Away Kits – 38% of variations used
    • 24 Away Kits worn
    • 13 Away Kit variations worn
  • 3rd Kits – 22% of variations worn
    • 18 3rd Kits worn
    • 3 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

  • 5 Teams wore 6 Kit Variations, most in The Championship
    • Barnsley – Home x3, Away x2, 3rd
    • Fulham – Home x2, Away x3, 3rd
    • Luton Town – Home x2, Away x2, 3rd x2
    • Millwall – Home x3, Away x2, 3rd
    • Queen’s Park Rangers – Home x3, Away x2, Special Kit
  • 4 Teams in 5 Kit Variations
    • AFC Bournemouth – Home x2, Away x2, 3rd
    • Birmingham City – Home x2, Away x2, 3rd
    • Coventry City – Home, Away x2, 3rd, Special Kit
    • Huddersfield Town – Home, Away x3, 3rd
  • 5 Teams in 4 Kit Variations
  • 7 Teams in 3 Kit Variations
  • 3 Teams in just Home and Away Kits, 2 Kit variations
    • Middlesbrough
    • Reading
    • Stoke City
  • Most Variations of Home Kit – 3 Kits
    • Barnsley – Red / White / Red (x2 – once with 3rd “Monochrome” shorts), Red / White / Purple (Charity Socks)
    • Millwall – Navy / White / Navy, All Navy, Navy / Navy / White
    • QPR – White shorts & socks, Blue shorts & socks, Blue shorts & white socks
  • Most Variations of Away Kit – 3 Kits
    • Fulham – Black / White / Black, All Black, Black / Black / White
    • Huddersfield Town – Navy / Navy / White, Navy / Navy / Black, Navy / White / Black
  • Most Variations of 3rd Kit – 2 Kits
    • Luton Town – All White, White / Navy / White
  • 10 Teams worn no variation of kits
    • 7 Teams in just Home, Away and 3rd Kits
    • 3 Teams in just Home and Away Kits
  • Most worn Home Kit – 38, Bristol City
  • Most worn Away Kit – 21, Reading
  • Most worn 3rd Kit – 13, Nottingham Forest

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 2021/22 Championship teams wore 97 Kits, this was a reduction in the number kits compared to last season where 110 Kits were worn.  The reduction is linked to the number of times teams had variations of their kits, with only 29 variations of Home, Away, 3rd kits used compared to 39 variations from the default look used in 2020 / 21 season.

Bristol City wore their home kit for 38 times, but a special mention to Middlesbrough who wore their home kit 37 times, to be the most used kits in League this season, both Red, Both Hummel.

A common theme in The Championship this season was the use of 3rd Kits, with five teams wearing their 3rd kit more than their away kit.

AFC Bournemouth – 3rd Kit worn 8 times

Blackburn Rovers – 3rd Kit worn 12 times

Huddersfield Town – 3rd Kit worn 10 times

Millwall – 3rd Kit worn 10 times

Nottingham Forest – 3rd Kit worn 13 times (most in worn in the League)

Millwall where the only team not use their default Home Kit (Navy / White / Navy) in any of their away games this season, in their 23 games away from The Den they used two variations of Home Kit (All Navy worn five times, Navy / Navy / White worn twice), two away looks (White / Navy / White worn four times and All white worn twice) and their 3rd kit ten times.

Reading wore their away kit in 21 of their 23 games, only wearing their home kit in an away game for the first time on 26th February 2022 at Blackpool, the other fixture was at Hull City in April.

There were two “Special Kits” worn through out the season, these were celebration kits worn by Coventry City and Queen’s Park Rangers and were both worn in home games for the clubs.

Coventry City – Return to Ricoh Kit

QPR – 140th Anniversary Kit

There were two 3rd Kits that we did not see in their default look, Hull City only used their 3rd kit once this season against Huddersfield Town where they wore the kit with black shorts (Home Shorts) rather than the default Amber Shorts, which robbed us Kit Lovers of a unique look!

Cardiff City were the second team that did not use their default 3rd Kit look, it was communicated that “The Bluebirds” would use their away kit from 2020 / 21 as their 3rd kit this season, however in its two uses this season it was worn with white shorts and socks and not navy that was used last season.

A final Kit “quirk” of the season was in the first game of season (and thanks for the tip off from an eagle eyed fan) was Barnsley took to the field in the game against Cardiff City in their 3rd kit shorts, also white but have a monochrome version of the club crest on them (Can be seen the image below).

There we have it, The Championship’s End of Season Kit report for 2021/22, please let me know your favourite kit highlights from this division on the comments below or over at Twitter – @Kit_Geek

You can find other End of Season Reports below.

Premier League – End of Season Report

League One – End of Season Report

League Two – End of Season Report

EFL, League Two 21/22 – End of Season Report

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The 2021/22 League Two Season came to a close on Saturday 7th May 2022, with Champions being Forest Green Rovers, who gain promotion to Third Tier of English Football for the first time with Exeter City securing Runner’s Up spot, Bristol Rovers securing a final day promotion with a remarkable 7-0 victory against already relegated Scunthorpe United, a successful season for clubs in that region of the country in League Two. Northampton Town, Port Vale, Swindon Town and Mansfield Town will compete in the Playoffs for the final promotion place.

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)
  • 86 Different Kit variations used by the 24 teams.
  • Home Kits – 36% of Kit variations used
    • 25 Home Kits worn
    • 6 Home Kit variations worn
  • Away Kits – 33% of variations used
    • 25 Away Kits worn
    • 3 Away Kit variations worn
  • 3rd Kits – 26% of variations worn
    • 17 3rd Kits worn
    • 6 3rd Kit variations worn
  • Special Kits – 5% of variations worn
    • 4 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 League Two Teams

  • Walsall wore 10 Kit Variations
    • Home x3, Away x3, 3rd x4
    • Full Details can be found here
    • 11.5% of all kits worn in League Two
  • Rochdale wore 6 Kit Variations
    • Home x2, Away, 3rd x3
  • 3 Teams wore 5 Kit Variations
    • Colchester United – Home, Away x2, 3rd, Special Kit
    • Stevenage – Home x2, Away, 3rd, Special Kit
    • Tranmere Rovers – Home x2, Away, 3rd x2
  • Bradford City wore 4 Kit Variations
    • Home, Away, 3rd, Special Kit
  • 15 Teams in 3 Kit Variations
  • 3 Teams in just Home and Away Kits, 2 Kit variations
    • Carlisle United
    • Newport County
    • Scunthorpe United
  • Most Variations of Home Kit – 3 Kits
    • Walsall – Red / White / Green, All Red, Red / Red / Green
  • Most Variations of Away Kit – 3 Kits
    • Walsall – Green / Green / Red, All Green, Green / Green / White
  • Most Variations of 3rd Kit – 4 Kits
    • Walsall – White / Green / White, White / Red / White, White / Red / Red. White / Red / Green
  • 12 Teams wore just Home, Away, 3rd (or Special) Kits
  • 17 Teams worn no variation of kits
    • Bradford City wore 4 kits with no variations
    • 3 Teams in just Home and Away kits
  • Mansfield Town wore two “Away” Kits, debuting their 2022 / 23 Away Kit in the final away league game of the season
  • Most worn Home Kit – 40, Mansfield Town
  • Most worn Away Kit – 19, Colchester United (22 including the one other variation used)
  • Most worn 3rd Kit – 14, Salford City and Tranmere Rovers (who wore 3rd Kit 14 times in total. 13 default look and 1 variation)

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 2021/22 League Two teams wore 86 Kits, this was a huge reduction in the number kits compared to last season where 117 Kits were worn.  The reduction is linked to the number of times teams had variations of their kits, with only 15 variations of Home, Away, 3rd kits used (7 of which worn by Walsall) compared to 50 variations from the default look used in 2020 / 21 season.

Two Teams, Colchester United and Harrogate Town wore change kits in all 23 away game. Colchester United in their away kit for 22 times and 3rd Kit once, where Harrogate Town had more of an even split with their Away Kit used 11 times and 3rd Kit worn 12 times.

Stevenage had two different Home Kits through out the season, an inital kit which was only worn four times before their actual Home Kit for the season was used.

The was a subtle difference in sponsor layout and additional stripes across the chest of the shirt in the final home kit.

League Two was also the home of “Special Kits” in 2021 / 22, with four teams wearing a special kit for a variety of reasons.

Bradford City – Limited Edition 4th Shirt

Colchester United – Ukraine Solidarity Kit

Northampton Town – 125th Annivesary Kit

Stevenage – Season Ticket Holder Tribute Kit

Walsall worn a remarkable 10 different kit variations, using elements of the Home, Away and 3rd kits to build these variations, I have gone into detail about this in a seperate article which you can find here

Mansfield Town wore their home kit for 40 games through out the season, the most of any team in the top four English Leagues, only wearing their away kit six times including debuting their 22 / 23 Away kit in their final away of the season at Salford City.

There we have it, League Two’s End of Season Kit report for 2021/22, please let me know your favourite kit highlights from this division on the comments below or over at Twitter – @Kit_Geek

You can find other End of Season Reports below.

Premier League – End of Season Report

Championship – End of Season Report

League One – End of Season Report

Walsall FC – Kit “Mash Up” Kings

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One of my favourite “Kit Anecdotes” of the 2021 / 22 Season is from League Two’s Walsall FC, I want to take some time and have a deeper look at the kits worn this season. I published this tweet a few weeks ago….

The Saddlers used TEN different Kit variations in the League but unlike some teams who achieved the same feat with bespoke elements of the each of the Home, Away and 3rd Kits, Walsall completed this with just the following:

  • Three Shirts – Green, White, Red
  • Three pairs of Shorts – Green, White, Red
  • Three pairs of Socks – Green, White, Red

Although green is newer colour choice for the club, the use of the three colours in all shirts of the kit set has given the club a consistent overall feel and using these elements in different combinations gave the team the different looks but remained in the colour pallette that the club chose for the season, whatever the look it felt like Walsall FC.

Taking a closer look at the Kits used in League Two…..

Home Kits:

The default Home Kit – Red / White / Green, this was worn 24 times in total… 22 (out of 23) Home games and away at both Carlisle United and Mansfield Town.

Red / Red / Green – This combination was worn three times, against Hartlepool United twice, home (the only other variation worn at home) and away, also at Bristol Rovers.

All Red – Worn once at Rochdale.

Away Kits

The default Away look – Green / Green / Red. This was worn six times in total, the most worn change kit by the club, worn at AFC Barrow, Bradford City, Oldham Athletic, Port Vale, Sutton United and Tranmere Rovers.

Green / Green / White – worn in three games, at Exeter City, Stevenage and Swindon Town.

All Green, only worn once at Crawley Town.

3rd Kits

The default look for Walsall’s 3rd kit was White / Red / White, this was worn on four occasions at Forest Green Rovers, Harrogate Town, Northampton Town and Scunthorpe United.

White / Green / White – worn twice at games against, Leyton Orient and Newport County.

White / Red / Red – only worn once at Salford City.

White / Red / Green – again only worn once at Colchester United, the 10th and final variation used.

There we have it, one of my favourite Kit details of the season and shows the importance of a good Kit Set, using all three kits as one set and creating some wonderful looks along the way, thank you Walsall FC and Errea!

Let me know you thoughts about this at @kit_geek or in the comments below.

EFL, League One 21/22 – End of Season Report

Posted in EFL, Kit HistoryTagged , , , , , 3 Comments

The 2021/22 League One Season came to a close on Saturday 30th April 2022, with Wigan Athletic securing the title on the final day of the season, with Rotherham United securing Runner’s Up spot and therefore gaining Automatic promotion to The Championship. MK Dons, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Wycombe Wanderers 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)
  • 94 Different Kit variations used by the 24 teams.
  • Home Kits – 44% of Kit variations used
    • 24 Home Kits worn
    • 17 Home Kit variations worn
  • Away Kits – 36% of variations used
    • 24 Away Kits worn
    • 10 Away Kit variations worn
  • 3rd Kits – 19% of variations worn
    • 14 3rd Kits worn
    • 4 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

  • 3 Teams wore 6 Kit Variations
    • Accrington Stanley – Home x2, Away x2, 3rd x2
    • Cheltenham Town – Home x3, Away x2, 3rd
    • Portsmouth – Home x2, Away x2, 3rd x2
  • 4 Teams wore 5 Kit Variations
    • Ipswich Town – Home x2, Away, 3rd x2
    • Morecambe – Home x2, Away x3
    • Oxford United – Home x2, Away x2, 3rd
    • Sheffield Wednesday – Home x3, Away x2
  • 5 Teams wore 4 Kit Variations
    • Cambridge United – Home x2, Away, 3rd
    • Charlton Athletic – Home x2, Away, 3rd
    • Doncaster Rovers – Home x2, Away, 3rd
    • Shrewsbury Town – Home x2, Away x2
    • Wycombe Wanderers – Home, Away, 3rd, Special Kit
  • Most Variations of Home Kit – 3 Kits worn by 2 teams
    • Cheltenham Town, Black shorts / Red socks – Black shorts / White socks – White shorts / Red socks
    • Sheffield Wednesday, Black shorts & socks – White shorts & socks – Black shorts / white socks
  • Most Variations of Away Kit – 3 Kits
    • Moreambe, All Black – Black shirt, White shorts, Black socks – Black shirt, white shorts & socks
  • Most Variations of 3rd Kit – 2 Kits worn by 3 teams
    • Accrington Stanley
    • Ipswich Town
    • Portsmouth
  • 12 Teams wore 3 Kit Variations
  • 9 Teams only used Home and Away kits (no 3rd Kits), all used at least one kit variation of these two kits
  • 7 Teams wore kits with no varitations, just home, away and 3rd kits
    • Wycombe Wanderers wore 4 different kits with no variations
    • AFC Wimbledon, Lincoln City, MK Dons, Plymouth Argyle, Rotherham United, Wigan Athletic
  • Most worn Home Kit – 38, Gillingham (Most worn for 2nd season in a row)
  • Most worn Away Kit – 16, Plymouth Argyle
  • Most worn 3rd Kit – 12, Lincoln City and Oxford United

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 2021/22 League One teams wore 94 Kits, this was a reduction in the number kits compared to last season where 98 Kits were worn. There were 9 teams that wore just home and away kits which was the most in the English Top Four Divisions, however each of these team wore at least one kit variation which gives us some different looks through out the season.

Wycombe Wanderers wore a special kit in their against Plymouth Argyle on 15th April 2022, the kit was in the colours of Ukraine and were auctioned off after the game to raise money for charties supporting those impacted by the situation.

There were some teams that wore change kits at home for a various reasons, some took part in The Shelter “No Home Kit” campaign, wearing change kits at home to highlight those people are homeless and raise money for the charity and other to offer support to Ukraine.

Bolton Wanderers in away kit at home to Morecambe

Doncaster Rovers in 3rd Kit at home to Wigan Athletic

Sunderland at home to Crewe Alexander in their away kit

Wycombe Wanderers wore four different kits through out the season and between 2nd April and 15th April wore these four kits in four games in 13 days.

Ipswich Town wore their home kit for their first 13 games of the season, it was only in their 13th game where they deviated from their first choice home kit, wearing all blue against Portsmouth, the went on to use five different kit variations. Ipswich Town also doned all blue in their game against Lincoln City, who wore their yellow 3rd kit in supprt of the People of Ukraine

Plymouth Argyle used change kits in 18 of their 23 away games, wearing their away kit 16 time which is the most of any team in The League, this may be surprising as they are the only team with a green home kit in the league but given there are 10 teams with elements of red in the home kit, this supports those colourblind supporters and viewers.

There we have it, League One’s End of Season Kit report for 2021/22, please let me know your favourite kit highlights from this division on the comments below or over at Twitter – @Kit_Geek

You can find other End of Season Reports below.

Premier League – End of Season Report

Championship – End of Season Report

League Two – End of Season Report

The Heat Press – Issue 16

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Time for Issue Number 16 of The Heat Press – a brief roundup of news in the Kit World and Kit Community, to catch up on Issue 15 click here

The Headlines

  • 2022 / 23 Kit Launches
  • RKC Waalwijk Charity Kit
  • Manchester United x Adidas – 1990 / 92
  • FC Barcelona Kit Mash up

2022 / 23 Kit Launches

It is that time of the year when the Kit Launches have begun, now I am sure that will not be able to keep up with them all over the coming months but let’s give it a go with this week’s launches…

Liverpool (Home) – Liverpool, a team who traditional launch their home kit around this time of the season, normally debuting their new Home kit in their last home game, although not confirmed I expect to see that happen against in final game against Wolverhampton Wanderers…

The Nike kit sees a return to plain red, although there is nice detail in the shirt and the cuff are one of favourite part of the shirt. Also this is the first look at the Nike Goalkeeper Template for next season, Liverpool opting for the “Lilac” version of the kit…

Walsall (Home, Away, 3rd) – Walsall, who produce one of my favourite kit sets of 2021 / 22 season, which allowed 10 Kit variations to be used as the kits were designed to be whole kit set (a very happy Kit Geek Here) have launched their range of kits for next season already, again produced by Errea see the home kit being in all red, with no confirmation of the full look for away and 3rd kits but I would expect all white and all black, again giving us potential mash up options.

Barrow AFC (Home / Away) – Barrow AFC are the first team to release new kits from a new kit supplier, moving from Joma to Puma. Both shirts are an interesting look, with the home in particular something new using two shades of blue and white to create the look, the away being a black with a star like / paint splatter pattern (depending on your view).

Bayern Munich (Home) – One of Adidas flagship teams Bayern Munich have launched their home kit, a team that often mix up their look at home, will next season go for a shirt that includes white horizontal stripes, which are of various thickness..

RKC Waalwijk Charity Shirt

RKC Waalwijk played in special shirts their match against FC Groningen.

The shirts were designed by a 10 year old fan and were auctioned, the proceeds will go to Villa Pardoes, a charity that suports ill children and their families with holidays. Quite possibly the first shirt to include a snail in its design….

Manchester United x Adidas (1990 / 92)

It was confirmed this week that Adidas will be re-issuing their home shirt and goalkeeper shirt from 1990 to 1992, the designs look faithful to their originals and will be part of the Adidas Original range, the Goalkeeper shirt is a real highlight for me, not often we see these shirts reproduced.

FC Barcelona – Kit Mash Up

Although not their first team, FC Barcelona “B Team” wore a mash up of their current away kit with home shorts, for an interesting and likely a one off look…!

And Finally….

What’s happening in the Kit Community.

I like to end each issue with some of the “going on’s” within the Kit Community.

The latest Football Kit Podcast is now out, Episode 10 see Les, Denis and I return to discussion about Templates, each nominating a “Template of Doom” and “Template of Worship”, you can find the episode here or Download from your Podcast App of choice and remember to subscribe, like and give your feedback!

I was lucky enough to be give a very limited edition shirt this week, to celebrate the launch of his book “Kit and Caboodle”, Matt Riley has designed and got produced a limited number shirts. There is a competition to win one of these shirts, where you need to guess the attendance of Exeter City’s game against Port Vale on 7th May, so be quick and get your guesses in!

The book can be pre-order now here

On Thursday 5th May, there was an evening dedicated to all things Football Shirt Design, with our friends at Spark Academy along with Subside Sports and The Anfield Wrap. Although the event has now passed, there are some great videos and chat from members of the Kit Community to check out on the Subside Sport Timeline, with another friend of ours Chris Chats Shirts making some wonderful videos so those of us that could not attend the event still get a feel of the goings on and feel part of this great event.

Let me know your thoughts and comments and if there is any content that you would like me to share in future issues, please message me and let me know the details or use the comments field below or contact me over on @Kit_Geek on Twitter

Millwall x Hummel

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As many you of you know I am Millwall supporter and have been over 30 years now, when it comes to posting and writing articles I always look to remain neutral and do not tend to focus on my own club, however for one post I need to make an exception and here’s why….

Today (Wednesday 20th April 2022), Millwall announced a new Kit Partnership with Hummel and honestly this makes me feel like I am 10 years old again…. in fact, the closest feeling to this is when Millwall first had their kits produced by ASICS, which at the time I found amazing that we had the same kit manufacturer as two of the biggest clubs at the time, Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers (1994)

Looking at my years of supporting the club the Kits have been produced by likes of Spall, Errea, Bukta, Macron and even a brand owned by then club owner Theo Paphitis (Strikeforce), so the thought of my club having what I would view as a World Class Kit Manufacturer really makes this Millwall Supporting Kit Geek excited.

Over the past few seasons in Macron’s second spell with the club have really delivered some wonderful kits, very much taken their influence from kits from late 80s, early 90s and I thank them for this, so there are decent size “shoes” to fill but given some of kits designed and produced over the past few seasons for clubs in English Football I cannot wait to see what this iconic brand have in store for my club.

The deal is a long-term deal for the next five years, starting from 2022 / 23 season and will provide “Bespoke” kits for the club’s teams and coaching staff, as well as taking control of Club Shop and online retail, this is a huge step for the club.

The full statement can be found here

In the meantime, here is a Concept Kit design created by a “Friend of Kit Geek” @KonceptKitz just to give you an idea of what Millwall x Hummel kit could look like!

Let me know your thoughts, especially you Millwall fans out there!

Thank you for indulging me in this little love in… normal service will resume.

The Heat Press – Issue 13

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Time for Issue Number 13 of The Heat Press – a brief roundup of news in the Kit World and Kit Community, to catch up on Issue 12 click here

The Headlines

  • AC Milan 4th Kit
  • Fiorentina Kit Design Competition
  • Maradona’s “Hand of God” shirt
  • Plymouth Argyle – Ginsters

AC Milan 4th Kit

AC Milan have released their 4th Kit for the 2021 / 22 Season, this kit is part of a larger collaboration with Italian fashion brand “NEMEN”, the Kit was designed by Leonardo Fasolo, Founder and Creative Director of NEMEN and lifelong AC Milan fan.

The kit has been given mixed reviews from fans and those in the Kit Community however this gives a unique look to the Rossonere and is getting people talking about kits, which in kit design is something I can get behind. The kit has been worn by both Women’s and Men’s team this weekend in likely its only appearences on the field.

Fiorentina Kit Design Competition

Staying in Italy, Fiorentina and Kappa are given people the chance to design the 4th Kit for next season, there are some guidelines that must be adhered to in the designs:

  • Primary colors cannot be purple or green.
  • You can also use more than 3 colours as long as one is dominant.
  • You can propose a circled, striped, banded or checked design… but there must always be a dominant color.
  • You cannot replicate the Fiorentina logo or its elements (for example you cannot use the lily, the V of Viola, the name “ACF Fiorentina”).
  • You cannot modify or move the Fiorentina logo, the Kappa logo or the Mediacom logo.
  • You cannot change the shape of the shirt (collar, sleeves … the structure must remain as it is).

So for you Kit Concept Designers out there your designs need to be submitted by 17th April 2022, full details can be found here

Maradona’s “Hand of God” shirt

It has been reported in The Guardian that the shirt worn by Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup Quarter Final against England, famously worn scoring two of the most memorible goals in World Cup History is being put up for sale.

The shirt was in the ownership of Steve Hodge (Pictured below) who swapped shirts with Argentinian Legend after the game and has been on display at the National Football Museum of the recent years will go sale at Sotherby’s Auctioneers and estimate to sell for £4m.

Full details on the story can be found here

Plymouth Argyle – Ginsters

One of the most famous sponsorship partnerships in English Football is coming to an end. Plymouth Argyle and local savoury snack maker Ginsters have been in partnership since 2002, so at the end of this season their 20 year association will be coming to an end with League One club sporting a new sponsor for the 2022/23 season… will Pymouth shirts ever look the same again!

And Finally….

Whats happening in the Kit Community.

I like to end each issue with some of the “going ons” within the Kit Community.

Firstly our Friends at Football Shirts for Charity have released some new Charity shirts for 2022, following up from their wonderful shirts from 2021, they are producing three shirts each with a different colour details and you can include a name and number for no additional charge.

I have ordered mine, to go with my white shirt of theirs last season… its the blue one this year for me and cannot wait to add it to my collection.

Check out their site and place your order here

As you will know I am a lover of “Kit Logs”, maintaining a record of the kits worn by teams through out a competion or season, there have been a couple of examples that I have seen in the last week that I want to call out and share here…

PABLO has created this fantastic illistration of Spainish Segunda División B Hércules CF kits worn this season.

Paint Kits produced this amazing graphic looking at the teams from South America in the CONMEBOL 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, with what teams wore what kit through out the qualification process… as a Kit Geek, I love it!

There has been a few updates to my site over the past week, I have now included a section where I will keep the Kit Grids from the 2021 / 22 season in one place, the Premier League has been added with EFL Leagues to be added over the coming days (example below, Premier League up to 5th April 2022).

The page can be found at the top of my site,

I have also now included a “Friends of Kit Geek” section as well, where you can find other Football Kit Related pages that may interest you, if you want to see your site here please let me know and I will add it the list.

Let me know your thoughts and comments and if there is any content that you would like me to share in future issues, please message me and let me know the details or use the comments field below or contact me over on @Kit_Geek on Twitter

FA Cup – Quarter Finals, Kit Review

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The FA Cup, the oldest football competition in the world, first kicked off 150 years ago in November 1871 has now completed the 5th Round of the 2021/22 season.

Details from Round 5 can be found here – FA Cup – Fifth Round, Kit Review

The Quarter Finals of the competition was held on 19th March and 20th March, with all games televised. The round consisted of 8 teams, 6 Premier League Teams and 2 Championship Teams.

No replays from now on in the competition, so all ties were concluded in these games by Extra Time / Penalities if needed.

Quarter Final Kit Log

Manufacturers

Only four manufacturers left in the competition at this round, it was the first time this season that Puma did not supply the most kits, that honour fell to Hummel with three teams out of the eight left and Macron the only supplier to provide just one team with their kit.

Kit Highlights

As there was only four games, let take each match…

Middlesbrough v Chelsea

Middlebrough in their kit for 3rd time (4 games), Chelsea have worn their home kit in all games so far.

Crystal Palace v Everton

Crystal Palace another team that have been in their home kit for 3 games, the only time not in their home colours they used their 3rd Kit, which has yet to be used in the Premier League in their 3rd Round tie at Local Rivals Millwall. Everton were in a change kit for the first time in the competition this season.

Southampton v Manchester City

Southampton have worn 3 kits in their 4 games, including a special one off white shirt in Round 4, this was their 2nd appearance in their home kit. Manchester City have used their Home, Away and 3rd kits before this game, so taking to the field in their 3rd kit was also the 2nd appearance of the kit.

Nottingham Forest v Liverpool

Nottingham Forest who have played all their games at City Ground, so have worn their home kit in all their 4 games. Liverpool where in their first away game, so took to the field in a change kit for the first time in the competition this season.

Let me know your favourite kits from the FA Cup Quarter Finals at either the comments section below or over at Twitter – @Kit_Geek