FOOTY FAIR

West Ham's Thames Ironworks Kit

2016-08-02T09:10:00.000-04:00

With the collar of a polo shirt, a charcoal grey colour scheme and a bold Union Jack patch West Ham's new commemorative kit certainly stands out.

With the entire kit costing a cool £90, and the shirt alone £55, it'll leave your wallet a bit lighter and that's considering the fact that the Hammers will only be using the kit for next Sunday's match against Juventus at the Olympic Stadium, and 'possibly' a match in the FA Cup this season.

Inspired by the club's forerunners Thames Ironworks FC, part of me thinks this offering is kind of unique and interesting, while another part of me thinks that this is the football kit equivalent of BREXIT.

2015-16 EPL Kits - Mobile Wallpapers

2015-08-08T16:00:00.000-04:00

A project from KickTV and designer Edward Gaug (@edwardgaug) is allowing EPL fans all over the world to have their favorite clubs' shirts on their mobile phones as a wallpaper. Check out the collection below, which includes every club and all of their jerseys from this season including the away and alternates.

Liverpool Wants Kit Sponsorship Record Deal

2015-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Liverpool is looking at setting a new club record for kit sponsorship deal, according to Bloomberg.

Currently Liverpool has a deal in place with London based bank Standard Chartered, that is worth around 20 million pounds a year and that comes to an end in 2016.

Spurred by some of the latest deals from Manchester United and Arsenal, Liverpool is looking at finding a new sponsor for their kits that would pay in the neighborhood of 30 million pounds a year. This deal would put Liverpool in 2nd place with Arsenal as far as the most lucrative kit sponsorship deals in the Premier League are concerned.

Arsenal is currently receiving that same amount from Emirates, trailing only Manchester United that is receiving 47 million pounds a year from Chevrolet. Chelsea will also be moving to a new sponsor, while letting go of Samsung. The new sponsorship deal is rumored to be with Turkish Airlines in the neighborhood of 25 million pounds a year.

When contacted by Bloomberg, Liverpool public relations had this to say:

"We are engaged in ongoing conversations with Standard Chartered regarding extending the partnership and continually delivering excellent commercial and community value,"

One of the companies approached by Liverpool to perhaps take over from their existing sponsor is Japanese firm, Nomura Holdings that also operates in the financial sector.

Their kit manufacture deal with New Balance/Warrior also comes to an end in 2016, so they will also be looking at upgrading their financial revenue when it comes to the manufacture of their kits and gear.

Losing Gerrard next season, after the loss of Suarez this season, will make things more difficult for them when it comes to the bargain power for more lucrative deals, but they are still one of the most recognizable products in world football, and I am sure someone will pay to have their name associated with Liverpool.

New Balance 2015-16 Liverpool FC Kits Leaked

2014-10-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Liverpool’s kits for the 2015-16 season will be the first ever that New Balance will be making.

Warrior Football will be re-branded as New Balance and next year’s Liverpool kits will already have the New Balance logo on them.

Mock ups of the three kits have been leaked and as you can see from the picture below, red, white and black will be three colors that will be used for the home, away and third kit. The kits are expected to be released on July 2015.

Liverpool 2015-16 home kit will be red with red socks and red shorts as it has been traditionally done. White will be the color of the away kit; while black will be feature in the third kit. The third kit will have also black socks and shorts with it.

New Balance has now entered the football kit market, and they have done so by starting with one of the most popular clubs in the Premier League.

Concept Club Kits by Emilio Sansolini (Gallery)

2014-10-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

Emilio Sansolini is an incredible graphic designer and one of his latest works is this gallery of concept club jerseys, of some of the biggest clubs from around the world.

Enjoy the great work and the magnificent concept kits that he designed.

Kits: You Get What You Pay For

2014-09-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

What's there not to like about a brand new football kit hanging in your closet?

At around $90US a pop, kits of most of the major sides around the world certainly aren't cheap, but my god do they look gorgeous when you get them home.

I have a friend that is like the Imelda Marcos of football kit collectors. You can't move in his apartment without tripping over a box full of J-League Division 2 third jerseys and I can't help but be a little envious.

Of course when you wear your 2007/2008 kit to work on Dress Down Fridays, your casual soccer following co-workers won't know that your kit falls in that dreaded zone between being a cool retro number, and being a dated shirt that is thread bare and that you desperately need to upgrade. But you'll know though, and it'll burn at your soul.

Most clubs used to have a kit for two seasons before changing them, but in the new mega dollars world of football the greedy bastards change kits every season and damn if we aren't peer pressured into upgrading.

I thought I had found a solution two years back when one of my co-writers on this very site came across a Chinese website that was selling football kits at markdown prices.

"If you can't trust a Chinese Counterfeiting Syndicate to create jerseys properly, who can you trust?" I thought to myself.

The first one I ordered was a black Borussia Dortmund away kit. Now before you scream, "fucking hipster" at me, I ordered this particular number because all of my kits are either red or white and I needed a black kit for a big kick about that a buddy of mine hosts in Drayton, Ontario every September. The Dortmund kit just happened to be the coolest looking black kit on this slightly shady website.

So the kit arrived and it was the absolute bees knees. It looked, felt, and smelled legit. Even the shorts that came with it, a striking yellow, were terrific. The kit held together well and I still wear it to this day.

The other kit I ordered around the same time was a Euro 2012 blue England kit with Rooney on it, and that's when things took a turn for the worse. The Euro patches on it were obviously low grade knockoffs and after two washes the goddamn name and numbers peeled off the back. For $22 though, I guess this is to be expected.

The next time I placed an order it was for a 2013/2014 Manchester United kit with no badges or number, because I figured if I kept it basic they wouldn't mess it up. Sadly, I overestimated their quality control system as my $23 jersey ended up with shitty knock off EPL badges sewn into it and the AON sponsors logo started peeling off after two washes. It was like a metaphor for United's dreadful season under Moyes.

You really get what you pay for with jerseys though, about ten years ago I was in Mexico and I bought my brother one of those epic, Aztec inspired Mexico jerseys for $15US at a market and would you believe it, after one wash the bloody arms fell off.

People take no pride in their work these days.

Umbro EPL Kits by Davide Lanave (Gallery)

2014-08-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

Davide Lanave ( @davejship ) a graphic / fashion designer from Milan, Italy seems to love working on concepts for football kits. In this projects he offers the idea of Umbro sponsoring most EPL teams and creates some intriguing designs for some of England's biggest clubs. Now I don't know about you, but whether it's Umbro or even Joma, some of the shirt designs are incredible regardless of who's logo would be stitched onto these jerseys. Make sure to check out Davide's other projects HERE

HOPDAYS - 10 Classic Beer Shirt Sponsors in England

2014-08-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

Currently, Everton FC is the only Premier League side that still sports a beer brand on their chest. Their sponsor, Chang, is a Thai brew and has been on the Everton shirts since 2004. This week on Hopdays we take a look back at some of the most classic beer sponsors in English football.

Hull City - Mansfield Beers

Established in Mansfield, England in 1985 this brew company is now based in Wolverhampton. Mansfield Beers was Hull City's shirt sponsor for just one year for the 1987-88 season.

Chelsea FC - Coors

This Colorado, USA based brewery was Chelsea FC's shirt sponsor for three years, between 1994 and 1997. During their sponsorship stint with the London club, some very popular footballers, such as Ruud Gullit (below) wore the logo on their chest.

Queens Park Rangers - Guinness

The world famous Irish brewery were the sponsors of London based club QPR from 1983 to 1986.

Norwich City - Foster's Lager

Much more popular in the UK than in its own native Australia, Foster's Lager was the shirt sponsor for Norwich City from 1986-89. I guess the Aussie's liked the yellow and green colors worn by the Canaries.

Nottingham Forrest - Labatt's

Based in London, although not so much in the English capital, but rather in London, Ontario (Canada), this Canadian brewing company had its logo on Nottingham Forest's shirts from 1994 to 1997.

Newcastle United - McEwan's Lager

Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, this brew had its brand on a few football jerseys, one of which was Newcastle United. McEwans sponsored the Magpies between 1991 and 1995.

Blackburn Rovers - McEwan's Lager

At the exact same time as they put themselves onto the black and white striped shirts of Newcastle, McEwan's were also on the chests of Blackburn Rovers' players. With Blackburn, the brewery really got their "bang for the buck" as the Riversiders managed to win the English title while the brewery was sponsoring their shirts.

Newcastle United - Newcastle Brown Ale

Perhaps one of the most famous kits in all of English football history, Newcastle United were sponsored by their hometown brew between 1995 and 2000.

Tottenham Hotspur - Holsten

The Spurs were sponsored by German beer company Holsten on two separate occasions. First, between 1983 and 1995, and then again between 1999 to 2002.

Liverpool - Carlsberg

Liverpool had a very long partnership with the Danish brewery, who sponsored the Red's shirts for eighteen years from 1992 until 2010.

Others worth mentioning:

Blackpool - Bass Brewery (1988-90)

Preston North End - Tennent's (2010-2012)

Cardiff City - Buckley's Brewery (1987-89)

Premier League Top 5 Most Lucrative Kit Deals

2014-07-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Club jerseys is a huge market with increasing revenues, so it is no surprise that the top brands fight with each other in order to land the biggest clubs. This will give more exposure to their brand and generate more revenue for them.

On the other hand the clubs also gain a percentage from the sale of merchandise and jerseys are a huge part of that revenue.

Here are the top 5 most lucrative EPL kit deals.

Number 5 – Manchester City

Kit Manufacture: Nike
Worth: 12 million pounds per year

Nike signed a kit manufacturing deal with Manchester City back in 2012 when they had just been crowned Premier League champions. The deal is valid for six seasons but that deal could be extended if both parties see profitability in the future of their relationship.

Number 4 – Chelsea FC

Kit Manufacture: Adidas
Worth: 20 million pounds per year

Chelsea and Adidas have a signed partnership until 2018 and they have been together since 2006. The agreement has been restructured a few times and is currently worth 300 million pounds for ten years.

Number 3 – Liverpool FC

Kit Manufacture: Warrior Sports
Worth: 25 million pounds per year

Liverpool FC made history in 2012 when they signed a 25 million kit deal with American sportswear manufacter Warrior Sports. They took over from previous kit manufacture Adidas. Liverpool own the club record in the EPL for the biggest kit deal until it was broken by Arsenal first and then Manchester United.

Number 2 – Arsenal FC

Kit Manufacture: Puma
Worth: 30 million pounds per year

Arsenal signed the third most valuable deal in world football and the second highest in the Premier League when they joined forces with Puma. The German manufacture will be making the Arsenal kits from 2014 season onwards.

Number 1 – Manchester United

Kit Manufacture: Adidas
Worth: 75 million pounds per year

Manchester United recently took the sports world by storm when they signed a mega deal with Adidas worth 750 million pounds for ten years, starting from 2015 onwards. This made Manchester United the team with the most expensive kit deal in the world. They previously had a deal with Nike worth 25.4 million pounds per year, but Nike decided not to renew their deal and that is when Adidas stepped in and made the biggest deal in world football.

My 5 Favourite Manchester United Kits

2014-07-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

With the new Premier League season only 30 days away and with most clubs releasing new kits this month, I took a moment to look back at my favourite kits put out by Manchester United, the club I support.

97/98-99/00 European Kit

I remember when this kit came out and my immediate reaction was, “Another red home kit that’s specifically for Europe? Those greedy bastards!” But I have to admit that I like it so much more than the domestic red home kits that came out during this era. It has a great pattern in the background of the shirt that gives a tip of the cap to the Champions League, a nice simple collar, and a nice shield-like United crest. Which United fan doesn’t look at this kit and immediately think of Ole Gunnar Solskjær breaking German hearts?

86/87-87/88 Third Kit

In the risk of appearing to be a football hipster, I simply must include this gorgeous and extremely rare blue kit from Adidas in my list. Used only a few times, this kit has a terrific collar, a vibrant colour with a nice pattern in it, and a perfectly sized club logo. When you think of some of the garbage Nike has put out in the past decade, they would have been wise to study this kit and perhaps bring its genius of a designer on board to recreate a similar effort. This terrific retro number brings back memories of Bryan Robson leading the charge for United in the 1980’s.

92/93-93/94 Away Kit

Fifteen years or so before the green and gold campaign to protest the Glazers, but a hundred years after United forerunners Newton Heath FC originally donned these colours we had the absolute wonder of this particular kit. With a fabulous collar, complete with retro lacing, a big and bold badge, with black trim this is a beautiful kit. I picture a fresh faced Ryan Giggs, with his curly mop of black hair, bamboozling defenders when I see this one.

1990/1991 European Cup Winners Cup Final Kit

It could be the lack of a sponsorship on the front, or just simply the memory of Sparky slamming home the second goal against Barcelona from a tight angle that makes me love this kit. But I think it’s more than that. I mean, just look at that United crest, the retro Adidas logo, the two subtle black stripes and the truly wonderful collar. This is a truly remarkable kit. I don’t want to lower the tone of this article, but I will probably make a mess in my pants if Adidas come out with something even close to this when they take over as our kit supplier next season.

93/94-94/95 Away Kit

At number one is a jersey that was reportedly woven on Mount Olympus by Zeus himself and simply handed down to Umbro. This black with gold and blue trim masterpiece brings to mind visions of Eric Cantona performing acts of wonder on the pitch and even taking time out to dropkick a racist thug up in the stands. This kit sets the standard for all future releases and it’s tough to see it ever being matched. It’ll be hard to recreate a kit of such beauty and power as this one.

I still have this black United away kit that I got for Christmas back in 1994, and although it’s seen better days due to a lot of wear, you’d have to tear it from my cold dead hands to see me part with it. In fact, to hell with it I’m going to get it framed for my basement. Problem solved.

EPL Released & Leaked Football Kits 2014-15 Season (Gallery)

2014-07-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

A look at the most recent released and leaked English Premiere League kits.

Everton Away Jersey

Everton 3rd Jersey

West Brom Away Jersey

West Brom Home Jersey

Manchester United 3rd Jersey

Chelsea Away Jersey

Chelsea Home Jersey

Chelsea Goalkeeper Jersey

Chelsea 3rd kit

Manchester United Away Kit

Arsenal Away Kit

Aston Villa Away Jersey

Aston Villa Goalkeeper Away Jersey

Aston Villa 2nd Goalkeeper Away Jersey

Aston Villa Goalkeeper Home Jersey

Aston Villa Home Jersey

Liverpool Home, Away & 3rd Jersey

Burnley Home Kit

Everton Goalkeeper Jersey

Everton Home Jersey

Liverpool Away Jersey

Liverpool Goalkeeper Away Jersey

Liverpool Goalkeeper 2nd Home Jersey

Liverpool Home Jersey

Liverpool Goalkeeper Home Jersey

Liverpool 3rd Jersey

Manchester City GoalKeeper Jersey

Manchester City Goalkeeper Jersey

Manchester United Goalkeeper Jersey

Manchester United Home Jersey

Newcastle Goalkeeper Away Jersey

Newcastle Away Jersey