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.

10 Terrific New Kits for the 2016-2017 Season

2016-07-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Euros might be over, but with some European clubs already kicking off their preseason friendlies while other sides around the world continue to battle for domestic supremacy there is plenty of football still on tap.

With many of the top tier leagues starting into their league schedule in a few weeks, several have taken the opportunity to release new kits that their fans will invariably want to get their hands on. Here are ten that have caught our eye so far:

1.) FC St. Pauli - Third Kit

2.) Bayern Munich - Away Kit

3.) Pumas UNAM - Home Kit

4.) Pumas UNAM - Away Kit

5.) Newcastle United - Away Kit

6.) River Plate - Home Kit

7.) Club America - Away Kit

8.) Flamengo - Home Kit

9.) Fiorentina - Home Kit

10.) AC Milan - Home Kit

Sporting Lisbon Misspelling Promotion

2016-03-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

In 1997, David Beckham came on the pitch for Manchester United for the season opening Community Shield with his name spelled out on the back of his kit as Beckam.

It was rumoured at the time that manager Sir Alex Ferguson had arranged for his kit to be misspelled for the purpose of bringing his then emerging star down to earth.

Although that's never been confirmed, and could well have simply been a mistake by the kitman, it's now apparent that when Sporting Lisbon took to the pitch on Saturday against Arouca the misspelled kits each of their players were wearing was very much deliberate.

As Sporting romped to a 5-1 victory, fans sitting close enough to the pitch were shaking their heads at the names on their beloved side's kits.

With Colombian striker Teo Gutierrez's jersey displaying the name Guterres for example, fans must have assumed that their kitman was having a day from hell.

The stadium announcer finally shed some light on what was thought to be an epic kit debacle when he said that the poor spelling was a deliberate attempt to dissuade fans from buying knock-off gear.

I guess lowering prices on official merchandise might have been one way to do that, but I guess that's a crazy idea.

MLS is HERE! Here Are All of the Kits for 2016 (Gallery)

2016-03-06T07:39:00.002-05:00

The 2016 Major League Soccer season is upon us and with at least one new kit design implemented by every club here's a quick glance at the kits MLS teams will be wearing this season.

Throwback Thursdays: When Admiral Ruled the World

2016-02-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

The first proper football I ever owned, not counting the cruddy plastic ones from the grocery store that lost their shape when you kicked them, was an Admiral ball.

Once upon a time Admiral was one of the biggest brands in world football, and while they've been surpassed in recent decades by the likes of Adidas and Nike in their heyday they created some truly iconic gear and kits.

Founded in Leicester in 1914, Admiral spent their first fifty years selling mainly underwear until the 1966 World Cup winning euphoria surrounding the English national side convinced owner Bert Patrick that football kits and sportswear presented a huge opportunity for growth.

Believing that the advent of colour television would allow him to sell customized kits to clubs in England, that he could then produce replicas of to sell to supporters, Patrick first struck up a deal with Don Revie's Leeds United.

Leeds, who were the best team in England in the early 1970's, became the first team in the country to wear visibly branded kits. In addition to this, the club wore distinctive warm-up tracksuits from Admiral as well, and a whole market was opened up.

The jewel in Patrick's crown though came in 1974, when Revie took up the position of England manager and helped negotiate a five year kit deal between the FA and Admiral, so that the National side would wear the company's branded kits that would then be made commercially available.

This exposure led to further club sides in England signing up with Admiral, as well as clubs from Scotland, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, West Germany, Yugoslavia, and rather memorably the NASL in the United States.

By the end of the 1970's Admiral were one of the biggest football sportswear brands in the world, but by 1982 the company began to see increased competition from the likes of Umbro and Adidas.

After the 1982 World Cup they lost the England contract, as well as several other high profile clubs.

Although their peak is a long way off now, since a major restructuring in 2011 the company has slowly begun to get back into the football sponsorship market and although they may never topple Adidas or Nike, they certainly made their mark with some truly amazing kits.

Does the Colour of Your Team's Kit Matter to You?

2016-02-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Supporters of my local club Toronto FC haven't had it easy over the past nine years. Eight losing seasons took their toll on TFC's followers and even last season's much improved campaign ended on a sour note when they were dumped out of the playoffs in a one match winner take all defeat to arch rivals Montreal.

This offseason the patience of the MLS club's supporters has been tested once again as they've seen their BMO Field ground broken up and reworked to accommodate the CFL's Toronto Argonauts and now it's been heavily rumoured that their new away kits are going to be blue.

So what's the problem with blue you might ask? Well, there's two strikes against that particular colour in that blue is the Argos colour, and TFC fans are not enamoured by the fact that they'll now be ground sharing with the gridiron franchise and will likely lose their natural grass playing surface, and also that blue is the colour of Montreal.

But does the colour of your kit matter? I feel it does, as I wouldn't want to see Manchester United trotting out in a sky blue kit like Manchester City and I'm certain that Boca Juniors fans would be enraged if their club adopted white kits with red sashes like River Plate.

While some feel that the colour of the team's kits don't matter, I feel that it's part of their identity and it shows a lack of understanding by a club's ownership if they mess with a detail like this.

What do you think?

Would you be angry if your club adopted the colour of your main rivals for their away kits?

England's Euro 2016 Kit Might Have Been Leaked

2016-02-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Before any England fans reading this get too carried away, the images you see in this piece are just alleged leaks and haven't yet been confirmed by either Nike or the English FA.

That said, the new white home kit posted up yesterday by Footy Headlines looks alright in the artist's rendition at the top, but rather awful in the supposed production images below.

To me it looks a bit like something you would wear to the beach in 1989 or something you'd use for drying the dishes.

Even if this dodgy design is legit you can guarantee that Nike will shift a few of them to England supporters this summer.

What do you think of the new England kit?

Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa's Tuxedo Kits

2015-12-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Putting the culture into the Spanish third tier, Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa have released a stunning tuxedo kit that's fit for the pitch or the casinos of Monte Carlo.

Besides the catchy front with its pretend collar, buttons and bow tie, this model also features faux cufflinks and a subtle ‘tail’ at the back.

You could be like James Bond on the pitch, dropping clever one liners while slipping past your marker and then after the match strolling off with a mysterious blonde named Trinity Vagina.

Unlike most side's that release one off novelty kits, Cultural Leonesa are releasing this classy number in both white and black variations.

Take my money.

5 Football Teams Sponsored by Bands

2015-07-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

While banks, breweries, insurance giants and dubious money lenders are typical sponsors of most football teams these days, there are still the odd ball sponsors that pop up from time to time.

Hull City for instance, raised some eyebrows last week when they adopted the theme park Flamingo Land as their sponsor for the upcoming season. I thought that Hull's wacky chairman was pushing the whole "Tiger" thing, so I'm surprised he signed off on a pink bird sponsored park but what do I know?

Besides theme parks there have also been some musicians that have thrown their financial muscle behind their favourite clubs and here are five of the best:

Brighton and Hove Albion - Fat Boy Slim

Local Brighton legend Fat Boy Slim, arguably the most famous DJ on the planet, sponsored his local side under his Skint Records label for several season in the early 2000's.

Greenbank Under-10s ‘B’ Team - Motorhead

When the manager of Lincolnshire side Greenbank needed a sponsor he reached out to an old acquaintance, none other than heavy metal legend Lemmy of Motorhead.

Newport County - Goldie Lookin' Chain

The Welsh hip hop group Goldie Lookin' Chain didn't just sponsor their local side, but even influenced the look of the kit with a hilarious looking chain imprinted around the neck and holding up the club badge.

Cardiff City - Super Furry Animals

Another Welsh club, Cardiff City, had the shirts worn in their Welsh Cup run in 1999 sponsored by Super Furry Animals, who had also featured Cardiff legend Robin Friday on the cover of their 1996 single "The Man Don't Give a Fuck."

Fortuna Dusseldorf - Die Toten Hosen

German punk band Die Toten Hosen sponsored their beloved local club for two seasons in the early 2000's and the result was probably one of the best kits out of Germany in the past two decades in my humble opinion.

FC Carl Zeiss Jena - Heaven Shall Burn

Speaking of badass German kits, heavy metal band Heaven Shall Burn sponsored their local side FC Carl Zeiss Jena for one match only to conclude the 2014/2015 season and produced a kit that will be sure to fetch a pretty penny on eBay.

The Curse of Tight Fitting Shirts

2015-06-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Remember the 1990's when everything was baggy?

Not just jeans and jackets, but even football kits were blessed with a pile of extra material and for the most part everyone was happy.

You and your generously proportioned friends could hide their "Tonnes of Fun" under a big baggy Tottenham shirt and no one was wiser for it.

But then came the 21st century scourge of the tight fitting aerodynamic kits. The kits that scream to the world "This fat fucker drank 12 pints at The Rhino last night, had a juicy burger and then topped it off with a Shawarma on the way home."

Sure, players with rippling abs and chiseled pecs can get away with them, but what of the common man who wants to wear his Werder Bremen shirt to work on Dress Down Friday?

We can now see how much he's let himself go since he hit thirty. Does no one consider the average football fan anymore?

Arsenal's new away kit, which was leaked yesterday, shows a serious looking Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain posing in a Puma kit that looks painted on.

Even the Ox seems to be showing a slight bit of a tummy in this picture and he's a young footballer who basically works out for a living and probably has a nutritionist telling him what to eat.

Any of you Arsenal fans out there looking to rock this number in August better be on a major diet right now, and even that might not be enough.

Damn modern football...

Swansea's Epic Kit Trailer

2015-06-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Three things happen for English clubs at this time of the year: They get embroiled in unrealistic transfer speculation, they get into drunken hijinks in the Far East and they release a new kit that's slightly different than last season's kit, but will still set supporters back $100USD.

Swansea City are no different, at least in the new kit stakes, and they dropped their latest home effort this week.

But the club decided to do something rather different for this summer's cash grab release and opted for a Hollywood blockbuster style trailer with no expenses spared.

Drawing on the city's ties to the copper industry the trailer has copper, miners and lots of sparks.

It's industrial, it's sharp, it's a Swansea kit release trailer.

To be honest, I'm all for trailers like this as they're a nice way of generating some excitement for upcoming kits that we'll probably all buy, despite complaining about them any way.

But that said like a lot of movie trailers that are better than the movie's they are previewing, Swansea's kit trailer is a lot more impressive than their kit which isn't too different from last years model and actually looks a bit odd with that copper trim.

The Round Table: Our Favourite Kits

2015-05-24T16:29:00.000-04:00

Every weekend we go beyond the headlines and talk to real football fans about current topics, issues or random tomfoolery in the football world.

Today the group discussed their favourite kits.

On the round table today we were joined by:

Bramble
Parmar
Luka
Jay
Kon
Iain (me)

What is your favourite football jersey, or jerseys, that you've owned and why?

Iain: Manchester United 1993/1994 - 1994/1995, Black away kit from Umbro.

Just a classic looking black kit with a slick gold trim. This was a prime example of the great kits Umbro used to make before they were bought out by Nike.

Oh, and it's the kit of Cantona. Specifically the one he wore when he drop kicked that thug at Selhurst Park.

Jay: United's Theatre of Dreams kit from 94/95 to 95/96. Still have mine but it's a wee bit small, haha.

Parmar: I had the 1986 World Cup Canadian Men's National Team shirt, that was pretty special.

Iain: I had the England 1986 and 1990 World Cup kits. They were both pretty nice.

Bramble: In order of personal faves most fave to least:

United Theatre of dreams hologram kit *Umbo*
Italia 90 England kit *Umbro*
United home kit from the 99 season(still have it) *Umrbo*
United Black sharp viewcam 94-95 *Umbro*
Holland kit from 1994 WC *Lotto*
Brasil 1994 away kit *Umbro*
Special mention my Rep kit for Burlington youth soccer in 94ish which looked like the Sweden kit in USA 94. I really loved that man. *Adidas*

I'm jealous that Parmar had the 1986 CMNT kit!

Parmar: (Laughs) Had it. I wish I had kept that with me for life. Back then framing shirts wasn't even a thing and you didn't "worship" it, you fucking wore it to practice, to kickabouts and to school. It got pretty worn down.

Iain: I hear you. I wore my old kits until they were thread bare. Even my Black United - Sharp Viewcam is a little beat down, but I saved it because I loved that kit so much and was a bit older (16 or 17) when I got it. My '80s ones are all long gone.

Parmar: Shit, I also had a first season (1974) Whitecaps shirt that was my Dad's that he passed down to me. And ya, wore the crap out of that one too.

Bramble: I had a Toronto Blizzard kit from the late '70s that my dad handed down to me. He bought it when going to watch Toronto play Pele's NY Cosmos.

Kon: All of my Newcastle kits are by far my favorites, however, I really like getting my hands on club kits from small countries and leagues, ones that are otherwise hard to get. So I'd have to say CD Motagua and CD Marathon from Honduras, LD Alajuelense from Costa Rica and FC Sheriff Tiraspol from Moldova.

From my Newcastle collection I own a David Ginola match-worn shirt, so that one is probably my most prized one!

Iain: I'm the same in terms of buying kits from smaller, lesser known clubs. I have a few non-league kits from England and a bunch of kits from El Salvador including FAS, Firpo and Alianza in my collection. As for Newcastle, I always dug the collar on the 95/96 kit. It was a real throwback with a great collar and that was the best Newcastle side I've seen.

Luka: 2000-01 Lazio Home - I try my best to avoid buying jerseys with sponsors but this one makes my list because it's got fucking Nedved on the back! I'm pretty sure that I run faster with the ball when I wear this.

AC Milan "Retro" - Not a real jersey per se but a pretty sweet looking top that Adidas made a few years back. I like wearing this, comfortable, nice fit. Never play in it though, it's too nice.

1996 Croatia Away Shirt - Only white Croatian away shirt and by far my favourite (maybe it's the Hajduk fan in me but I never liked the blue kits nearly as much). Also one of the NT's finest victories was secured wearing this shirt, defeating the defending EURO champs Denmark 3-0.

2013-14 Roma Home Shirt - Yup, I own both Lazio and Roma kits, so what? Are they rivals or something?! I'm no Roma fan but when I saw this I was dying to get my hands on one so i ordered it direct from the Roma Webshop. Roma for the season, didn't have a shirt manufacturer on contract, so they decided to make their own kits in house. The kit was clearly designed by a Roma diehard because it reeks of class and of shirts from their history. The material is great to play in so it's my favourite kickabout/practice shirt. Looks better in person.

2010-12? Hajduk Split Away Shirt - I'm unclear on what specific seasons this shirt was used but who cares, it's awesome. Barcelona can only dream of having a shirt this nice. The crest also marks the centenary.

My Random Queen of the South Kit

2015-05-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

When you're a football fan like I am, chances are there a few kits hanging in your closet.

While I do have quite a few in my own collection, I have friends who have enough to fill several closets and are running out of places to put them.

Most of the kits I have in my collection make sense based on the club and country I support, but there are also the random ones that I probably picked up after a few too many beers prior to visiting a market in Cancun or those I bought because I needed a black kit for a kickabout and forgot that I already had seven at home.

I have kits that family have sent me of the club's they support, like an old Napoli kit I have in my collection and Alianza kit from El Salvador to go along with the ones I've spent my own hard earned cash on.

There are kits which I won in pub draws, like my Ireland kit courtesy of An Sibin Pub, and a couple of cheap knockoff Manchester United kits from a 42% authentic Chinese sporting goods site of questionable quality.

By questionable quality I mean that two of them gave me a rash and at least five of them fell apart on the second time through the wash.

It tells you about the state of the world when you can't trust a good knock off jersey site anymore.

The oddest kit in my collection though is a 2001/2002 Queen of the South FC kit. It's odd in the fact that I don't follow Queen of the South, or even Scottish football really for that matter, yet this is a genuine Second Division Champions emblazoned kit that is signed by the entire squad.

In the pre-Internet days when you couldn't easily verify facts, and this site wouldn't exist for that matter, I could spin an elaborate web of lies about how I was a reserve striker for the club that season and was called in during an injury crisis to provide some much needed firepower up front. But for any of my friends reading this that have seen me play, they'll know that the Scottish second division isn't that abysmal.

Alas the story is not as exciting, but is a little strange at least. The Queen of the South kit came into my possession courtesy of a woman I used to work with.

Out of the blue this lady came over to me one day and said "Judging by all of the soccer pictures on your desk, I thought you'd like this jersey. One of the players on this side dated my daughter and gave me this. It's just been sitting in a closet, so you may as well have it."

I asked her the name of the player, but she couldn't remember sadly. Ah well, it was a nice gesture and yet another weird one for my collection.

National Team Nike Kit Concepts by Emilio Sansolini (Gallery)

2015-03-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Emilio Sansolini is an incredible graphic designer and illustrator that is able to merge his love of football with his love of graphic design.

In his latest work he created Nike concept kits for some of the world’s most popular national teams.

Cardiff City: Back in Blue!

2015-01-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

When controversial Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan made the unpopular decision to change his club's kit from their traditional blue to red back in 2012, there was understandable rage from the club's supporters.
His decision, to him at least, wasn't arbitrary as he believed red shirts were 'lucky' and by changing the club's primary colours and their symbol from their traditional Bluebird to a Dragon he was helping with their brand appeal.

Despite a fair amount of pressure from fans and the admonishment of the British media, Tan held firm on his decision to re-brand the club. That is until today when the Malaysian business mogul finally gave the go-ahead to revert back to the club's traditional colours when he released the following statement on Cardiff's website:

"The Christmas and New Year period has given me time to reflect on the events of the last year. Spending time with my family had a profound effect upon me. My mother, Madam Low Siew Beng, a devout Buddhist, who attended Cardiff City Football Club to watch them play, spoke to me on the importance of togetherness, unity and happiness.

Cardiff City Football Club is important to me and I wish to see it united and happy. With the guidance, blessing and influence of my mother, I asked my Chairman, Mehmet Dalman and Chief Executive Officer, Ken Choo for their advice and to consult with a good cross-section of the fan base.

This meeting took place last night, when some seventy representatives of our supporters were present. My thanks and gratitude to those who gave up their evening and time to be there. I am informed that this was a very productive and frank exchange of views, but all with the same objective to strengthen our Club. These views were also added to by a large number of emails that were sent to the Club over the last 24 hours from our wider supporter base.

To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, “Let us never compromise out of fear. But let us never fear to compromise.”

My wish is to unite and make the Club successful and in order to achieve this I fully support the Board’s decision to implement the following changes:

1. Starting from Saturday, 10 January 2015 and until the end of this season, our home kit shall be Blue. Our Away Kit shall be Red. I would like to thank the Football League for their approval to facilitate my request."

You can read more of his statement at http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news/article/statement-tan-sri-vincent-tan-2192317.aspx#eVHOH3mR3dt5Mkoe.99

So well done to the club's support, along with local media and MP's for encouraging Mr. Tan to make this happen, and honouring a proud club's long traditions. This is a victory for supporters and common sense.

Macron Celebrates Lazio’s 115th Anniversary with New Kit

2015-01-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Macron is helping SS Lazio celebrate the 115th anniversary by launching a new special eagle Lazio kit early this year.

The new Lazio kit will be based on the famous “Maglia Bandiera” which was used in the 1980’s and is looked at as one of the most iconic club kits in Italian football.

Based on that iconic kit, the new Lazio kit will feature an eagle graphic on the front of the kit, which was also part of the Lazio’s 1980’s club crest. The eagle design starts on the front of the jersey and it continues to the sleeves and back, as if the eagle was spread its wings.

The kit has two main colors; the top is white while the bottom part is sky blue. The shorts will also be in sky blue while the socks are white.

The original kit was designed in early 1980’s by former Lazio president Gian Chiaron Casoni, whose also owns the trademark to the design. In September of 2014 Lazio and Casoni’s family reached an agreement which allowed them to use the design during this year’s commemoration kit.

It is not known if the kit will be used for only one game or for the remaining of 2015.

My Five Favourite Kits of the 2014/2015 Season

2015-01-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

So 2015 is upon us and as we stagger through day two of our hangover (What, just me?) it's always a good idea to throw on some casual comfortable clothes to make the day go smoother.

While some folk opt for sweat pants and an old Pantera t-shirt that they may have lost their virginity in, I typically throw on a comfortable pair of jeans and one of my football shirts for days like this.

This season has been a strange one for me, as I lost faith in my jersey connection last year, who could get me kits at a very reasonable rate, after a few of my supposedly 100% legit kits fell apart after two washes. So I haven't really bought many kits this year, as who the hell can afford the prices the clubs charge in this economy?

Anyhow, it pains me that I didn't buy much this year as there have been a few great offerings for the 2014/2015 season and the following are a few of my favourites:

Arsenal - Away

This offering from Arsenal is simply terrific. It's a throwback to the club's classic away strips, think Michael Thomas winning the league at Anfield in '89 in something similar, and yet has cool modern lines and styling. Nice little number, even though I'm no Gunner.

VfL Wolfsburg - Home, Away, Third, The X-Men?

Maybe I'm still drunk, but these crazy numbers from Wolfsburg just work for me. Maybe it's because I'm an X-Men fan?

Stade de Reims - Pure Danish '86

OK, I try to keep my curse words to a minimum on this football site of ours, but I only have three words to describe Stade de Reims tribute to the one of the greatest kits ever, the one worn by Denmark at the 1986 World Cup, and that is: "YES, FUCKING, YES!"

Bursaspor - 2014/2015

The amazing collar reminds me of the 1950's with rugged looking guys wearing essentially work boots and their hair all firmly held in place with Brylcreem. The rest of the kit reminds of Saint Etienne in the 1970's and dudes with big hair. Either way you look at it, it's a damn fine kit.

Lazio - Home

Adding to my shame of dismissing Macron up until a few months ago, this offering of theirs for Lazio this season is terrific. Their maroon number is pretty sexy in a platonic way as well, of course.

Macron and My Football Kit Snobbery

2014-12-26T20:00:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the fall indoor football season here in North America when my daughter received her new kit from her football academy team I looked at it and shook my head.

"Macron? What the hell is this shit? This academy thing is costing me almost $500 for the season and they stiff us with piece of crap no-name kits instead springing for Adidas or Nike? What the fuck?"

The kits looked pretty nice, and seemed to be really well made, but I was a little disgusted by our local academy cheaping out and figured this nickel and dime gear would fall apart after the first wash.

OK, I'm a kit snob, I admit it.

Anyhow, that weekend I happened to be watching Aston Villa get a 3-0 thrashing from Chelsea and I noticed that Villa's kit supplier was none other than Macron.

"Oh, so they are legit and not from the Dollar Store." I said to myself.

Feeling a bit better about my kid's kit situation, I Googled 'Macron' and was surprised to find that they're an Italian sportswear firm that has been in business since 1971 and has really started to make a push into the football market in recent years.

The first professional football club that signed with Macron in 2001 was Bologna FC 1909, and in the following years the company has quietly signed deals to provide kits to over 200 clubs from around the world.

Until this season they had largely focused on providing kits to clubs in relatively small footballing nations or lower division sides, but in the last two years with new deals with clubs like Lazio, Napoli, Aston Villa, Real Betis, and Zamalek being signed, the small company is really beginning to make a big name for itself. Even though I hadn't noticed, of course.

Speaking of their name, as of July 2014 the company signed an agreement with Bolton Wanderers to rename their former Reebok Stadium as the Macron Stadium and to provide them with kits.

I guess I don't know as much as I thought about good kits and bad afterall.

SK Brann's Rubber Football Kits

2014-12-21T16:00:00.001-05:00

When I think of PVC, I think of a dominatrix, a ridiculously hot Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, or an idiot, who likely has a venereal disease, trying too hard at the clubs on a Saturday with his shiny pants.

What I don't like of when someone mentions PVC or shiny clothing is football kits, but Norway's SK Brann are doing their best to blow the stereotypes apart with their latest kit.

This mad design, which the club claims to be water proof, is made from the same material of heavy duty rain coats and has been made with the intention of keeping Brann's players dry and warm during the harsh Norwegian winters.

With the Bergen based club on the very western edge of Norway where the North and Norwegian Sea's meet, the area typically gets pounded with heavy wind, rain and snow during the winter months, so the club is hoping that the kits which fans have dubbed the "Fire Suit" will help their team escape the Second Division.

The club has also stated that these kits are lightweight and despite being made of a type of rubber-latex mix they are suitable for playing football in.

As strange as this is, you can't blame the club for trying something different for keeping their players dry, and let's face it will any of us be shocked if hipsters start sporting this kit in the very near future?

Karlsruher SC Release Retro Kit

2014-11-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

German 2. Bundesliga team Karlsruher SC has released a 120th anniversary of KSC kit. This follows in the release of the 120th anniversary of KSC home kit, but this one will be a retro edition.

Karlsruher SC will wear this retro kit during their home match against Eintracht Braunschweig on December 7th.

The new retro kit will be white with blue accents and comes with the classic laced collar. This kit will also be made of cotton while the new kits are made of polyester.

The retro kit has the objective of duplicate the championship winning kit of 1909. As the club celebrates their 120th anniversary they are looking at inspiring fans and players and celebrate a glorious time in their history.

The Karlsruher SC retro kit will be limited to 800 and made available in the official club store.

My Five Favourite England Kits

2014-11-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

As another international break creeps upon us, and a new England kit due to be released in the very near future, I thought I'd take a look back at some of my favourite England kits and what made them great.

These are my top five:

1966 Red Away

Although this was actually England's away kit at the time, this classic strip, which I own a reproduction of, was most famously used when England defeated West Germany at Wembley to win the 1966 World Cup.

It's a classic, simple design with a big bold English FA badge and was made from the heavier cotton of the day, before synthetic materials were introduced into football kits. Although it would have been heavy to play in when wet from sweat or rain, it's still a brilliant looking kit.

1982 White Home

One of the most sought after kits for collectors, this was the finest offering from the unfairly maligned Admiral brand. With it's terrific V-neck collar, to go along with it's red and blue bars over the white top this is a terrific looking kit.

England wore this at the 1982 World Cup where they actually exited the competition, in the second group phase, without losing a match.

1990 White Home

A classic kit from England's finest performance in a World Cup tournament outside of the British Isles, this release from Umbro had a great simple collar with a nice pattern woven into it.

This kit brings to mind Gazza's inspirational performances in Italy during that great summer, almost a quarter of a century ago.

2002 White Home

This great kit with it's blue piping and bold red stripe is arguably the last great England home jersey.

To see this jersey is to remember Beckham's last gasp free kick against Greece to qualify for the World Cup and of course the famous 5-1 destruction of Germany in Munich.

2010 Red Away

Unlike the others on this list a look at this kit brings to mind bad memories of Fabio Capello's disastrous leadership of a ponderous England side in South Africa. This was also the kit worn by England when they were mauled 4-1 by Germany in the Round of 16.

But from an aesthetic sense only this is a great kit. It's a classic design with a simple round collar, an England badge that really stands out on the kit and the white trim around the sleeves is cool unique touch.

A fun fact about this kit is that it was debuted by the band Kasabian at one of their concerts.

The Monday Meltdown: Half and Half Kits?!

2014-10-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

Just when you thought the worst abomination to ooze it's way into a modern football grown was a half and half scarf, we now have a confirmed sighting of an absolute pillock wearing a half and half jersey from the Manchester United and Chelsea clash at Old Trafford yesterday.

A lot of debate has occurred over the half and half scarves phenomenon of recent years. Some see it as a harmless souvenir for day tripping tourists on match day, while others see them as being worse than a six hour anal probe.

For meaningless pre-season friendlies or player testimonials I can see the appeal of them and don't have that much of an issue with the half and half scarves.

But for a meaningful league fixture, particularly one between two big rivals I think they're ridiculous and make you look like someone who likely has pieces of string tying your mittens to the sleeves of your coat in winter.

Despite all the bells, whistles and pyrotechnics these days, going to a football match isn't like going to Comic-Con. You can't be both Darth Vader and Pinky Pie from My Little Pony, at a match you wear your teams colours or you go completely neutral.

By wearing items belonging to both teams you look like someone who waits until the last moment to back the winning side. For those of you that sport half and half scarves to matches, to put this in Game of Thrones terms, you are one of those bastard Lannisters. Now am I saying that you shag your sister? Well, I'm not saying that. But I'm not not saying it either, if you catch my drift.

These half and half shirts are a new low though. Both Manchester United and Chelsea are massive clubs, whose support goes well outside of their traditional geographic boundaries.

With satellite TV, internet coverage and pre-season summer tours, both sides have taken massive strides to expand their reach across the globe.

Going to Old Trafford for someone from a foreign country could be a once in a lifetime occurrence and may well be the culmination of a lifetime dream.

But in a bizarre twist, this person could view going to Stamford Bridge as much of a monumental moment in his or her life.

Call me a grizzled old traditionalist, but I don't think anyone, regardless of their mailing address, should support two teams from the same league. It shows a distinct lack of moral fibre.

However, if someone like this does make it to a ground and both of their sides are playing, they need to show some respect for the clubs, the fans and themselves by supporting one or the other.

Take a good look in the mirror before heading out to the ground. If you're wearing something that's half and half, give yourself a hard slap and get changed into something more appropriate.

The Mad World of NASL Kits (Gallery)

2014-10-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

The original North American Soccer League (NASL) was in existence from 1968 until 1984.

Although it burned brightly for a few seasons before flickering out, the league left behind a legacy of what not to do when running a soccer league in North America, but it also left behind some great memories and some absolutely off the wall kits.

For those of us of a certain age, the NASL was our introduction to professional soccer in North America and it's only with the benefit of hindsight that we see that some of the things the league tried were a bit mad.

Besides handing out franchises to Cities across North America like lollipops on Halloween, allowing owners to splash out on foreign stars they couldn't afford and trying to shoehorn NFL razzle dazzle into the Beautiful Game, the league certainly left a lasting impression.

Among the memories and memorabilia from that era that remains to this day is the good, bad, and ugly kits the teams trotted out in. For a near complete listing of all of the NASL kits, check out the great NASL Jerseys Site, but in the meantime here are a few examples of the NASL's finest fashions:

1977 - LA Aztecs

1979 - Toronto Blizzard

1981 Calgary Boomers

1978 Colorado Caribous

1969 Atlanta Chiefs

1977 New York Cosmos

1980 Washington Diplomats

1977 Minnesota Kicks

1976 Tampa Bay Rowdies

1983 Chicago Sting

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.

Fans Faces Part of New MLS Kit Numbers

2014-10-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

Major League Soccer announced this past weekend that next season, fans will be able to be a more integral part of their favorite team’s kits. Season seat holders will be able to have their faces printed within the kit numbers of their favorite MLS team.

This will be in effect for the 2015 season and it will last until August 2015.

MLS clubs will offer a specific number of season ticket holders the ability to have their faces as part of the kit number for their respective team. The season ticket holders will be given the choice of number between 0-9 and the exact spot within the number. They will also be able to upload their picture in order for the process to be completed.

MLS clubs will wear the numbers with the faces of the fans for the duration of the 2015 season, and these numbers will be used on the team’s home, away and third kit.

The idea while new to Major League Soccer it is not new or revolutionary in the world of football. Teams like Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Schalke 04 have done similar promotions.

This idea is part of a much larger re-branding that MLS has started in September of this year when they unveiled the new crest. I am sure this will be a huge hit with fans and some will have an extra excuse to purchase a new kit once the 2015 season gets underway, especially if their face is on the number.

Another way MLS has found to reach to the fans and keep them engaged with the product on the field, as they continue to grow the brand and earn exposure to the league.

New MLS Logo