Saints Release New Kit For 2016/17 Tuesday, 5th Jul 2016 15:37 Saints have revealed their new kit for the coming season and thank god it is still stripes, meaning that the club maintains its iconic imagery. I am a traditionalist and that means that I think that a football club is defined by its kit, you cannot imagine Liverpool or Manchester United playing in anything other than all red, variations of it yes, but ultimately it is all red. Likewise the all blue of Chelsea, the sky blue of Man City, the green & white hoops of Celtic all define the club and make it instantly recognisable. That is why if Saints want to built the club's name and reputation across Europe and indeed the World, they need that brand image that comes with being more than just a colour but a shirt. That is why the red & white stripes are so important, they are everything to all Saints fans and more importantly they are what defines us, why would we want to be just another team in an all red kit or a variation of it, you see a red & white striped shirt in the street and you immediately think Saints, Sunderland or Stoke City, when we had that Adidas abomination in 2012/13 it was identical to Bristol City and we were indistinguishable from Barnsley, with respect to those clubs. So to see that Saints and Under Armour have worked together to create a "Saints" short and not just a red & white number is pleasing to see. OK I have to say that I would rather it be solid stripes instead of the country and western styled theme on the front which is a little more Charlie Rich and Than Charlie Austin, but ultimately the stripes are there and that's what matters. Indeed I do recognise that small changes have to be made to distinguish us and these are acceptable. The official announcement on the club website gave more information about the kit and its supplier and what both club and Under Armour are trying to do together. Arriving today on England’s south coast, Saints super-fan Ed Powell oversaw delivery of the first kits to St Mary’s Stadium after winning a competition to learn more about the innovation behind each Under Armour-designed strip. On hand to receive the first editions of the kit at St Mary’s Stadium were Saints stars Charlie Austin, Jay Rodriguez and Oriol Romeu, who will all be looking to wear the kits out onto the pitch on Saturday, August 13th as the club kicks off its Premier League campaign at home to Watford, and then later in Europe as Southampton FC takes on the Europa League group stages. The new kit will be available for pre-order on the 5th July from http://store.saintsfc.co.uk/ and public purchase from 18th July at http://store.saintsfc.co.uk/ and UA.com. Designed in Under Armour’s world-class Innovation Lab in Baltimore, the players’ kits feature the brand’s unique UA CoolSwitch technology — scientifically proven to keep athletes cooler over longer periods — as their all-new Blur Light moisture-resistant fabric, which keeps players dry and focused throughout matches better than competing technology. The new home kit features Southampton’s traditional red and white stripes on the shirt, and the club’s motto ‘WE MARCH ON’ printed on the nape of the neck. The stripes appear in blocks of five to represent Southampton’s five core brand values — a style that is replicated in red and white striped piping on the kit’s black shorts. This same motif is also carried over to the club’s away kit that features black and grey colours with a red trim. Southampton’s goalkeepers will wear a green kit for home fixtures, and purple for away — with both kits featuring angular colour trims on the sleeves. As well as designing and developing the first team and academy 2016-17 home and away kits, Under Armour will also provide game-changing competition, training, casual and travel apparel for the club, all innovatively created to help first team and academy players prepare, perform and recover throughout the season. “We’re proud to introduce the latest edition of our iconic red and white stripes, as well as our all-new away kit for the upcoming Premier League season, where we will look to continue our growth and go even better than the record points tally we achieved last season,” said Ralph Krueger, Chairman of Southampton FC. “Under Armour were appointed with the brief of giving our players the tools required to reach their potential, and these kits are designed with this in mind. Using their experience with athletes and understanding what they need to succeed, Under Armour has been able to apply that knowledge throughout the process of creating our performance wear.” “Southampton FC is a club with incredible hunger, and we wanted to provide a kit to help fuel their ambition as a club on a continued ascent,” said Peter Murray, VP Global Sports Marketing at Under Armour. “In addition to bringing some of our unique technologies in the first-team kit to help players achieve more on the field, we’ve also immersed ourselves in the culture and values of this football club and their passionate fans, and created a kit that marries tradition with forward-thinking innovations. We can’t wait to see what Southampton FC achieves this season, and we’re excited to be a part of their journey.” Below are the pledges between Southampton FC and Under Armour: Relentlessly innovate and create revolutionary product enabling our first team to perform at the highest level. Continue to develop the next generation of academy talent and empower them with over 5,000 pairs of cutting-edge footwear over the next seven years. Work with the Saints Foundation and kit out 5,000 children in the local community. Develop the women's and girls' game through our shared expertise and knowledge. Realise our global ambitions by spreading the benefits of sport and healthy living through technology and activations. Together we commit to having fans and innovation at the heart of everything we do. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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