Video courtesy of Shoot Magazine
Accompanied by some rather dodgy techno music and an abundance of smoke, Liverpool officially unveiled it’s new home kit for next season at Anfield earlier today. The shirt, the first to be designed by American Sportswear brand New Balance after they took over for subsidiary Warrior Sports, isn’t much of a surprise considering what appeared to be a late stage design leaked online months ago, but that being said, it’s a decent looking effort nonetheless — even if the accompanying hashtag marketing campaign #HoldNothingBack is a bit cringey.
Simon Mignolet, Daniel Sturridge, Martin Skrtel and Raheem Sterling, who was the target of at least one vocal heckler amid his ongoing contract saga, unveiled the shirt earlier today in front of a packed Centenary Stand. Simple in design, the chequerboard jacquard core of the shirt was designed to be reminiscent of the Kop on match-day, filled from top to bottom with the famous scarves and banners of the Liverpool support. While it may remind you more of having a picnic in the park than going down to the match, it’s subtle enough to add some texture to what’s usually just a plain red shirt, and, at the very least, it’s better than Manchester United’s effort at a similar design a few years back.
“Our fans create a great atmosphere at Anfield, and it is great to have a kit that reflects the red and white mosaic made when the fans on the Kop hold their flags and scarves aloft,” said Reds vice-captain Jordan Henderson. “The kit feels great and I’m pleased the New Balance team considered what the players need from a kit when it was designed. The material is very comfortable and the players are delighted with the result.”
You’ll can pre-order the new shirt — if you’re into that kind of stuff — from the club right now, or if you prefer to wait until launch day, it’s sure to be stocked by a plethora of retailers starting on the 14th of May. Hopefully we’ll see a few of them pop-up when if run out at Wembley for the FA Cup final just over two weeks later…
