Nike Unveil First England Shirt
Nike have revealed their first bash at designing the England kit. It's the first non-Umbro kit since 1983 for The Three Lions and it's fair to say they've played it pretty safe. A simple design which will make it's debut appearance against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley on May 29th.
First thoughts? Yep, you're right, it does have a bit of a West Germany 1970's feel about it. We're all loving how the Germans are playing at the moment, but it'll take more than dressing like them to play like them. On the flip side it's back to basics for England with a clean and simple looking design, one that should match Hodgson's back to basics style of possession football.
It was Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere who gave us the first official look at the new shirt via an image posted on Twitter of a pupil at his former school wearing the jersey. Nike's idea behind that was to demonstrate that the kit belongs to the nation, not just the players lucky enough to represent England. Nice touch, but we preferred the surprise around Umbro launches involving Kasabian/David Haye.
Wilshire arrived to watch a training session at The Priory School in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, before picking out lucky student Jason Kelly to wear and reveal the shirt. "This is where my dream of playing for England started and it's great to be back here to see a new generation playing with the same passion," Wilshire said.
"I gave Jason the shirt because his commitment and work-rate really impressed me today, he showed that it's what you do on the pitch that matters - from your first match as a nine year-old all the way up to the international stage." No Pressure then Jason.
A clean, distinctive design takes the kit back to its roots with its traditional white and dark blue to celebrate the FA's 150th anniversary. The iconic three lions crest was prominently featured in dark blue on the team's first kit, and once again, the crest is the proud focus - now with a gold border, a gold star above it signifying England's World Cup win, and a gold ribbon graphic below inscribed with "150 years" and the dates 1863 and 2013, marking the FA's anniversary.
The new Nike England shirt will be available to order from selected online stockists including Pro-Direct Soccer. Let us know what you think of the new design. Join the conversation online, on Twitter and on Facebook.
