One thing that always intrigues football fans over the summer is new kit. Fans love a new kit, they look forward to buying that newly released strip in a size that is slightly too small for them and then proudly wearing it even tough it is a piece of clothing that really shouldn’t be worn by grown men. That doesn’t matter though, we are showing our support, we need something to wear at fives and after all it is something that contributes to the finances of the clubs.
Some new strips are a thing of beauty (see Hearts last year). Some are a total disaster (see St.Mirren last year) and some are just a bit ‘meh’ (see most of this year’s kits). With that in mind let’s have a look at the new Premiership kits for 2015/16 and rate them as we go –
After finishing second last year Aberdeen fans have been buying up the club’s merchandise like crazy, and with some European nights coming up they will be wanting to get their hands on the new kits so that they can fly the flag proudly. Aberdeen have been blessed recently with their Adidas strips. The home and away kits are both nice this year but maybe not as nice as last term.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 7/10, AWAY 6/10
Champions Celtic never have too much to play with when they get a new strip. The hoops have to stay as is tradition but they do have a new kit maker with New Balance taking over from Nike as they try to get a foothold in the football market. Merchandise is always a huge income for Celtic and this season will be no different. The home and away kits have both been released and today saw the unveiling of their third kit.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 6/10, AWAY 5/10, THIRD 2/10
Dundee celebrate their second season in the top flight with a raft of new signings and some nice new kit. Last year the home strip in particular was well received by fans and they remain with Puma for the 2015/16 campaign. New sponsors have arrived in the shape of Kilmac. The away kit is a love or hate number this year with the home kit staying simple but classy.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 7/10, AWAY 7/10
Dundee United are always going to divide opinion with their kits. This is mainly down to the tangerine colour. Some love it, many hate it. It means that for kit design there is always a risk. Nike remain as kit supplier and Calor stay on as longterm club sponsor. The home kit is a very, very plain template with the away kit returning to a white and black design.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 4/10, AWAY 5/10
At the time of writing there has been no news on Hamilton kits for this season although Adidas have been named as their new manufacturer, taking over from Nike.
Moving on to Hearts. No doubting the quality of their home kit last year. With no sponsor, a vintage badge and a simple design it was one the best, if not the best, in football last season. Puma are making the strips this year, with a new unique sponsorship deal with charity Save the Children. After last campaign the new design was always going to be underwhelming.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 6/10, AWAY 5/10
To celebrate their first every foray into Europe after their historic cup win Inverness have a new shirt maker in the shape of Carbrini. They still have the same sponsor in Subway but they will be wearing some new kit as they look to enjoy their European exploits.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 5/10, AWAY 7/10
Kilmarnock stay with Errea for this season and the new home and away kits have both been unveiled in the last few weeks. They stick with a very traditional home design with an addition of some very bright trim, the away kit is a bit more experimental and will divide opinion.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 7/10, AWAY 4/10
It might have taken a playoff victory against Rangers but Motherwell secured their top flight status in style last season. They celebrate with two new, and very impressive kits from Macron. Hats off to the kit designer for actually taking time to design something properly.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 8/10, AWAY 6/10
Sponsors are a necessary evil for our football clubs. Some fit in very well with the shirts they appear on, some not so much. Partick Thistle have recently gained a new sponsor and a new mascot (courtesy of artist David Shrigley). I won’t say too much about the sponsor as you can search Twitter for the thousands upon thousands of images that sum this horrific ‘thing’ up better than I could. The kits this year therefore have been the victim of an overbearing and garish logo, which is a pity.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 4/10, AWAY 3/10
Ross County join their highland neighbours Inverness in having Carbrini as their kit manufacturer. Bizarrely they even have the same advertising campaign to go alongside the new kits. Both clubs are going to have a ‘historic’ season apparently.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 6/10, AWAY 4/10
Finally, St.Johnstone. The Perth side are already out of Europe so it is maybe a good thing that they didn’t release a European kit alongside their new home and away kits that are manufactured by Joma. They have a new sponsor in the shape of ‘Invest in Perth’.
KIT RATINGS – HOME 3/10, AWAY 7/10
It is a pretty underwhelming year for kits in the Scottish Premiership. None really stand out and none are totally horrific (although Partick’s sponsor and St.Johnstone’s ‘tartan’ are pretty bad). Elsewhere in Scotland there are a few decent efforts, and actually the Championship have been blessed with some great new kits –
FALKIRK KIT RATINGS – HOME 8/10, AWAY 7/10
HIBS KIT RATINGS – HOME 8/10, AWAY 7/10
RANGERS KIT RATINGS – HOME 5/10, AWAY 6/10, THIRD 2/10
ST.MIRREN KIT RATINGS – HOME 5/10 (with sponsor), 8/10 (without)
Although there are still many, many kits I could have featured I will stop there, and apologies of you are reading this and your team hasn’t appeared here. Obviously it matters what each side does on the park but wearing a nice kit whilst doing that is important too. For those of you who support a team with a terrible kit, buy it anyway and you never know it might become a collector’s item in a few years time.