Early photo images of what appears to be the new England Away kit for 2010-12 – and thus also for this year’s 2010 World Cup in South Africa – have been leaked. As the photos only show the kit look when they are being hung, I thought I’d attempt to give an early impression of how the kit will look like from a as-worn perspective, using the England and Chelsea captain John Terry as a model.

The kit is similar in image to the home kit; it is simple, classy and retro.

The white bands at the end of the sleeves to break up the main red to add a bit contrast. The Three Lions crest is again in the new style, with that slightly lighter shade of blue and larger size.

Personally, I think its a great looking kit – hopefully we’ll see JT leading the England team to many victories in it.

To see the full version of this image, and the photos it is based on, see the thumbnails below.

In a new feature of this site, I have reviewed the new Chelsea home kit for the new 2009-10 season, made by the German sports company Adidas. Read on below..

DESIGN

Initial impressions of how the shirt looks are mixed; first, the normal features. The Adidas logo is no longer centred, which now gives balance to how the shirt looks. I hope Adidas continues to put their logo on the side of the chest. The colour is typical ‘Reflex’ blue (well, thats what Adidas calls it, whatever happened to Royal blue?) and the standard white Adidas stripes running down the shoulders and sleeves, albeit with a big gap, remain.

The overall design is what one may describe as ‘very different’. The shirt has chest patches, which almost appear to look like built-in bra cups. There is a rubber strip featuring the name of the club running down the middle of the chest from the collar. The collar itself is a crew neck with a little slit at the front. Comparisons have previously been made with a cycling top, and they aren’t too wide of the mark. That the shirt has a design which is so different is, in a way, great. Afterall, having a kit which only has minor changes from the previous one renders having a new shirt (well, from the supporters’ point of view, anyway) completely pointless. But then again, having a shirt which has a design that is ‘different’ is only good news if the shirt looks good. It seems to look pretty good on the players in my opinion, but then the players have the kind of physique that the design of the shirt seemingly attempts to make the most out of.

But what of the average Chelsea supporter? Well, lets be honest. The average supporter doesn’t have the physique the players have and whilst the shirt will flatter those with toned chests and stomachs, it won’t be quite as forgiving to many supporters who have rather more ample-sized moobs and beer guts.

Still, given that the design is so different, I do quite like the design. I was completely indifferent the first time I saw it, but after having seen the players wear it in pre-season, I started warming to it.
2010 Chelsea home jersey

TO WEAR

Feeling the material used, the quality feels pretty standard for Adidas. Stitching is mostly even and unfaltering. Putting it on, the collar seems a little tight and feels like it rides too high at the front, but it wouldn’t take much getting used to. The mesh-like material feels suprisingly pleasant to the touch. It’s light and airy, with the fit not being quite as tight or slim-fitting as I had initially anticipated, I guess I thought it would be slimmer fitting than usual given the design. Its been in the wash and nothing has come loose or peeled off, only time will tell how the stitching and Samsung printing will hold on after more washes. I’ve never had any issues with them before, so I hope this shirt follows that trend.
Chelsea jersey

OVERALL

I quite like the design, and I’ve not yet had any issues with regards to quality. For me, the shirt is a winner, and I hope the team follow suit. You can click the preview images below to see detailed photos of the shirt.
soccer apparel

***Update 02/04/2009***
To clear up some confusion, there are NO zips on any of the kits. Yes, the style of the shirts, which resemble cycling style shirts, may make it look like there should be a zip present, but there aren’t. If you see any supposed Chelsea shirts for next season that have a zip on it, it is a fake shirt.
******

After now having received descriptions of the new kits by those who have seen them first hand, I have an update to show how the kits will look like:

Home:

The home shirt is based on the ‘cycling top’ template. The blue remains what is now the standard Adidas ‘reflex’ blue for Chelsea home kits. There is no additional white adidas trimming. The shirt seems slim-fitting, which may be a problem for any more ample-sized fans wishing to wear a replica version.

Away:

Of the other two shirts, the following is presumably the away shirt as white is a traditional Chelsea away colour. The main feature of the away shirt is the set of black horizontal stripes. Again, it is based on the ‘cycling top’ style.

The away shirt is reminiscent of the 1984-85 away shirt, which was also predominantly white, but also had thin grey/black horizontal stripes.

Third:

The main feature of what is presumably the third shirt is the set of grey-blue and charcoal-black horizontal stripes, along with the Chelsea crest,  logos and three striped all in the somewhat infamous ‘electric yellow’. The pattern of grey-blue and black horizontal stripes means the away kit will be completely different to the current away kit as it steps away from the traditional Chelsea away colours of yellow or white.

As an update to the earlier post, I have photoshopped another view of the home kit, but also made ones of the away and third kits too:

What do you people out there think?