Historical Football Kits

Barclays Premier League 2012 - 2013

The dramatic climax to last season brought the Premier League trophy to Manchester City for the first time while Chelsea captured both FA Cup and the European Champions League trophy, success made possible by the obscene amounts of cash invested by their billionaire owners. UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules have now kicked in with club's restricted to a maximum loss of €45m (£39.5m) in total between 2011 and 2014. Owners can no longer cover operating debt through loans but only by investing permanently in exchange for shares. Clubs that fail to meet these requirements may be refused entry to UEFA competition from 2014 although there are many loopholes and legal challenges may result in further dilution of the rules before they come fully into effect.

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(Contributors are credited in brackets. Opinions expressed on this page are those of HFK and not contributors.)

Arsenal

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Fly Emirates

The Gunners' new home kit has a traditional look but with the addition of a navy crew neck and red, white and navy bands across the sleeves, an homage to Herbert Chapman who introduced the iconic white sleeves and contrasting navy/white socks in 1933. The away kit would be fine but for the red trim and the change in the width of hoops on the sleeves.

(Lawrence Emmanuel, Andrew Skelton)

Aston Villa

Designer: Macron

Sponsor: Genting Casinos

Villa's new kit supplier is Macron, a privately owned Italian sportswear company and the results are mixed. The new home shirt is pretty good ("EXPLOSIVE" according to the launch publicity) but the company's rather silly redesign of football shorts detracts from the overall effect.

The away strip is labelled "FEARLESS". Perhaps HIDEOUS would be a better choice.

(Adam Mayers, George Hartley, Craig Bellamy, Ian Duggan)

Chelsea

Designer: Adidas

Sponsor: Samsung

After investing over £1 billion since 2003, Roman Abramovic finally got his hands on the prize he most coveted after his team burgled Bayern Munich on their home ground to win the UEFA Champions' League title on penalties. Not to mention their seventh FA Cup.

The new home strip, trimmed in metallic gold, is a fitting outfit for the European champions. Didier Drogba was probably given one with real gold in it as a going away gift. We also have a very nice new away strip with a pale "aqua" sash, a style that has come into fashion this season. I particularly like the way the Adidas trim grades from dark navy to pale blue - very original. The third kit continues the recent tradition of flashy outfits.

(George Chilvers, Dominic Upton)

Everton

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Chang Beer

Everton have signed up with Nike and launched their new black away kit in May with the usual market-speak. High tech fabrics that draw sweat away from the body made from 100% recycled materials. And the tears of baby seals. Nice kit, though.

Smart as the Nike Trophy template is, surely the club could have asked Nike to come up with something more distinctive for the new home and third strips. Very disappointing.

(James Clyde, Jeff Ng, Martinos Perdikis)

Fulham

Designer: Kappa

Sponsor: FxPro

Fulham's new away strip celebrates the club's links with the Netherlands, including manager Martin Jol and several players who have appeared in the Eredivisie. It is being marketed as their Oranje strip. Heel goed.

The home strip has a more familiar look than last season's version with black shorts restored. The third strip is one of several sash designs that have appeared and very good it looks.

(Nathan Spinola, Sytse Korts, James Thornton, Martinos Perdikis)

Liverpool

Designer: Warrior Sports

Sponsor: Standard Chartered

According to Adidas, Liverpool's decision not to renew their contract was down to the club demanding too much money while Liverpool's new American owners stated they wanted to regain control over their own merchandising. The new contract with Michigan-based Warrior Sports is worth a record £25m over six years and brings a new brand to the Premier League. Their first offering is stunning in its simplicity with just the detailing picked out in gold. The reintroduction of the old Liver bird emblem has proved popular although some fans have been offended that the Hillsborough memorial crest has been relegated to the back of the shirt.

The away kit reproduces the yoke feature from the change shirts worn at the beginning of the 20th century. The marketeers, who can never resist gilding the lily, associate this with the sailors that contributed to Liverpool's importance as a port. The third kit is really outstanding, in "nightshade", white and orange with a fire-tattoo motif down the sleeves.

(Sebastian Vega, Mark Wild, Paul Weasel, Pavel Shalaev)

Manchester City

Designer: Umbro

Sponsor: Etihad Airways

Having invested almost £1bn since 2008, the Abhu Dhabi United Group has simply outspent their Premier League rivals to deliver the title. Few outside the red part of Manchester would begrudge City their first championship in 40-odd years but this is the equivalent of playing the "unlimited funds" cheat in the footie management sim of your choice.

The addition of black trim to the new "vista blue" home shirt has not gone down too well with fans but the return of white shorts is welcome. The away strip brings back traditional maroon (or "Zinfandel"), always a popular choice and the gold trimmings make this a suitable outfit for the new Masters of the Universe.

(Matt Rossall, George Chilvers)

Manchester United

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Aon

The pattern on United's new shirts is not, as some thought when viewing the first leaked images, a tartan to honour Sir Alex Ferguson. It is, in fact a tribute to the time when Manchester was the centre of the cotton industry and represents the traditional gingham pattern. It's also one of the silliest shirts issued this season.

The gingham theme is repeated on the otherwise sensible away strips but this time on the shorts.

(James Clyde, Ryan Dalton, Martinos Perdikis)

Newcastle United

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Virgin Money

After an excellent season, Toon are back in Europe having finished in fifth place. The new away strip is burgundy with navy trim, a distinctive choice for a club with a long record of unusual change strips. The pleasing new home strip was launched with the minimum of fuss in a friendly in Chemnitz, Germany in July. There are thorn-like shapes emerging from some of the stripes, a very unusual form of detailing. The third kit is in fluorescent lime green, not our favourite colour.

(Nick Dormand, Richard Owen, Martinos Perdikis, Andy Gray)

Norwich City

Designer: Errea

Sponsor: Aviva Insurance

Errea's new design for the Canaries may lack the classic late 1950s look of last season's offering but it is still a stylish strip. Once again there are hints of white in the trim.

(Kristian Culmer)

Queens Park Rangers

Designer: Lotto

Sponsor: Air Asia

Although the width of the hoops on Rangers' shirts has varied considerably over the years, supporters favour the traditional broad design. This new home strip, therefore, comes as something of a disappointment and certainly is not as good as last season's version. The away strip provides a complete contrast so a third strip is not necessary. That probably won't deter them from introducing one.

Aaannd - no it didn't.

(Simon Ståål)

Reading

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Waitrose

Reading are back in the Premier League and are still wearing Puma, their technical sponsor since 2004. QPR supporters are probably wishing their new home shirts looked like these.

(James Clyde, Martinos Perdikis)

Southampton

Designer: Umbro

Sponsor: aap

The Saints have risen from the third to first tier in successive seasons and if they do well in the Premier League, the radical new look will be heralded as a bold start to a new era of success. If, on the other hand, they go straight down, these strips will be consigned to the great charity shop in the sky. Time will tell, but when the wind is in the right direction, I can just make out the howls of protest drifting in from Hampshire.

(Rich Wrigley, Martinos Perdikis)

Stoke City

Designer: Adidas

Sponsor: bet365

Stoke celebrate their 150th anniversary this season but aside from a discrete change to their crest, they stick firmly to recent tradition with their home kit. The new away strip is in the colours of the original Stoke Ramblers and bears a close resemblance to the strips worn as Stoke in the 1890s and in the Southern League after the old club was wound up in 1908.

(Phil Baker, Ryan Dalton)

Sunderland

Designer: Adidas

Sponsor: Invest in Africa

Adidas have signed a contract with Sunderland to supply their new kits, the first of which was revealed in June, an attractive all-blue affair with turquoise trim. The new home strip includes Adidas' standard template for striped shirts. the club's own charity, Foundation of Light, had its logo on the shirts for the home game with Arsenal.

(Dean Ince, Ryan Dalton, Ahmad Omar)

Swansea City

Designer: Adidas

Sponsor: 32Red

To celebrate their centenary as well as retaining their place in the Premier League, Swansea have introduced a change strip in the Welsh national colours. There's lovely.

The home strip is even more gorgeous, in traditional white with metallic gold trim.

(Al Gordon, Nathan Spinola, Dan Wallace)

Tottenham Hotspur

Designer: Under Armour

Sponsor: Aurasma (Investec in Cup matches)

We will not conceal the fact that we admire Under Armour for the kits they supply to our fine national rugby side here in Wales. Their first venture into the Premier League has, however, surpassed expectation. The home strip features graded silver grey trimmings on shirt and shorts and has a large cockerel motif picked out in pinpricks on the back. The epaulettes on the navy away strip continue onto the reverse to form a large, V-shaped panel in two shades of blue while the third strip is equally original.

These are truly outstanding designs that, alongside Warrior Sports' Liverpool strips, set a new benchmark that the big global brands will struggle to improve upon.

(Nick Dormand, Martinos Perdikis, George Chilvers)

West Bromwich Albion

Designer: Adidas

Sponsor: Zoopla

There are no surprises with West Brom's home kit, which is simply updated to the latest Adidas template. The combination of cherry red and navy in the away kit is an attractive one and may be a reference to one of Albion's very early colours.

(Nathan Spinola, Ryan Dalton)

West Ham United

Designer: Macron

Sponsor: Sbobet.com

It will have come as a great relief to West Ham's management, given their ambition to move into the Olympic Stadium, that the team has returned to the Premier League after just one season. The retro-inspired away kits seen in the last two campaigns are replaced with an all navy outfit. The narrow claret and blue bands visible at the side of the shirt and shorts continue across the back and a crossed hammer motif is woven into the lower left side of the shirt on the reverse. The home strip is a solid take on the Hammers' traditional look.

(Al Gordon, Nathan Spinola)

Wigan Athletic

Designer: Mi Fit

Sponsor: 12Bet.com

A fine run at the end of last season kept Wigan in the Premier League once again. The new home strip returns to the popular striped theme. Blue socks were registered but in their opening games, white ones were worn. The body of the black away strip has fine dots printed into the fabric.

(Danny Stephen, George Chilvers, David Duckworth, Ryan Dalton)