Some football shirts grab you immediately.
Wild patterns, unusual colours and huge graphics make sure you know exactly what you’re looking at within seconds.
Go Ahead Eagles have gone the other way.
Their new Stanno third kit celebrates the IJssel, the river that has played an enormous role in the founding, growth and prosperity of Deventer.
Dating back to medieval times, the city’s natural harbour helped establish Deventer as an important trading centre, with ships travelling the IJssel and connecting the city with the world beyond.
That history hasn’t been plastered all over the shirt.
Instead, you have to go looking for it.
A deep navy base is crossed by delicate golden pinstripes, amongst which you’ll find a beautifully illustrated sailing ship. It’s subtle enough to disappear into the shirt from a distance, before becoming one of its defining features when you get closer.
The gold and navy combination rarely disappoints either.
There’s a bold collar carrying a GAE patch, while the club have also reworked their crest. The eagle remains front and centre in gold, now sitting within a cleaner and more traditional frame. We’re not completely sold on the badge change, but it certainly suits the historical direction of the shirt.
Perhaps that’s what makes the whole thing interesting.
Does a great football shirt need to make you want it immediately, or are the ones that grow on you sometimes even better?
Stanno and Go Ahead Eagles have produced something that rewards the second look rather than demanding the first.
A fitting tribute to the waters that helped build Deventer.
Credit; @stanno_sportswear @gaeagles
#goaheadeagles #stanno #ijssel #deventer #footballkits #thekitsman
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