For the 2014-15 season, Manchester United will play in a stylish and innovative new third kit.
Consisting entirely of two tones of blue, the kit is inspired by
United’s tradition of blue kits from the 1980s, as well as uniform
worn when they became the first English side to win the European Cup in
1968.
The shirt, shorts and socks are all a rich and vibrant blue on the
front with a darker tone of the same color on the entire back. These two tones are divided by a red stripe on both sides of the kit representing United’s famous home color.
These stripes stretch from the collar, along both shoulders, down each side of the shirt, shorts and right down to the socks.
The half-and-half appearance is a traditional football design, but
this is the first season it has ever been used on the front and back.
The shirt boasts a classic design with a sophisticated polo neck collar and three buttons in the darker tone of blue.
Inside the back of the neck is a label with the message, "Youth, Courage, Greatness" to represent the club’s values.
The new third kit will be available to purchase on www.prosoccer.co.za or in stores from September 25.
While this new kit features Nike’s signature style and passion, it
has also been designed to offer players the very latest in performance
innovation, kit technology and environmental sustainability.
NIKE DRI-FIT TECHNOLOGY
Nike Dri-Fit technology draws sweat away from the body to the exterior of the shirts and shorts where it quickly evaporates.
This allows players to perform at their absolute best by remaining cooler, drier and more comfortable.
The laser-cut ventilation holes and mesh panels featured in key areas
of the kit also improves performance by increasing air circulation to
the players’ bodies and regulating their temperatures throughout ninety
minutes on the pitch.
The kits are made of a new dual-knit fabric consisting of both cotton
and recycled polyester, which as well as removing sweat offers a softer
feel and an overall more flattering appearance.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Nike continues to place environmental sustainability at the heart of
their kits, which are again made from recycled polyester this year.
These kits have been created to provide both unrivalled performance benefits and lower environmental impact.
The kits are made from recycled plastic water bottles. The shorts are
100 percent recycled polyester; the shirts are 96 percent recycled
polyester, while the socks are 78 percent.
Each kit is made using an average of 18 recycled plastic bottles, and
over the last four years Nike has diverted almost two billion of these
bottles from landfills to produce their kits.
By using recycled polyester Nike is also reducing the energy consumed in the entire process by up to 30 percent.
A NEW AND UPDATED PERFECT FIT
Nike took 3D body scans of many of the world’s leading footballers to create a kit with an updated and perfect new fit.
The new fit allows the body to move more naturally within the kit, and
so effortlessly improves players’ comfort and performance.
The Nike Elite Match fit sock for 2014 also boasts a sleeker and updated design created especially for football.
Nike’s designers spoke to many of today’s elite players to gain an insight in to what they wanted from a sock during a game.
There are now strategically cushioned zones to provide comfort and
protection around the big toe and the anklebones where the majority of
impact occurs, while arch support provides a firm foundation for the
foot to prevent any slipping.
There is less material on the sock to enhance players’ touch, while
flex grooves on the ankle and top of the foot prevent bunching.
