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Interesting to note that the 150 anniversary plan and Heck's comms from today includes the following: The choice of the wording "Update" rather than it being a kit reveal, and inclusion of merchandise more generally, heavily implies to me that we're binning Castore. Expect the update might be announcement of new kit supplier and a wide range of supporting merch, potentially alongside news of the superstore expansion. Would love to see us finally go with Adidas but seems more likely it would be Nike if we're going with one of the big traditional suppliers...

While we patiently wait for our new kits to be revealed sometime in August here are some other new ones. Liverpool going for the Pablo Escobar henchmen on vacation in Miami during 80's look for their release.

A few doing the rounds already, so thought it worth starting it’s own thread.

A thread to discuss any unusual merchandise you have. Here's mine: Bought it from Kays Catalogue in the inception year of The Premier League. I've worn it at probably 95% of every game I've attended since then. I wear it under my Villa top so I only don't wear it on really hot days where you really can't be wearing 2 tops. It's been washed so many times it's wearing extremely thin, the neckline is very frayed and it's got holes all over, but I can't stop wearing it now with all it's been through with me. It's obviously an item from it's time

About that time, ours will be out in October as per tradition but other clubs are releasing theirs. Quite like this one from Fluminense. Looks kinda like it always does I guess but this one nails it imo. Never heard of the club Ballard FC but the kit is kinda fun for say a 3rd or 4th kit

This is doing the rounds on social media that this is the home kit for next season. Take it with a oinch of salt of course. Hopefully its a windup as thats absolutely vile

Its that time again when someone creates some ideas on social media. Not bad efforts to be fair

I have the below picture on my wall in canvas form. I just happened to be staring at it the other night and was thinking of the first player I thought of in each shirt. Not necessarily my favourite or the best player, just whoever springs to mind first. From left to right... Row 1: Peter Withe, Dean Saunders, Dalian Atkinson, Mark Draper Row 2: Gareth Southgate, David Ginola, Darius Vassell, Thomas Hitzlsperger Row 3: Ashley Young, Darren Bent, Ashley Westwood, Ron Vlaar Row 4: Idrissa Gueye, John Terry, John McGinn, Jack Grealish Edit: I don't think Hitzlsperger even wore the shirt I envisioned him in! All part of the fun. Must have been the DWS (cows) that drew me in on him.

So, has Castore been confirmed, or was that just speculative? I think they'll be an improvement on Kappa. Whoever it is, I hope we see the shirt sooner rather than much later which is what we always deal with. We're always one of the last to unveil. In the meantime, who's got some tasty mockups?

Well past due for a 21/22 kits thread. Already been a lot of leaks and releases posted in the 20/21 thread so lets continue here. The new PSG one is probably the best so far Not a fan of the Milan one thou

Linfields playing in UVF colours for their change strip this season

Afternoon! Here's me on the ole "Claret and Blue Podcast" talking about my career, but mostly about Villa kits down the years. If you like Villa and you like football kits, you'll probably like this...

Noticed kappa are starting to release 20/21 kits now. Looking at the last couple it seems to point towards us having a similar template with the split at the neck and an individual pattern connected to the club or region. I quite like the style and the orange kit would work well with blue arms and claret cuffs... Wonder if we will get a white away kit this year too?

This was probably the closest thread i could think to put this in. The iconic, if short lived yellow shirt of the early 90s.....love the way the badge is imposed on the shirt at a angle.....but.... I've only just noticed that the lion is still upright and not rotated to the left in line with the lettering....and it's bugging me !

I wonder if it will be those 3 stripes?.. To answer their question. If the kit is shit I wouldn't buy it no matter who made it. Equally, I wouldn't want someone like Slazenger or someone shit suddenly developing our kit either.

Lots of clubs have already dropped their kits for next season so might as well get started while we wait for our new Kappa? kits. Hopefully it's better than this unfortunate ones by Jako? for Barnet FC that seem to have been run over by a car or possibly a couple of scooters on their way to delivery.

Hey all, Just wondering if any of you collect our shirts from over the years! I collect shirts in general but I’m mad for collecting Villa shirts in particular, names and numbers the lot! Anyone else a bit like that? If so what is you favourite shirts or your most rare? Feel free to add photos! How far do your collections go back etc Maybe this thread will sink like a stone but it’s always something I wondered. Especially with the interest ever summer in the new kit threads each year!

These threads are always a bit of fun, I got bored waiting for our game to start. It would be cool to push the boat out next season with something a bit different. With Premier League badges of course.

Since they are starting to drop it might be time for a new thread about next seasons kits Like these 3rd kits from Man U And the Chelsea one

under armour effort for some team ive never heard of, could make for an interesting villa away shirt template though, id be interested in a white body, claret and blue sleeve effort

Any news on this? Can't be far off seeing as shirt design should be finalised around March time and has to be manufactured, promoted, distributed and sold. Last year of Macron. Hope it's Adidas.

Do we have any hints and rumours regards next seasons kit? I kinda think I might come out of kit design retirement after my last foray led to the tinternet thinking they were real!

Didn't know where to ask this so went for this topic... Has anyone been into the Villa Store yet this season? Is there loads to buy like usual? Reason I ask is like most things Villa the Online Store is awful and has barely anything for sale... If the store is full I'll head over this weekend.

puma with the claret and blue - constellation of "the dragon" which is also porto's nickname tbf this is a nice kit...

First off, apologies. This is going to be long, but I’m sure you’ll find it interesting. Last night I was very, very fortunate to represent VillaTalk at what Aston Villa described as “an exclusive training session” at Bodymoor Heath. A selection of media, supporter groups and websites including Vital Villa, avillafan, Heroes and Villains, and obviously VT, were asked to send someone who would be given full training kit and put through their paces by some of the strength and conditioning coaches at the club. There was also mention of “kit launch” in the invitation too. And who doesn’t want to be first to see the new kit? Now, I haven’t kicked a football in over 20 years. Some of you will know that I had a nasty football injury as a teenager and until medical science caught up a few years ago I was unable to do anything but light activity. Quite how I wasn’t enormous at that point is a miracle, but nonetheless I had surgery, started to get active, but bottled out of playing football in case I got a recurrence of the injury. This time, though, I just couldn’t refuse. Scott (OBE) and Simon (Limpid) put it to me that they’d like me to go on behalf of VT. Not as a little treat for being a good Mod, or because of my X Factor-esque sob story, but because of my career history. Again, those of you who know me will already know my background. I studied fashion back in the 90s and went on to spend 6 years working for Puma in Nuremberg (hence the name on here). During that time I headed up the design of performance products for the brand, with a huge focus on football. I designed the Italy kit which won the World Cup in 2006, and Usain Bolt’s kit in Beijing 2008. A few years later I was back in the UK and recruited by Umbro where I was eventually Creative Director. I was honoured to work on kits for England, and also Manchester City during the first few years of the Abu Dhabi ownership period. It was a phenomenal experience. My initial response was - I can’t do it. I was worried about the fitness aspect (Scott glibly put it as “You may have to dress up and run around a bit”), and also felt that having been to several kit launch events of my own over the years it would be nice for someone else to get the chance. My mission though, should I choose to accept it, was to go in as a stalking horse on behalf of VT. These events are invariably a high quality charm offensive. We’re all honoured to be working together, lots of things in common, great opportunity, love the club, love the brand, etc. The ask of me was to cast an educated eye over the proceedings and see what it might reveal, and if there are any indicators of positive change within the corridors of Aston Villa. So that’s the background. It gives you an idea of how I’ve formed my views, and why I was so fortunate to be chosen. It’s been a long time since I was at Bodymoor Heath. Last time I was there I was collecting autographs from the likes Derek Mountfield and Graham Taylor. It’s fair to say the place in unrecognisable apart from the beautifully crafted gates that welcome you into what is now a world class facility. On arrival at 5.30 we waited at the lower car park, and were able to see some of the younger lads training in the distance. By younger lads, they were maybe 6 or 7 years old. Either that or they were very, very far away. After a few minutes we were told to drive round to the main building where everything was waiting for us. Even the road that takes you through to the training HQ brings it home to you the scale of Aston Villa Football Club. I’ve worked at the training grounds of Manchester City, Lazio, Bordeaux and others but this place is something else. Quintessentially English with it’s open space and imposing trees, but unmistakably modern once you get down to business. For all of the failings of the previous custodian, this is quite the legacy. Walking through the main doors, I felt a little like I was on Sky Sports News. Sadly I wasn’t getting out of a Ferrari and carrying a Louis Vuitton washbag, but nonetheless the presence of a club photographer gave me a split second of “what if”. Overseeing our reception alongside the Villa marketing team was Michael Taylor, the Senior Marketing Manager for Under Armour in the UK. I’ve known Mike for a number of years, but haven’t seen him in a while so it was nice to get a familiar face amidst my nervousness about if I’d have a cardiac arrest at some point during the evening. The other important factor in Mike being there is that he’s good at his job. He’s well thought of and well connected within the industry, so from an Under Armour standpoint, and more importantly from a Villa one, it’s reassuring to know that he’s key to the relationship. He’s a football fan and a talented marketeer, which bodes well for the management of our profile in the coming years. The assembled group were led upstairs for refreshments and sandwiches. The sarnies looked good, but I declined for fear of puking up on the pitch like Tommy Johnson all those years before me. From there we were taken into a briefing room which was decked in imposing imagery featuring the club crest and the UA logo. Fight like lions was emblazoned across it, and at the bottom reference to UA’s current campaign “I Will”. We were given a full understanding of why we were there (to celebrate the beginning of the UA relationship, and experience a taster of life as a professional athlete) and the agenda for the evening. Keith Wyness then took the floor to say a few words. He comes across as a confident man, reassured by his own experience. He talked passionately about the club, about the desire to get things back on track as quickly as possible and, importantly from my perspective, that this is a football club and not a brand. The crest is valuable and meaningful, and alongside a strong team on the pitch, and supported by UA it will have global resonance. Our new CEO was followed by Mike who gave us a clearer understanding of the Under Armour brand, its history and its current position. Aggressive growth plans across all sports, and a clearly defined portfolio of football clubs who share common values with the brand. Yeah, yeah, they all say that. But looking at the roster it was clear to see that it was populated by storied clubs with a lot to look forward to - Spurs, Southampton, Colo Colo, and more. It was nice to see us positioned alongside them. Mike told us about this being the 20th anniversary of the brand, and 10th anniversary of being in the UK. He even fronted up about the challenges they faced when the US speed skating team complained that their kit wasn’t functioning at the Olympics in Sochi. They ditched the kit and wore an old one, which must have been embarrassing for the brand. He explained how they’d learned from failure and were moving forward having extended their contract with the team. 20 years in, he said, and we’ve only just started. Sounds like Villa, but a bit older than just 20, I thought. Right then, niceties over. Time for training! We were led to the U21 changing room along a corridor with doors to gyms and physios, and bearing posters with helpful information for players about the danger signs of depression, and the importance of understanding what’s in any supplements they might take. In the changing room the attention to detail was superb. Lockers with specially created signs featuring our names, and full Under Armour training gear, and boots, to wear during the session. Sadly it didn’t carry the Villa crest so it wasn’t clear whether this was exactly what the players will be using, but it would certainly give an indication of the quality we could expect. Looking around the room it was encouraging to see I wasn’t going to be the most out of shape person there. It was disappointing to see that there were a few lads there who really look after themselves. The coaching team were led by Ben Petty, and our first exercise inside the huge, covered 4G arena was to warm up. We were taken through our paces in what would constitute a typical opening session for the Villa squad. It was hard. I certainly wouldn’t fancy having a go at it after a week of partying in Dubai, that’s for sure. But I guess we’ve already established I’m no professional athlete! Simple jogs, followed by jogs with more complex movement, running technique, sprints, and finally sprints pushing the metal frames you may have seen, and for those brave enough the same again with added weights. Credit to Gregg Evans of the Mail who absolutely blasted his way through it. Next were some ball drills. Not a medieval torture device, but high tempo pass and move. There was a mix of ability around the group of perhaps 20 of us. Some looking like they’d be pretty competent semi-pros, others only looking like they’d be good enough to play for England. Again, it was interesting to note the level of complexity that was brought into the exercise. Pass and go, change direction, pass to their left foot, pass to their right. It was a lot more cerebral than you’d perhaps expect. Finally we got the chance to move over to the pitch for some 7-a-side. From what I'd seen, and for the effort that had already been put in, this had nil nil written all over it. Already half broken, I took the wise choice of going in nets. I was fortunate to have been partnered with some fairly handy players and kept a clean sheet in a 4-0 win. I was excited to find myself kicking a ball again for the first time in over 20 years. And what a place to do it... Time for a final warm down with the physio, and some booklets giving us information on post workout recovery. This is part of a pack that is usually given to the younger players. Back in the changing room I had the chance to evaluate the kit. It's good quality. There's no doubt about that. I wore base layer shorts and top under some perforated training shorts and a regular training tee. We were given socks, pads and boots too. The boots performed well. UA's "speed" proposition, they were comfortable, light, and provided good traction. The heels of the boots use the same technology as that which creates a moulded bra cup - which means perfect shaping without seams. There was nothing overly fancy or tricky with the gear, but it was clearly designed and made to a high standard. My only feedback to the guys was the shorts were a little long - a few of the lads, myself included, had folded the waistband over, and the socks were quite hot because of the cotton footbed. Being honest, socks are one of the hardest parts of a kit to design. Trying to find the perfect balance of cushioning, traction, feel and moisture management is nigh on impossible, and everyone has their own preference. As an indicator for the kit, I think you can buy with confidence. And the players can wear it with confidence too. From what we saw (and we only saw pictures, the actual kit wasn't there, which was a shame and felt like a missed opportunity) the kit is detailed, innovative (the match shirt weighs in at just over 107g) and unlike some of the other big kit suppliers - it's not a template. Talking to Mike afterwards he assured me that Villa will be getting the full treatment and won't be just a team on a to-do list. Good. After all we've been through it's the least we deserve. The night was wrapped up with some exposure to the campaign that will be run - Fight Like Lions, and a talk from Jon Fear of Vital Villa. He's featured in the campaign, and I have to say it's impactful, and meaningful. I'm looking forward to see what you all think too. In closing, there are two clear messages which align between Under Armour and the club. Villa will stand for Pride, Passion and Purpose. Under Armour say "I Will". They're about the athlete, the preparation, and the willingness to achieve. Something we desperately need at VP. If you combine Fight Like Lions, with the idea of I Will, you get a potent combination. If the evening was an indicator of life under new ownership and with our new kit supplier, I'm pleased to report it looks very promising. Attention to detail in both the experience and the product. A strong mission, bold messaging, and an emphasis on carrying it out. A belief and a desire to get us back to where we belong. It's time to leave the past behind, to accept it and move forward into what we know is possible. Are you up for it? I am. I Will. TLDR; privileged Villa fan has another privileged experience, this time at Aston Villa. Enjoyed himself, very excited by what he saw. Feels like it really, truly is a fresh start. And one that brings with it a great deal of hope.