Sheffield United unveil new "kit vote" 07/08 shirts

Monday, 09 April 2007

Sheffield United gave their supporters the opportunity to influence the look of their team’s homa and away strips for the 2007 2008 season.

Blades fans were being asked to choose the home strip for the forthcoming season - with one lucky supporter collecting the first kit off the production line from a player of their choice in the process.

The club launched the initiative on Friday (February 9) from which date supporters were able to select the new kit.

The strip options were available to view online at www.sufc.co.uk/superstore or via postcards which will be handed out at Bramall Lane at the Tottenham match on Saturday 10th.

Every supporter voting for the winning strip were entered into a prize draw to win the first version of that kit ever produced.

the lime green kit with over half of the 4000 votes The new home kit will make its debut appearance in the last home match of the current campaign against Wigan on May 13.

The winning supporter will be presented with their version of the strip on the pitch by a player of their choice.

There were four options for the home kit, two in the traditional bright red and white colours and two using a deeper redcurrant shade.

With both colour options, supporters could choose between a plain back on the shirts or a stripped back.
All four kit options were on display in the Blades Superstore window on Saturday morning.

Sheffield United's Jackie Clarebrough said: "United fans wear the club's colours year round so we believe it's fitting that they have a choice in the way the kit looks.

Sheffield United may be known for their red and white striped kits, but in fact when they first begin, the Blades played in white shirts and blue shorts (or knickers as were known then!) They briefly flirted with narrow red stripes for the 1890-91 season, before returning to all white the following year. The stripes returned in the 1982-83 season, with black shorts replacing the blue in 1904. The shirts remained largely unchanged until collars were first removed in 1955, replaced by V-necks until the 1966-67 season (when white socks were also used), and from here on the neck style varied hugely.

The traditional red and white striped remained while the 1974-75 season, when elements of black were added, until the 1979-81 kit. This was essentially white with a red breast, and with thin stripes down either side, and was created to accommodate the Cantor's logo, the club's principle sponsors. This was to be replaced by a striped kit, with the sponsor Bentleys (1981-82) and Renault (1982-83) written vertically down a white stipe over the left-hand side. Stripes continued while the 1995-96 season, albeit with various aids to accommodate the sponsors, including a a yellow square for Laver from 1988-1992 (the 1990-92 shirt also featured narrow black stripes through each white stripe) and a black hoop, also for Laver in the 1994-95 season. Then came the diamond kit, which was so badly received that the club reverted to stripes rather hastily the following season. Since then, red and white stripes and black socks with varying trim have been the order of the day, with black shorts for all but the 2002-05 seasons, when white and then red were tried.[5]

The first time a crest appeared on the shirt was actually the 1891-92, when a red crest appeared on the white shirt, but this disappeared the following season. United used the City of Sheffield Arms from 1965-1977, when a new crest was developed, reportedly by former manager Jimmy Hagan. This consisted of two white crossed swords, or blades, the club's nickname, with a Yorkshire Rose above, on a black background. This is surrounded by a red ring with "Sheffield United F.C." written around the top and "1889", the year the club was founded, underneath. This had been altered very slightly a few times, with a simple black embroidered crest appearing on shirts from 1987-90, and an all-white crest on a red-edged black shield for the 1992-99 seasons, when shields were in fashion with English football clubs, but from 2000-present it has reverted to it's original form.

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