The Gunners reveal their new away kit, available to pre-order today, Tuesday, June 28, 2011. Capturing the spirit and history of Arsenal Football Club, the new away shirt features a specially designed crest to highlight the proud origins of the Club 125 years ago.
The celebratory badge design features 15 laurel leaves to the left side of the Club's crest to reflect the detail on the reverse of the sixpence pieces paid by 15 men to establish the Club in Woolwich in 1886. The 15 oak leaves to the right of the crest pay tribute to the founders who would meet in the local Royal Oak pub. Underneath the crest is one of the Club’s first recorded mottos - 'Forward' - with the anniversary dates of 1886 and 2011 either side.
The front of the new away shirt is divided into two halves, one navy blue and one turquoise blue, inspired by the away kits worn by Arsenal teams from the past. The diagonal line represents the gnomon (the pointer) which casts the shadow on a sundial - to commemorate the original Dial Square sundial on the site of the Arsenal munitions factory in Woolwich, where the Club was founded in 1886.
The back of the shirt is entirely navy blue, with one sleeve navy and the other turquoise blue. A stripe runs down each sleeve, broken into three parts to further represent the Dial Square sundial.
The away shorts are navy blue, as are the socks, which have the year of Arsenal’s foundation - 1886 - printed in white on the back of each calf.
On the back of the shirt below the neck reads ‘Arsenal’, while inside the front, on the back of the crest, is a graphic that reads ‘Victoria Concordia Crescit’, (‘Victory Through Harmony’), Arsenal’s Latin motto, which was previously featured on earlier versions of their club crest between 1949 and 2002.
The new away kit is made from Nike’s ground-breaking recycled polyester, which this season for the first time includes both the shirt and shorts. Each complete kit is made up of up to 13 reclaimed plastic water bottles. The improved Nike Dri-Fit fabric, now 13 per cent lighter than previous kits, helps to quickly evaporate moisture, drawing it through the fabric to the surface to keep players dry.
The kit is available for pre-order from Tuesday, June 28 and will be in stores from Thursday, July 28, 2011. Anyone ordering the kit from the Club stores or online at www.ArsenalDirect.com will receive a complementary collector’s box and an Arsenal wash bag worth £10 while stocks last. Adult shirts are priced from £45 and junior shirts from £35.
For more information on the kit and the Club's 125th anniversary activities, visit www.Arsenal.com.