Why are some Premier League teams wearing next season's kit?

New York Times

25-05-2025

Memories of trophy-winning sides are often tied to the shirts they wore.
Before every World Cup, orders for replicas of England's 1966 World Cup-winning shirt skyrocket. Its relationship with the national team's greatest success ensures it remains relevant, even if most of the fans buying it were born long after Bobby Moore lifted the trophy.
Even designs from 1990, England's best World Cup performance between 1966 and 2018, are fondly remembered for their association with the relative success of reaching a semi-final, despite the team being knocked out by West Germany.
Had Gareth Southgate's men gone one step further and beaten Spain to win the European Championship last summer, the white and blue design the players wore would have earned similar cult status.
The examples are endless: Brazil's yellow and green in 1970; the iconic Netherlands shirt from their 1988 European Championship triumph; Maradona's scudetto-winning shirts with Napoli in 1987 and 1990; the United States' host nation stars and stripes 'denim' jersey from World Cup '94, plus countless others associated with a team's golden moment.
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When it comes to the Premier League, the connection between achievement and shirt is sometimes blurred.
Take Arsenal. Last week, they unveiled their new kit for next season. They then wore that kit for the 1-0 win against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium.
So is it a 2025-26 kit or a 2024-25 kit? Does it matter? Probably not, but would it have mattered if they were collecting a trophy? Would it have been wrong to be photographed celebrating a season's success in a kit they had only played in once?
Debuting next season's kit in the season's final weeks is not a recent development. Arsenal often do it, and it was even happening back in 1987, when Tottenham Hotspur wore the following season's shirt during their FA Cup final against Coventry City. Spurs lost.
'It's nothing new,' says Phil Delves, a content executive for Cult Kits. 'It used to be much more sparing, but now it's to be expected. Most of the big teams have done it once. For others, it's much more common.'
Five Premier League clubs have released their 2025-26 kit. Arsenal are the only club who have debuted theirs, though Newcastle are expected to wear theirs this weekend for their home match against Everton.
The reasons for doing so vary, but they all come back to commerce. The season's closing matches are a chance to advertise the new kit in front of fans at the stadium and on television before less-visible friendlies during the long summer break.
An industry source, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, also pointed out how profit and sustainability rules (PSR) can be a factor, increasing revenue before June 30, the end of the financial year for most Premier League clubs.
Wearing the new kit can also be helpful when managing stock. 'Usually, football kits are sold on what the industry calls a 'Futures' basis,' says a source who has worked for kit manufacturers and also asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships.
'Clubs order how many they need for the season, as manufacturers try to avoid stock sitting in a warehouse, waiting to see if the clubs need more. So if the current kit has sold through, and there's not much stock left, then ramping up the anticipation for the new kit, or timing its on-sale date to that last game of the season or a big final is a good idea.'
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Whether the team is lifting a cup is considered, too. Last season, Arsenal decided against debuting the following season's shirt at their final home match. The reason, according to The Sun, was that they were still in contention to lift the title.
At the 2008 Champions League final, Chelsea opted to wear the following season's kit. Manchester United then beat them on penalties and to many, John Terry's slip in the shootout has become the main association with that shirt.
Four years later, Chelsea had launched their 2012-13 strip in April 2012, but opted to stick with their 2011-12 strip in the FA Cup and Champions League finals. They won both.
In 2019, with the club's place booked in the Europa League final, Chelsea debuted the 2019-20 kit for their final home game of the Premier League season but reverted to the strip that they had worn en route to Baku for the final, comfortably beating Arsenal 4-1.
More recently, when Manchester City played in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace last week, they had already unveiled next season's home shirt, yet they wore this season's kit at Wembley, and lost.
For those whose job it is to ensure fans feel positively about new kits, such associations have to be considered. 'If you reach a Champions League final or a major final, there might be a discussion where you say, 'Well, hang on, we've played in a certain kit all season, is it right to transfer?',' says the former kit manufacturer.
'Then there's the flip side — if you play in the new kit and lose the final, does that kit already become tainted from the start of the next season? The minute it goes on sale, fans may think, 'Well, this kit's already been associated with a significant loss'. Whereas if you play in the current kit and win it, the buzz of winning that final will carry through to the launch of the new kit.'
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Newcastle will put that to the test on Sunday when they face Everton in their new kit. A win for Eddie Howe's side will ensure qualification for the Champions League next season, setting the tone for next season and the new kit.
Then there's Liverpool. They will not be revealing next season's strip as they are switching manufacturers away from Nike. The multi-year contract with Adidas begins on August 1, so Liverpool will start pre-season in their 2024-25 kit.
Liverpool's deal with Nike was worth more than £60million, but, according to sources with knowledge of the Adidas deal, the agreement with the German manufacturer is worth significantly more.
But that's next season. Sunday is the long-awaited day when Liverpool will be presented with the Premier League trophy in front of fans at Anfield, and it feels right that Virgil van Dijk will lift it in the kit they earned it in.
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