European Soccer Clubs Get Inspired by History for Recent 21-22 Away and Third Kits

Crystal Palace goes back to its roots, Everton revisits a revolutionary change kit design, Real Betis pay homage to a predecessor club, Hellas Verona continues its tribute to a celebrated poet, and Leicester City … well, it seems like they just picked a nice pattern and colour. Let’s take a closer look at some recent away and third kit unveilings from around Europe …

CRYSTAL PALACE – Third

Premier League side Crystal Palace is celebrating its origins with its 2021-22 third kit, made by Puma. The jersey is half light blue and half white, mirroring the colours and design worn by the first Crystal Palace football team in 1861, which was set up by cricket players looking to keep fit during the winter.

Both the front and back feature a tonal silhouette of the original Crystal Palace, a structure made of iron and glass to host the Great Exhibition in 1851. The sleeve cuffs, collar, and stripes over the shoulders are all black, as are the Puma logos, the sponsor logo and the “CPFC 1861” graphic on the back collar. The club crest is monochromatic black.

EVERTON – Third

After drawing inspiration from World War I battleships for their home kits and from their 1881-82 squad for their away kits, Premier League side Everton once again dip into history for their 2021-22 third kit, made by Hummel. The shirt is mainly white, with an abstract yellow and blue stripe running vertically down the front. This is inspired by the yellow and blue horizontal stripes that Everton wore on its change kit between 1958 and 1961; it was the first time the club had worn anything other than a plain white shirt as a change kit.

The collar is mostly blue with yellow trim, while the sleeve cuffs are more evenly split between the two colours. The Hummel logo, club crest and sponsor logo are all rendered in blue, while grey Hummel chevrons run down each sleeve.

LEICESTER CITY – Away

Premier League side Leicester City is going green with its 2021-22 away kits, made by adidas. The shirt is mint green, with a tonal checker pattern on the front and sleeves. The V-neck collar and adidas shoulder stripes are navy blue, along with the adidas and sponsor logos. The club crest is rendered in mint and navy.

REAL BETIS – Away

One big triangle gives way to multiple small triangles on Real Betis’s away kit for 2021-22, made by Kappa. Whereas the club’s home kit is dominated by a large green triangle on the chest, the away kit features smaller tonal triangles derived from the shape of the club crest on a blue base — a nod to the blue shirts worn by Sevilla Balompié, one of the clubs that merged to form Real Betis in 1914.

Darker, larger triangles run down the centre of the jersey, while smaller, lighter triangles fill in the rest of the front. White side panels contain Kappa logos in green. The collar is white and blue, while the sleeve cuffs are mainly green with white piping. The club crest is in full colour on the left chest, while the Kappa chest logo and sponsor logo are white.

HELLAS VERONA – Third

Since Serie A side Hellas Verona’s home and away kits for 2021-22 contained tributes to Italian poet Dante Aligheri, it’s no surprise that the club’s third kit, made by Macron, contains another Verona history lesson. This time, the club honours the Pallio del Drappo Verde, a running race held in Verona that dates back to 1208 and is believed to be the oldest organized foot race in the world. The winner gets a 12-metre-long green cloth — hence the green base of Hellas Verona’s jersey. Dante mentions the race in the first cantica of his most famous work, The Divine Comedy.

The sleeves of the third kit have the same embossed pattern as the body of Hellas’s home kit, which is inspired by the wrought iron grilles of the Arche Scaligere in Verona. The crew neck collar, sleeve cuffs and side panels are all white, as are the sponsor logo, manufacturer logos and club crest. A tag inside the collar — which also appears on both the home and away kits —commemorates the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death.