Make a wish — it’s German Bundesliga side SpVgg Greuther Fürth’s birthday, and they’re celebrating with a special kit.
The club released the kit on Thursday, Sept. 23 — the 118th anniversary of the club’s founding in 1903 — and will wear it when they host Bayern Munich on Friday, Sept. 24.
The jersey is made up of broad green and white vertical stripes, a pattern that throws it back to what the club wore in its early days. Moving down the front of the shirt, a pattern of the words “DER FRANKENMEISTER” fades into view. This signifies Greuther Fürth’s status as the top club in the region of Franconia last season, beating out rivals 1.FC Nürnberg.
“Our Frankenmeister jersey should combine tradition and modernity just in time for our anniversary,” Greuther Fürth managing director Holger Schwiewagner said on the club’s website (translated into English by Google). “I would like to express my thanks to our supplier Puma, who has succeeded in giving the special history of our game association a modern look and at the same time paying due tribute to our most recent success — promotion to the Bundesliga. Our birthday and the floodlit match against FC Bayern in the first division — there couldn’t be a better occasion.”
The Puma logos, sponsor logos and club crest on the front of the jersey are all gold. On the back, an anniversary graphic on the back collar and the player names and numbers, which are printed on a solid white panel, are also gold.
From posts on social media, it appears the club will wear its regular white home shorts with the special jersey.
SpVgg Greuther Fürth was founded on Sept. 23, 1903, as Spielvereinigung (SpVgg) Fürth, first as the football arm of a gymnastics club, then as its own independent club. In 1996, SpVgg Fürth merged with another football club, TSV Vestenbergsgreuth, to form SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
SpVgg Fürth won the German championship in 1914, 1926 and 1929. In modern times, Greuther Fürth first won promotion to the Bundesliga for the 2012-13 season, but were relegated back to the 2.Bundesliga at the end that same season. They are back in the Bundesliga for the 2021-22 season after finishing second to VfL Bochum in the second division in 2020-21.
The club crest of a shamrock in a circle and the green-and-white colour scheme both come from the coat of arms for the city of Fürth.
Feature photo courtesy SGF1903.de