The Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League are ready for liftoff after launching their new away kit for the next two seasons this week.
The club unveiled the “Luna Kit” on their social media accounts and website on Thursday, April 21. They will be worn during the 2022 and 2023 NWSL seasons, and are inspired by the long history of the United States space program in Florida. They also draw inspiration from NASA’s Artemis Lunar Exploration Program, which aims to land the first woman of colour on the moon by 2025.
The shirt is mostly white (“Astronaut White,” according to Nike), with a light grey (“Moon Grey”) crew neck collar, sleeves and side stripes. A sublimated graphic of the moon covers the left half of the jersey, under the club crest, with concentric grey circles radiating out to cover the rest of the front.
Names and numbers are printed on the back in metallic silver (“Rocket Aluminum”). This was “inspired by the thermal space blankets that protect spacecrafts, equipment, and astronauts from the temperature fluctuations outside of the Earth’s atmosphere.”
The club crest appears in monochrome black (“Space Black”), and the Nike and sponsor logos on the chest and back are also black. The phrase “TO THE MOON” is printed in a black futuristic font inside the collar.
The jock tag on the right side of the shirt depicts Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and the moon in Greek mythology who had the gift of perfect aim with her bow and arrows. She was the twin sister of Apollo, after whom NASA’s first lunar landing and exploration missions were named.
“We’re proud to again bring a kit to our fans and our players that represents something bigger than soccer, with roots in our local community but a story that connects to so many around the world,” said Pedro Araujo, the Orlando Pride’s senior vice president of brand and marketing. “Like the history-makers the Luna Kit pays tribute to, we’re excited to see our players wear this jersey on the field to continue inspiring the next generation of groundbreakers and pioneers.”
The shorts that go along with the jersey are white with grey stripes down the sides and the monochromatic black crest. The socks are solid white with a black Nike logo on the front.
The Luna Kit builds on the Pride’s popular “Ad Astra” kit introduced in 2021, which also uses space imagery and “icons who laid the foundation for women and minorities in space exploration.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the last crewed NASA lunar landing. Apollo 17 touched down on the moon on Dec. 14, 1972.
The Pride’s NWSL regular season home opener takes place on Sunday, May 1, when they host NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Feature photo courtesy @ORLPride / Twitter