Premier League side Newcastle United pressed their pre-match jerseys into game action on Saturday when none of their other three kits were enough of a contrast to their opponents’ kits.
Newcastle traveled to the American Express Community Stadium on Saturday to square off against Brighton & Hove Albion, who had the first choice of kits and wear blue and white vertical stripes at home. That ruled out Newcastle’s black-and-white striped home shirt, as well as their navy blue away shirt. But then even their white third kit with green trim was deemed not different enough to tell the two sides apart.
So Newcastle and manufacturer turned to a pre-match shirt they had produced for the 2022-23 season. The shirt is mint green with a navy blue crew neck collar and side panels. The front features overlapping graphics of various Newcastle landmarks, including the Theatre Royal, the Millennium Bridge, the Tyne Bridge and St. Nicholas’s Cathedral, along with Newcastle United’s home ground, St James’s Park.
The club printed the logo of their main sponsor, betting firm Fun88, on the front of the shirts and added Premier League and sponsor patches to the sleeves. They also added navy blue names and numbers to the backs of the shirts.
Newcastle paired the mint green shirts with the black shorts and socks they wear with their home kits. The shorts featured red player numbers on the front.
The club has, of course, capitalized on the mixup, offering versions of the jersey as a “limited edition matchday tee” in their online shop, complete with sponsor patches.