The Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League unveiled a new color scheme last week, but that may only the start of the changes for the club’s identity.
The Spirit launched their new “sleek black and brilliant white” color scheme and their 2023 home kits at a season premiere event on Wednesday, March 1. It marks a departure from the club’s previous red, white and blue colors.
The home kits for 2023, made by Nike, are solid black with white sponsor logos on the chest and sleeve and white names and numbers on the back. The kits also features a raised iridescent chrome crest on the left chest (seen in detail above).
“When the Spirit takes the pitch this season at Audi Field, the new kits and crest reflect our unmistakable posture – we play to win,” majority owner Michelle Kang said on the club’s website. “The same attitude will be apparent to our fans in the stadium as we deliver great excitement from start to finish.”
But that may not be the end of the changes. According to Just Women’s Sports, Kang told attendees at the season premiere event that “everything is on the table” when it comes to rebranding the club, including the colors and even the name.
“We’re trying to get input from the fans, the community, the players and so forth,” Kang said. “So I can’t predict, we’ve got a lot of experts working with us so we’re gonna be very careful, the fans’ input is very important. At the end of the day they identify with us, it’s not just the name but overall the kind of vision and philosophy behind us.”
The Spirit open their 2023 NWSL season on Sunday, March 26, when they host OL Reign at Audi Field. The Spirit will play all 14 of their NWSL home games at Audi Field this season, sharing the stadium with Major League Soccer side D.C. United.