By David Gold
June 27 – When Liverpool take to the field next season, they will do so wearing shirts made in part from coffee grounds, after their new kit was unveiled by Warrior.
The kit was made using a product called S.Café, an antimicrobial fabric made with coffee grounds.
The material is therefore environmentally friendly and fast drying, says Warrior, and the design of the shirt was created with the club’s history in mind.
S.Café is the heart of what Warrior says is a world first in football – the use of a revolutionary clothing system engineered by a company called War-Tech – as well as a hydro-phobic development designed to reject external moisture and a mesh fabric which allows for maximum ease of movement.
Warrior took inspiration from the kit worn in the 1964-5 season when Bill Shankly was in charge, as well as from the highly successful period from 1976 until 1985, when Liverpool won seven league titles and four European Cups.
Liverpool’s yellow Liver bird emblem has also been embroidered fully onto the shirt for only the second time in the club’s history.
It is the new, simpler club crest, although the two “justice flames” representing those fans tragically killed in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster have been moved to the back of the kit.
The connection to the club’s heritage is part of the strategy of Liverpool’s American owners to connect with their fans.
The New England Sports Group bought the English Premier League side from its unpopular former owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, and then appointed Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish as the new manager.
However, a complete restructuring of the club’s hierarchy has taken place in recent months, with the firing of several individuals, including Dalglish, one of the best players in Liverpool’s history, Damien Comolli, director of football and former press chief, Ian Cotton.
Warrior has also unveiled a new Liverpool away kit (pictured above) which also draws on the club’s illustrious past.
The black kit with a yellow logo and writing takes inspiration from the start of the 20th century and the kit worn by the club between 1900 and 1906 in Liverpool’s formative years.
Warrior says it also pays tribute to the maritime roots of the city, whose Mersey docks were a hugely important ship building site around the turn of the 20th century.
It is also made using the same advanced technology Warrior developed for the home kit.
Head of Warrior Football Richard Wright said: “By partnering our knowledge of making high performance sports apparel with Liverpool FC’s rich history, Warrior has successfully created a kit that will empower players with the means to dominate.
“Our goal is to breathe new life and energy into the game of football, to make people sit up and take notice by redefining expectations.
“The away kit draws strong parallels from the uniforms worn by the Liverpool dockyard workers who plied their trade at the Mersey Docks – the world’s most influential ship building at the turn of the 20th century.”
The club’s captain Steven Gerrard (pictured above, second right) added: “Warrior has designed a kit that embodies everything that is great about Liverpool Football Club.
“I’m extremely happy with the reintroduction of the amber yellow Liver Bird crest and the stitching gives it that extra touch of quality.
“For fit, comfort and functionality, it’s one of the best kits I’ve worn – the fans will love it.”
Liverpool will wear the kit for the first time during a tour of North America when they play Toronto FC next month.
Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1734870779labto1734870779ofdlr1734870779owedi1734870779sni@d1734870779log.d1734870779ivad1734870779
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