A Design For Strife - Kit Gallery 2017/18

[Furtho]

We're at the time of year when J-League clubs are announcing their kit designs and slogans for the 2018 season, which starts at the end of February/beginning of March. Clubs tend to do this by means of a season launch press event, at which they show off the new kit, introduce their close-season signings, talk about their slogan and associated priorities for the season ahead, etc. Over the next few days I'll be posting a selection of photos from these events.

Nagoya Grampus



Ehime FC



Tokushima Vortis



Tokyo Verdy

[Kevin S]

Grampus taking a lead from one of the best current kits in any sport.

[Wouter D]

Tokyo Verdy

Why is there a dog in the front row?

[Furtho]

For reasons I cannot fully explain, Verdy have added a Golden Retriever named Nanamo to their squad for the forthcoming season. As you can clearly see, Nanamo takes the coveted number 75.

[ad hoc]

Is the squad picture made up of people who work for the club, but not playing staff? I presume so, and I quite like the idea if so.

[Furtho]

Further research indicates that apart from the suits in the front row, the people in the Verdy photo are fans who've forked out to get themselves "added to the squad".

[Kevin S]

Verdy's probably Harry Redknapp's dog then, if he's got enough money to do that.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Don't know if I should out myself on Gero's thread for this, but despite a lifelong obsession with football kits, I can never work up any interest in J-League ones.

[Furtho]

Ouch.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Nothing personal!

Well it is- personal to me. It's probably some kind of 'not proper football' prejudice...

[Furtho]

Ooof.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Yeah, I know...

[Furtho]

Put me on Ignore Poster if you haven't already, FIgs.

Omiya Ardija - here announcing the arrival of the club of Robin Simovic, who will be firing the Squirrels back to J1 at the first time of asking, guaranteed.



Yokohama F Marinos - got to confess I like the hooped away kit.



Tochigi SC - with terribly insipid shirts, a new slogan graphic and a surprised-looking club president.

[Sits]

That Simovic is a big unit. And on the middle one, rather than the hoops I like the Scotland-esque one in the middle.

[Uros Predic]

Did we ever touch on the Plymouth Argyle in this thread, and the fact that they have a green away kit? They pitched up at Doncaster in it on Saturday.

[Ray de Galles]

I'm sure we did and I kind of love it. It works because the first kit is such a dark British Racing Green shade paired with white while the change is neon green paired with black. I doubt there is any possible clash which requires them to wear a third kit and, indeed, they don't appear to have one.

[Furtho]

That Simovic is a big unit. And on the middle one, rather than the hoops I like the Scotland-esque one in the middle.

Simovic is 1m 99cm, which contrasts sharply with one of Omiya's other signings, Shintaro Shimada (front right in the photo), who is 1m 65cm.

Agree about the blue Marinos home shirt. The hooped away shirt strikes me in particular because it's rare for Japanese teams to wear hoops or stripes.

[blameless]

I for one always look forward to your J-League kit posts, Furtho. But then again I'm enough of an old git to know what the "F" in Yokohama F Marinos' name stands for.

As for teams with green home shirts also having green aways, you can get away with it provided there's only one other team in your league who wears that colour and you're either in a different division to them (as Argyle and Yeovil are this year), or have got a non-green third kit. Celtic have been doing so on and off for donkeys' years.

[denishurley]

I agree, blameless - though Celtic did get caught this year - all three kits largely green, meaning last year's pink kit was called into action away to Hibs.

[Bored Of Education]

Don't know if I should out myself on Gero's thread for this, but despite a lifelong obsession with football kits, I can never work up any interest in J-League ones.

Same here. It is because they are so covered in sponsors' logos that you can hardly see the shirt itself. Even if it doesn't have too many logos, they put the numbers on as well.

[longeared]

Reading v Stevenage tonight:



The officials decided at half time there might be a bit of a clash so Reading came out in hi-vis for the second half:

[diggedy derek]

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson scores a hat trick in two different strips. Has that ever happened before?

[Felicity, I guess so]

“Put me on Ignore Poster if you haven't already, Figs”

Nothing could be furtho from my mind! I would’ve missed the dog

[Felicity, I guess so]

I misinterpreted DD’s post, thinking he’d scored 6...

[Furtho]

Sanfrecce Hiroshima - home kit is the purple-ish one on the right-hand end.



Shimizu S-Pulse - all-for-one and slogan graphic.





Blaublitz Akita - kit and enormous slogan graphic, evidently being shown off in a shopping centre.





Of course, this gives me an opportunity to repost the picture of Blaublitz's mascot Blaugon helping with the rice harvest.



And just for FIgs, here's a picture of my dog.