Arsenal have unveiled their first ever away kit for their women’s team after collaborating with renowned fashion designer Stella McCartney.
The Gunners are set to get their WSL season underway this Sunday when they host Liverpool, with Jonas Eidevall’s side looking to build on last year’s third place finish.
And on Thursday, the club revealed a new bespoke away kit, along with a range of travel and casual items.
The club are set to debut the new kit when they face Manchester United on October 6. This will be the first occasion the women’s team have worn a different kit to the men’s side, who are set to wear the shirt during their warm-ups ahead of their game with Man City next month.
Along with the new kit – which sees the shirt display a mix of blue, pink and white, with a wavy pattern – the wider range will include shorts and travel wear pieces such as a full zip jacket and track-style pants.
Arsenal have unveiled their first ever away kit for their women’s team to wear in the WSL
This will be the first occasion the women’s team have worn a different kit to the men’s side
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Gunners striker Alessia Russo outlined her excitement at the development as she said: ‘It’s been an exciting summer for me, both with the move to Arsenal and reaching the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and now we’re back I am fully focused on my first season with the team.
‘It’s so special to be marking this with a collection as playful and bold as this one. For me, football has always been about having fun and getting creative – it’s why I got into it as a young girl and it’s what inspires me today.
‘I love that this collection represents that, and I can’t wait to wear the shirt with pride on match day.’
The launch of the new kit comes after reports broke that both Aston Villa‘s men and women’s teams are having problems with theirs.
On Wednesday, news broke the women’s team are ‘dreading’ their opening game of the season because of fears over their ‘clingy’ shirts, according to football commentator Jacqui Oatley.
Villa host Manchester United live on BBC 2 on Sunday but players are concerned over how they will look in the strip, which is supplied by sportsbrand Castore.
Male players are understood to have complained to the kit manufacturer over the design of the shirts, claiming the heavy material increases their sweat levels and weighs them down in matches.
Their concerns are shared by Carla Ward’s players, who had hoped the problem with the kit would be resolved before the start of the season.
‘They are dreading playing in it, for obvious reasons’ Oatley told Mail Sport. ‘No woman that I know wants to get hot and sweaty and have their sports gear cling to them in all places, live on television in particular.
Villa have got four televised matches coming up and this is overshadowing their preparations.
‘They want to be the best athletes they can be and just focus on football. Instead, they’ve got this issue in the back of their minds where they’re thinking “I don’t want to get too hot too quickly and how is this going to look?”
‘Women tend to be self-conscious. It just shouldn’t be happening. I personally think these women need to have a different kit to play in, however they do it, I absolutely think they have to come up with a solution before Sunday.’
Mail Sport understands a resolution to the problem is unlikely to arrive in the short-term as shirts may need to be redesigned.
The new away shirt displays a mix of blue, pink and white, which comes with a wavy pattern
Aston Villa’s women’s squad are facing significant problems with their ‘wet and clingy’ shirts
The women’s team are understood to have played in their main kit for one pre-season friendly but played the rest of their matches in training gear.
One of those games was against Villarreal, but it is understood training gear was used for this fixture due to Spain’s regulations on gambling. Villa’s shirt sponsor is BK8, an online betting site.
‘They played in their main kit in one of their pre-season matches and the players hated it so much that they played in training kit for their other matches,’ Oatley said.
‘The issue has been raised, it’s only really now that it’s become pressing because it’s so close to the new season. Whatever minimum requirements there are in terms of the WSL badge, the Aston Villa badge and the sponsorship commitments, the company is going to have to come up with something by Sunday.’
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