There are few things I obsess over more than football (soccer) and the club I’ve supported since I could walk – Arsenal. The team from North London are one of the better sides in England and boast a tradition that is rich in success and heritage. One thing I’ve noticed in recent years is the home playing shirt moving further and further away from the normal shirt I grew up with. Very simple really, red shirt with white sleeves and a white neck, it’s the shirt they wore with perfect consistency throughout the 70′s,80′s and into the 90′s but recent marketing opportunities (the home shirt usually is updated every other season) has seen stripes on the shoulders, across the chest and down the sides of the shirt. My team were looking less distinctive and many supporters (myself included) were tired of the ‘progress’.

This July the club announced a return to tradition as the shirt manufacturer Nike promised a shirt that would fully embrace the tradition of the club, and yes they really delivered. Better still the Nike shirts are the most environmentally friendly club shirt in world football! Nike also make the shirts for some other teams but we have no need to mention them of course..so back to the shirt.

Theo Walcott (in red) on target this week in Arsenal's new eco-friendly shirt

The new kit highlights Arsenal’s old school design and adds lightweight design and recycled fabric.  The shirts use recycled polyester fabric and each shirt uses up to 8 plastic water bottles from waste recycling sites in Japan and Taiwan. After being cleaned fully the bottles are reduced into very small flakes, then melted into a yarn and spun to make the kits. In addition the revised process for manufacturing the shirts is proving to be more environmentally friendly, using 30% less energy versus making traditional polyester shirts and shorts.

It probably comes as no surprise to learn that the shirts being eco-friendly has far more impact than just the 11 players who will be wearing it throughout the season. Replica shirt sales are big business not just in the UK but worldwide, in fact since moving to their new stadium which greatly enhanced revenues Arsenal  have moved into third place amongst the wealthiest football clubs on earth and amongst the ten most valuable sporting club franchises in the world. Sales of replica shirts are estimated to reach 400,000 in the UK and in excess of 2 million globally. When you add on those numbers the value of the new kit design from Nike is that much more significant. Indeed there is an entire culture around football shirts, just check this site more information.

Nike have reams of information about how the shirt stretches more and breathes better, though I must say I’m more concerned with how great it looks and the fact that it is a greener product than a year ago. I’ll give my final verdict on the shirt a few months into the season and see how it makes us play. I really hope it’s a lucky shirt, I’d hate to have to shun something so eco-friendly! After two games we’re second in the league so I’m hopeful.