Reading FC are hoping to start a conversation around the climate crisis with the release of their new home kit.
Sporting the classic blue and white hoops, the new shirt designed by Macron features climate change emergency stripe design on the sleeves produced by the University of Reading.
After having a special edition kit last campaign to celebrate the club’s 150th anniversary with a gold badge, this year’s strip returns to the traditional club badge.
A statement on Reading FC’s website reads: “The bold stripe design, which features on the sleeves of the new home shirt, was first created by the University of Reading’s Professor Ed Hawkins in 2018. Each stripe represents the average temperature for a single year, relative to the average temperature over the period as a whole; shades of blue indicate cooler-than-average years, while red shows years that were hotter than average. And the stripes on the home shirt specifically track climate change in Reading across the full 151-year existence of Reading Football Club.
“The shirt itself is made from Eco-Fabric – 100% of which comes from recycled plastic bottles. That innovation is part of a wider series of initiatives undertaken by our Official Technical Partner as part of their ‘Macron 4 The Planet’ campaign, which is committed to introducing new eco-sustainable products the the market.”
Professor Ed Hawkins said, “The climate stripes are intended to start conversations about climate change – and making them visible to thousands of football fans across the country every week brings that to a new audience.
“Support is a powerful thing in football and this collaboration makes it a key theme for the season. We hope Reading Football Club’s fans will push them on to success this season, while at the same time the players and the club will be supporting climate action and recognising the science.”
The Royals kick off the new campaign with an away trip to Blackpool on Saturday.
Having narrowly survived relegation last season, it has been a summer of change on and off the field in Berkshire which has seen Paul Ince appointed as full-time manager, while former boss Mark Bowen returned as head of football operations.
As well as several other changes in the hierarchy, Reading have managed to add seven players to their squad despite being under a transfer embargo which limits them to signing free agents and loan players.
Joe Lumley, Tyrese Fornah and Jeff Hendrick have joined on season-long loan deals, while Shane Long made his homecoming after more than a decade away from the Royals.
The shirt is available for fans to pre-order online.
