Soccer AM

So there's only one thing that's been on the minds of all football fans this week. That's right. Just what will the new England away kit look like?

Well being in my privileged position I got invited to a special unveiling on Monday night. And at the bottom of this page, you can see the first ever exclusive shot of the shirt. You are very lucky.

Now it may surprise some of you to know that there was a time that I didn't know a great deal about fashion. To be honest, between the years 1998-2004, I wore the same blue jumper.

It was a good jumper, but my lack of clothing ambition was one of the main reasons for my then girlfriend ending it all and moving to Hong Kong with a recruitment consultant. She just wanted me to buy a white t-shirt. But even that was a little daring for me at the time.

Since then I've progressed to become the fashion icon you see on a Saturday. And that must be why I was invited to get a sneak preview of the new shirt.

Before I got the blue jumper, I wore football kits and a blue tracksuit. But until Monday, I had no idea how much work goes into making one. I like football kits. I've had lots in my time. I always remember them by sponsors rather than anything else (Crown paints Liverpool, Wang Oxford, JVC Arsenal etc).

Quality

My roll of honour began with a Spurs kit, put on me by my Dad. The Holsten one with the diagonal stripes down the chest. I then progressed to a selection of high quality Cambridge shirts. The Lynfox one, the Howlett one (which even had towling on the inside for some unknown reason), and a blue Fujistu away shirt. Class.

I guess a lot has changed in kit design since I started in the late '80s. But the new England kit has been made by a proper clothes designer. Someone who doesn't make football kits normally, but who makes coats and shirts and stuff. He also started buying me tequila on a Monday night, which isn't fair.

Anyway, fair play to the guy. He's called Aitor, a Burnley fan, and a thoroughly nice bloke. He stood up on Monday night in a fancy bar with three covered manikins behind him.

We (some important people, me, and the bloke off football focus) sat with baited breath, waiting for the unveiling. And then Aitor launched into the most passionate description of an item of clothing I've ever heard. Going into detail about fabric I didn't know existed, purring with enthusiasm for bringing the heritage of the '66 world cup winning shirt into the 21st century.

How much could you say about a red shirt I wondered? A lot is the answer. And I'll be honest, I was expecting it to be a lot of hot air. But I was wrong. He convinced me.

You'll love this kit. And England will win the World Cup in it. Unless they wear the white one I guess.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me present, the new England world cup winning kit for South Africa 2010:

Have a good week,

Max