Portsmouth is the home of the historic dockyard. It sits on the sea just East of Southampton. Their football team currently plays in League One with Brett Pittman in the Captain’s seat. That fact is only a little bit relevant because the author of this piece is an Ipswich Town fan, who loved watching Pittman bang in the goals at Portman Road. Portsmouth Town FC have had the most volatile, topsy-turvy times in the past ten years. In 2008 the club finished quite comfortable in 8th place of the Premier League. Since then they’ve bounced around the championship and League One. Going from relegation to promotion. Being a Pompey fan must be one of the toughest things to be. The older generations will remember the team competing in England’s top level, younger fans will simply think of the relegation days.
To try to push them back into the Championship, Portsmouth have teamed up with Nike to create a dynamic, shapely, stylish kit that will be popular with so many fans.
The kit top itself is blue. Across the front viewers will see the club’s crest, Nike’s Swoosh, and the University of Portsmouth boldly presented.
The blue colouring features a series of horizontal, thin, lines that create modernist patterns on the front. We tried to find a name for these shapes, thought maybe triangles, but decided to simply describe them as modernist. They are quite appealing, however some might argue that having a mirrored-pattern, rather than something more random is much more pleasing to the eyes.
The neckline features a faux-collar. There are no buttons and it cannot be undone. However the presence of this pretend collar gives the kit top more definition and a hint of the club’s heritage.
The kit is finished with white shorts and red socks. A lovely combination.
We continue to sit back and watch the wonders of the World Cup, however when the Championship kicks off again in August, fans will be hoping for a positive performance from Portsmouth.
