Continuing the theme of England away kits before the launch of the newest, we are looking at the 1997-98 England Away kit that was worn in France 1998. Much nicer than the previous version, this one has more color and unique style to it.

Taking the same design of the kit from Umbro but making it completely red was the first step to a nicer kit. Add the navy blue collar and you have true England colors. The Three Lions are in the center like the previous kit, but what really makes this kit unique is the England flag embedded in the top. The Cross of King George is clear and would make any English person or fan proud. This one is much nicer, but not the nicest by any means. This kit deserves nothing more than 3 out of 5 stars.

Don’t forget to pre-order the new England Away Kit here!

Buy Your 1997-98 England Away Kit Here

With the anticipation regarding the release of the new England Away Kit, I thought I would post the 1996-97 Away Kit that the Three Lions donned on the pitch back in the day. Just a little change of pace.

This kit was not like any kit you have seen England wear today, aside from the manufacturer, Umbro, and the Three Lions badge. Aside from those two traits this is a kit that is like nothing you will see them wear, hopefully ever again. I did not like this particular kit because of the color. Grey is extremely drab and depressing, not a good look for argueably one of the best teams in the world…though they did not prove it under Mclaren (but that’s another post). What I do like about the kit is the different greys on it. It’s not just one depressing grey…it’s two depressing greys, but it still makes a nice contrast. The collar adds a nice touch as it is clean and pressed to the shirt, would not mind seeing this come back a little bit with the new kit. And of course the badge is centered directly in the middle of the shirt, where it would be for years to come. Overall not too bad of a kit, not Umbro’s best work, but consider the time it was released. Overall I think it is no better than 3 stars.

Don’t forget to pre-order the new England Away Kit here!

Buy Your 1996-97 England Away Kit Here

So you all are up to date with everything, Umbro has delayed the release of the 2008-10 England Away Kit until March 12th. However, our friends over at Subside Sports have unveiled a beautiful Fabio Capello shirt that will be given away free when you pre-order the new England away kit, or you can buy the shirt itself.

Taken on the theme of such Mafia shows as the “Sopranos” and the “Godfather” movie series, the shirt shows a picture of Fab Capello’s face with “Fabio Capello. England. Redefined.” The kicker is the second “L” in Capello is shaped like a gun pointing up. Great shirt, a must for any die hard England fan. Head on over and see the shirt for yourself, you will be glad you did!

Buy Your Fabio Capello Shirt Here

World Cup Champion Italy has unveiled their 2008-09 Home Kit. This is the same home kit that will be worn for the Euro 2008 Tournament.

The Italians have always had nice kits. From the days of Roberto Baggio to the present, the blue and white has always seemed to be one of the nicer kits in the world. The new away kit is by far one of my favorites, but where does this new home kit stand? Well to be completely honest with you I think it a spectacular kit. It’s simplicity is in the solid blue that is not contrasted by any more than the gold around the collar and sleeves. The gold brings out the Championship stars in the badge and makes sure you know there are now 4 stars there. Overall this kit is extremely simple and clean, but does not jump out and say I’m perfect. So for me it is a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Buy Your Italy Home Kit Here

Believe it or not I could not find a decent shot of the away kit that Blackpool will wear this season…so you’ll have to just deal with the beautiful blonde sporting it.

Though I do not know who makes it, I do like the color scheme of a white kit with the orange markings. This is exactly the opposite of the home kit that is orange and white, both are extremely nice looking. Finding a decent picture of the kits was a bit difficult, so if you want to see them just click on the picture below and take a look around their website. This kit easily gets a 3 out 5 stars, and if they look as good on the players as they do on the model that number could jump up!

Buy Your Blackpool Away Kit Here

When Barnsley travels outside of their home stadium and takes the pitch against an opponent, they will do so in a great looking away kit. Manufactured by Surridge, this kit has everything that I ask for in a kit…simplicity and elegance.

Barnsley officials and Surridge took a dark beige color and made it the primary color for the kit. The dark blue from the crest is apparent in the collar and in the piping down the sides and on the end of the sleeves. Add a sponsor logo and the crest on the left chest and there you have it. I really like the colors of this kit and how they incorporated the blue from the crest into various parts of the kit. This kit derserves 3 out of 5 like the home kit. Nothing special, but still a classic looking kit.

Buy Your Barnsley Away Kit Here

In the division of English football that is just below the Premiership is the Coca-Cola Championship League. Each year teams vie for the opportunity to be promoted into the Premiership and become a top club on a superior level. Barnsley is no different as they take on opponents in their home stadium in a stunning solid red kit.

This kit reminds me a lot of the old Liverpool kits, with the solid red top and white piping down the side. Made by manufacturer Surridge, its simplicity is noticeable and the only other color is white on the collar. Add the sponsor logo in the center and the crest on the left chest and you have a great looking kit. In my opinion it deserves no more than 3 out of 5 stars. Great looking kit, but nothing special.

Buy Your Barnsley Home Kit Here

It has not been unveiled yet, nor will I speculate on what it will look like. I refuse to give the readers anything but the truth, so just be on the lookout as it will be unvieled early in February and I expect it to look great! Check back in early February to see the new England Away Kit!

Pre-Order You New England Away Kit Here

As we approach the opening ceremony of the African Cup of Nations for 2008, I thought I would give a brief synopsis on the kits the countries will be wearing. Much like I did for the Euro 2008 as well, if you want to go to the African Cup of Nations page just click here; otherwise here you go.

Before jumping into the teams I wanted to comment on the ball that will be used. Adidas took the newest ball and added a tremendous amount of color and made is unique to this tournament. Many balls are “unique”, but you can see how they look just like another one that was used, but with the colors on this ball it is truely unique. Great job with this one.

Angola
Angola will wear their home kit when they take the pitch in the African Cup of Nations this year. Puma took a solid red top and black and yellow stripes across the front. Great looking kit on and off the pitch.

Cameroon
Cameroon’s newest away kit is one of perfection and elegance. I am truely a fan of the new Puma uniforms, and when added with the color of an African nation it is that much nicer. Yellow with touches of red and green make this a kit to remember.

Egypt
Egypt’s home kit from 2006-2008 is that of simplicity. Puma took a solid red top and added nothing but the Egyptian Football Association badge and the 4 championship stars above it. Nothing more, nothing less. Simplistic.

Ghana
I could not find the newest kit for Ghana anywhere, however their kits are manufactured by Puma so I expect them to incorporate the new kit with a Ghana flare to it. The old kits were extremely nice with a solid white top with nothing special.

Guinea
Guinea’s home kit for the next year is pure African genius. Though I do not know the manufacturer, the design and color scheme are perfect for this prideful nation. Solid field of red with the national colors of red, yellow and green present down the left side makes this a spectacular kit.

Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast is another nation that utilizes Puma as their kit manufacturer, and they did not disappoint on this kit. The newest away kit for the Ivory Coast is the latest Puma design. All white with a green collar and slight orange markings makes this kit special and one for every fan.

Mali
Like their counterparts Guinea, Mali is utilizing the same kit but in green. Again I like this kit and I think it fits the African Nations perfectly with the bright colors. I’m a big fan of this kit.

Morocco
Morocco calls upon Nike for their kits, and though I could not find the newest Morocco kit I did find the one they wore until the end of 2007. Solid green with small red markings on the bottom of the sleeve and a red collar is all that this kit needs. Though I am not a huge fan of Nike kits right now, they all tend to have the simplicity look that I think is key.

Nigeria
Nigeria will take the pitch for away matches in an all white kit by Adidas. This kit needs nothing more than the green markings, three stripes and the Nigerian Football Association badge to call it complete.

For the home matches, Nigeria will take the pitch in a similar kit, just in all green. Add the white markings and Nigerian Football Association badge and call this one done as well. Nigeria is well represented with great kits from Adidas.

Senegal
As with many other teams in this tournament, Puma is the kit manufacturer for Senegal. The 2007-2009 away kit is one of the new Puma designs and looks great. However I think there should have been more of the national colors on it somewhere. Right now it is nothing more than a green top with red under the arms.

South Africa
I had a difficult time finding the new South Africa kits, so I had to base any information I might have from readers and/or older kits. What I found out is the kits are manufactured by Adidas and are typically yellow and white respectively.

href=”http://footballkitsblog.com/category/tunisia/”>Tunisia
With what seems to be the norm now, Puma also manufacturers the kits for Tunisia. Again I could not find an updated kit, but the older kits were the standard Puma edition. So my guess is that the new kits will be that of the newer Puma kits, with the collar and great color scheme.

Zambia
I found nothing on Zambia’s kits during my research. The only information I have came from a reader and stated that the kits are manufactured by Nike. Aside from that small bit of information, I have nothing. Sorry.

In conclusion I know I do not have all the information for all the kits as of yet, but check back periodically as more information comes in as the tournament gets kicked off. Sit back and enjoy, it should be fun!

Buy Your African Cup of Nations Kits Here

Wow I’m having a difficult time finding anything on a few of these countries. Zambia was one that I found absolutely nothing worthwhile on in terms of kits. I have the color they will wear, and that is orange. But I do not have who makes it or the markings on it. Sorry on this one guys, I’m stumped. If anyone out there can help me out and fill in our readers please do so, otherwise I will continue my quest and hopefully have something better to report next time around.