Manchester United and Arsenal have gone for a buttoned collar, while Everton's home shirt features a motif of legend, Dixie Dean, and Liverpool have incorporated a new crest to commemorate their 125th anniversary. But Lisbon outfit Sporting have caught the eye with their new away jersey.
You might get a bit upset about having to fork out nearly ninety euros for the new shirt but it has two unique features that are sure to make it much in demand. The club motto ‘Effort, Dedication, Devotion and Glory' is stamped in Braille under the Sporting Clube de Portugal crest on the black and lime green shirts whilst the horizontal stripes across the shirt also represent a chant sung by Sporting fans but in Morse code – dash, dash, dot, dot, etc, etc. The club's groundbreaking new shirts feature both the braille and Morse code following the involvement and inventiveness of fans.
Of course, no two shirts are the same and Arsenal’s figure-hugging shirts include strategically-placed bands of 'ACTV (Active)' tape lining the inside of the shirt which actually grip on to the wearer’s skin. The tight fit allows this feature to sit flush against key stability muscles in the upper back, lumbar, upper ribcage and lateral obliques. Apparently the tape stretches and moves with the muscles to provide support and stability to those areas of the body that are under the most stress. Additionally, the tape micro-massages these muscles during exercise, helping to stimulate blood flow and increase energy supply to aid in-game recovery. Another tool is 'Viper Pod', which incorporates sensors into clothes that players can wear on the training ground or even in matches. Moreover, the material includes a series of motion sensors and a heart rate receiver.
Another innovation is 'Dash', a tiny sport wearable sensor, that improves skills by measuring every move. The sensor provides instant data regarding speed during the game, distance covered and heart rate. As if this was not enough ‘smart’ leggings have been introduced with five sensors strategically positioned at the knee, ankle and base of the spine of the clothing. It tracks posture and positioning on the pitch while playing. The players’ data is then sent to the fitness coaches’ smartphone via Bluetooth.
And we all thought it was the players ability that won games!