Olympiacos gives a Sneak Peek to new kits

By: Peter Katsiris | July 19th, 2008

With the 2008/2009 home kit reveal just days away; Olympiacos gave its fans a sneak peek earlier this week, at the kits the players will be wearing this year when they released the away and third kit for purchase. There was much speculation that the kits were going to resemble the 2006/2007 version due to PUMA’s apparent ‘lack of creativity’; however, many fans were stunned by the attractive kits presented by the club across the internet.

The away shirt sees a return to a black coloured kit for the first time since the 2004/2005 season. The supposed curse of the black kit is apparently avoided for this term as it might be worn on plenty of occassions throughout the season. The third shirt is a return to the red shirt that was highly recommended by the fans last season. Sadly it was limited to a few outtings, but it was worn during the Olympiacos - Real Madrid match at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Some of the features that are included in this year’s kits are:
1. An EXTRA-LARGE Vodafone logo: I don’t know if the club is trying to appeal to its myopic fans, but the Vodafone logo is massive. Since the beginning of the sponsorship deal with Vodafone, it seems that the size of the sponsor logo is increasing steadily. Verdict: It sure is BIG, but not a BIG issue.

2. A stylish collar: Something new for an Olympiacos jersey, and it seems to nestle in quite nicely. It is hard to tell if the collar is firm like a polo shirt, or flimsy like the design used by ‘Adidas’ kits worn by several MLS clubs. Verdict: I don’t mind collars, as long they look professional and not some flimsy blazer type. It looks good, end of story.

3. Large club crest: Wow I think this is the best feature of the new kits. I love the large crest (I guess it doesn’t look that big compared to the Vodafone logo, but it’s definitely bigger than previous years). Verdict: The only thing I would change is the positioning of the crest, by bringing it down so it is not nearing the shoulder.

4. Colours: Unlike the addition of a gold kit in previous years, the kits have respectable colours. I understand the idea of the club being ‘golden’ with all the success, but the gold kits were just pointless and never used. Gold was ok two years ago, with the nice watermark ‘efivos’ in the bottom corner. Red is back, and it better stay for future years. I think it’s really flashy, looks great. Black is a great shirt, looks pretty formal. Plenty of conspiracy around the black kit, and the apparent ‘curse’; but I am glad to see it back in the fold, and replacing the white kit which was just too plain for my liking. Verdict: The colours chosen are great and not some random colour that has no connection to the club colours or crest — aka Chelsea lime strip.

5. Watermark/Colour tone change: This is something we saw in Greece’s EURO 2008 kits, which created a design that resembled the Greek flag. The Olympiacos kits don’t use it to that extent, but there is a center stripe or panel that varies in colour tone — this can be examined by studying the center of the red kit, not so much with the black one. Verdict: I don’t really see the point, but whatever you can barely see it.

Overall Verdict: I am quite impressed with the new kits and especially the colours; they sure look more attractive than the suggested new kit by the prototypes circling forums ahead of the launch. I like the colours, and the design with the incorporated collar. The only changes I would make are: decrease the size of the Vodafone logo and label; shift the club crest to make a little more centered and not bordering the shoulder line; center the Puma logo on the front of the shirt and incorporate a front of the shirt number in the current location of the Puma logo.

The away and third kits have truly impressed the Olympiacos faithful, with limited debate over the collar and size of the Vodafone logo. The home kit is set to unveil in about twelve hours or so, and it is expected to be a similar design but an inclusion of the traditional red and white stripes. Hopefully the kit will look as good, if not better, than the kits we have seen ahead of the launch.