New Kits!

By: Inara | July 16th, 2009

Once again, Lyon have an entirely new set of kits this season. While the official presentation of the new kits won’t be until the end of July, Umbro has released a really nice teaser that gives us a good idea of what they look like. (scroll down to the bottom for more pictures)

(click to enlarge)

The home jersey, in white, has changed the slightest, with the stripes going horizontal instead of vertical. I’m a little bit lukewarm on this one, but I guess once the sponsor is added, it’ll look less like pajamas and more like an actual jersey. There are also stripes on the back, which seems to indicate that players are supposed to tuck their shirt in (which means the ones that don’t will look kind of weird).

Closeup of the home and away kits.

The away kit is the one in black and red (or is that fluorescent orange?). I did a double take when I first saw it because it looks like it belongs on a Nice player or on a track and field athlete. But beyond that, I like the accents on the collar.

The Europe kit is by far the coolest. First, the navy is a great color – last season’s fluorescent yellow was an eyesore. The collar gives it a classy, retro look, and I love the thin stripes across the shoulders. Definitely my favorite of the three.

The only other big change has to do with our sponsors. Lyon has decided not to renew its sponsorship with Accor Group (owner of Novotel), which in a few months. That’s why the kits are not displaying any sponsors (the ones that do are fakes). So from now until January, Lyon will not have a sponsor on their shirts. But after January, the shirts will display their new sponsorship deal.

Though Lyon could easily get a sponsor right now, they want to take advantage of an upcoming change in French sports law. Right now, alcohol and gambling sponsorships are prohibited (this is also the reason clubs like Rangers and Liverpool have to wear their sponsors blacked out when they played in France). But after January, this will supposedly change, at least to allow gambling companies to sponsor sports clubs. At that point, Lyon can enter into a far more lucrative partnership with a company like PMU or Bwin. So by not accepting any sponsorship deals right now, they can avoid tying themselves down to a less lucrative sponsor for the next four years.

At least that’s the rumor.

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