Author Archive

SSC Napoli

In an interesting variation on a theme, SSC Napoli has launched an intriguing limited edition shirt for Valentine’s Day. I was watching the Napoli Cremonese cup match and saw the home side in white shirts with a big lipstick logo. Off I wandered to the official Napoli website to read this…

“In collaboration with EA7, SSC Napoli is adding to its 2022/23 collection with a special jersey dedicated to Valentine’s Day.

The limited-edition jersey will be worn for the first time during Napoli’s Coppa Italia tie with Cremonese on Tuesday 17 January and will also go on sale from 15:00 CET on the club’s web store, Amazon brand store, official stores and a select group of resellers. The shirts worn against Cremonese in the Coppa Italia will also be put up for auction on MatchWornShirt (www.matchwornshirt.com/event/17-01-2023-napoli-cremonese) from 20:00 CET on Tuesday evening until 15:30 on 28 January. All proceeds will go to charity to three NGOs in the local region regarding gender-based violence: Dedalus Cooperativa Sociale, Le Kassandre and Le Forti Guerriere del Rione Sanita.

Dedalus Cooperativa Sociale (www.coopdedalus.it/) has over 40 years’ experience in research, planning and management of services relating to social value, with an involvement in problems linked to exclusion among weak groups, the economy and regional development. Since 2001, it has managed refuge services, psychological support, citizen guidance and active research into women living in suffering. It manages two anti-violence centres and two residential homes for women, who may be alone or have children, experiencing violence and mistreatment.

Contact details: 081 291218 – info@coopdedalus.it

Le Kassandre (www.lekassandre.com) is a cultural association for social promotion that was founded in 2004 by a group of Italian and foreign women from different generations and backgrounds, who were brought together by a desire to combine professional commitments with social issues, particularly relating to gender, equal opportunities and the education and training of new generations. The association offers supportive services to both Italian and foreign women escaping violence through offering refuge, information, individual and group counselling, legal guidance, professional guidance and skills assessments. The association is part of the interinstitutional anti-violence network at the Napoli city hall.

Contact details: 388/0979950 – info@lekassandre.com

L’Associazione Forti Guerriere del Rione Sanità (https://fondazionesangennaro.org/presentazione-dellassociazione-forti-guerriere-del-rione-sanita/) was founded in Rione Sanita in 2019 following the murder of Fortuna Bellisario, a local woman who was murdered by her husband in the presence of their children. The women in the Rione Sanita neighbourhood decided to make their voices heard and rebel against a widespread trend of inter-family violence. Women at the association have been involved in awareness campaigns at schools, prisons and in the local area and have learnt how to be soundboards for other women who would rather engage with individual women than institutions.”

Contact details: 081/19571624 – fortiguerrieree@gmail.com

Bristol Rovers players and staff have shaved their heads in support of team-mate and promotion hero Nick Anderton as he battles a rare form of bone cancer.

Listen to Nick on You Tube

Club captain Paul Coutts said: “We’ve always been as one in support of Nick. In the blink of an eye, his world’s been turned upside down and this is another way that we can help raise awareness of his condition and raise valuable funds for him and his young family at the same time.

“Some of us have less hair to lose than others and I’m sure Nick’s looking forward to seeing his mates and the gaffer without any!”

The players decided to go bald on the 16th of January – Nick’s shirt number – at a Bristol hairdresser who supports rivals City and not Rovers, further proof that the footballing and city communities are coming together to offer their support. So, a BIG shout out to all at Bristol Barber Company

Rovers, City and indeed any/all football fans are also invited to shave their own head in solidarity.

You can make a donation HERE – all funds raised will go to Nick and his young family. It was nice to spotlight Bristol Rovers again as I had fond memories of them from when I cycled around the UK. They even had me on the pitch being interviewed

Sustainability

I received an interesting discussion of the important subject of sustainability from our friends at Teeemill this week. I thought it deserved sharing.

What does true sustainability look like?

You might already know we do things differently than business as usual, where 60% of clothing is made out of plastic and 99% is never recycled. Using natural, organic materials, renewable energy and sustainable packaging is part of the solution. But how about this thing called #circulareconomy that everyone is talking about? It is a fundamentally different model that looks set to change everything, and it’s built in to every product your brand sells via your store. So what does circularity look like and what does it mean for you? Find Out Now

Only printing what you need, when you need it We only print your products once they’ve been ordered so there’s no waste from speculative mass production. Modern applications of tech, such as robotics, are key to making this system work. The cost savings from the efficiencies created by this technology can be reinvested into our facilities, and working conditions. Consequently the environment in all our factories is clean, light, modern and positive. It also means we can invest in sustainability projects that cost a little more, like using only paper packaging and organic cotton. Watch: How T-Shirts Are Made

Powered by sun and wind. Clean, renewable energy is a vital tool to reduce the worst effects of climate change. Throughout our supply chain, renewable energy is used. Our manufacturing operations run on solar power and, in India, the factory owns two wind farms and a 150kw PV array. Renewable energy is affordable, reliable and something we are committed to using. It’s a big player in making us, and your store, carbon neutral. More About Carbon Neutrality

All natural materials. Your products are made from natural materials, like GOTS certified organic cotton and come with an OEKO-TEX’s Standard 100 certification too, so no hazardous chemicals are used or discharged during printing. Organic cotton is better for the producers and the ecosystem in which it is produced. Instead of toxic pesticides and fertilisers, co-planting and insect traps are used along with the special ingredient – cow poo. It encourages biodiversity and leads to the extra soft feel of your products. Order a sample to see for yourself. Feel The Organic Softness

Designed to be remade Because we know that all your products are made using natural materials only, it’s easier to remake them into new products when they become worn out – that’s what we mean by ‘circular supply chain’. Each product is designed to be sent back to us and the material is reprocessed, respun and made into new products, saving 95% of the carbon and water it would take to make one raw product. We call this programme Remill®. Your customers can find instructions for how to send products back on the care label inside every product. Discover Remill

Water clean enough to drink Wastewater from dyehouse effluent is a major source of pollution in the clothing industry. Where your products are dyed, the water is recovered, cleaned and recirculated. At the end, the water coming out of the filters and going back round to be reused again is crystal clear, literally clean enough to drink. Don’t believe us? Just watch…Join Us For A Drink

Plants, not plastic Plastic is made from fossil fuels that contribute to climate change and it takes hundreds of years to break down when thrown away. By 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. That’s why we use a rip and splash-proof mailer bag made out of paper instead. It’s printed with this fun marine print, perfect for hosting colouring competitions or upcycling and featuring in your photography. Share Photos Of Packaging

As regular readers of The Shirt will know, I have been a long-term supporter of Prostate Cancer UK. It is a cause near to my heart. As such , I am pleased to forward this ….

Thousands of people, across the nation, will be committing themselves to walk or wheel 11,000 steps a day throughout March. They’re doing it to represent more than 11,000 men who die from prostate cancer every year – and you can join them!

SIGN UP NOW

Five fab reasons to sign up:

👕 Get a FREE t-shirt to don as you take on the challenge
📲 Daily support and encouragement from a community of marchers
👣 March your way! Get your steps in any way you choose
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Challenge yourself or get friends involved for some friendly competition
💙 Raise lifesaving awareness and funds to beat prostate cancer

SIGN UP NOW

March the Month is a challenge everyone can get involved in. If you want to take on more or less than the 11,000 steps, you can adapt this goal to suit you. 

Help raise lifesaving funds, get active and walk your way

Frankie, Tia and Charlie
March the Month Team 

SIGN UP NOW

Copyright © 2023 Prostate Cancer UK, All rights reserved. Prostate Cancer UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1005541) and in Scotland (SC039332). Registered company number 02653887. Registered office: Fourth floor, The Counting House, 53 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QN VAT Registration Number: 905 9415 18

Hampton Rangers Club House

I got an interesting email from Nextdoor yesterday. Normally Nextdoor emails are details of lost cats, broken lamp bulbs, the 116 bus being 32 seconds late (AGAIN!), suspicious activity (which normally turns out to be somebody going to work at 4am or walking their dog!) and rather banal or disappointing.
No, yesterday’s caught my eye with a very interesting article about a local football club aspiring to greater heights. Please read on….

Who are we?

Hampton Rangers Juniors is an England Accredited youth football club based in Hampton Middlesex. Formed in 1969 to provide a safe place for children to go the club has continued to grow over the last 50 years .

We are affiliated to Middlesex FA and provide coaching and organised games to over 170 children across 14 teams from the ages of 6-16. The club has had Youth Charter Standard status for the last 3 seasons and we need to continue to grow and develop. Please check our Crowdfunder

In 2019 we also become a Wildcats centre providing fun football for girls aged 5-11. We currently have 13 teams playing in the Surrey youth league from under 7’s-under 16’s

Our popular fun Saturday morning sessions for children aged 4-8 are a great hit with over 50 boys and girls attending each week. We receive support from Middlesex FA and Surrey FA coaches

Our Ethos

Our ethos is “Football for all“ We do not offer trails at our club and believe that any child that wants to take part in the game should be provide with the opportunity to do so, we also do not believe in charging expensive fees and make our club accessible to all both physically and financially. We support ourselves in a range of ways one of which is holding our holiday club in the summer which is a popular event both within the club and within the community

Our holiday clubs are very popular and open to the whole community. This Summer we welcomed Chelsea FC along with the metropolitan police to hold a summer holiday club as part of an outreach program.

Community impact

We have our own 3G training facility based in Oldfield Road which we also hire out to other clubs and the community. We aim for the widest possible community engagement offering facilities to vets football, adult teams through the evenings and weekend, local ladies netball and in holiday training camps for kids across the area at school age. 

The club has won awards for support of disabled children’s groups who use our facilities with our support.  

Our facility is great for fun football parties during the summer. Hirers can either hire the ground and hold their own party or we can organise the whole party including coaches and food for you!

Why are we crowdfunding?

We have come a long way with little. The amazing all weather pitch was supplied to us by a premiership club in 2016. We then funded the laying (see below, a massive effort).

The pitch is now great but at the moment we are using an old shipping container as a makeshift club house/changing room/meeting room. 

The current container we are using is no longer fit for purpose, the floors are rising, the ceiling is crumbing , its cold, damp and uncomfortable . There is very limited space inside for people to use it as a changing room and it is time for it to go!

What We Would Like

We would like to raise funds to build a new and sustainable clubhouse complete with kitchen and a community room where players, parents, carers and the community could meet. An artist impression of the new facility is below.

We would like to install a kitchen & bar along with seating areas where parents can enjoy a coffee whilst their child trains or players can enjoy a drink after their match or training session. We would like to provide snacks on match or training days. It would also be used for social events such as our end of year presentations and community fund raisers.

The club house would be a great asset when we are holding our holiday clubs, it would provide somewhere safe and dry for kids to play when it rains and somewhere for them to sit and eat lunch.

The existing ‘clubhouse’ will be repurposed as dedicated changing facilities.

The club has operated for many years without a true clubhouse and we feel this is a important step in the next stage of our development.

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge (click here) Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. If you want to run your own fundraiser to support us, maybe a sponsored activity or similar, use the ‘contact project’ button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

Full details on their Crowdfunder page

Always good to see COPA launch an emblematic shirt. Their newsletter says, “The fast selling Nottingham Forest Retro Shirts have always proven to make the heart of many a football romantic beat just that little bit faster. Now we’re back, strengthening the clubs retro line-up by introducing the 1992/1993 Away and 1993 Third Kit Retro shirts in addition to the fan favourite 1992/1993 Home shirt– Making it a hattrick for the 92/93 season”

View on the Official COPA website here

and as a little bonus look at this Ipswich Town shirt from “Way back When”

The 1985-86 season saw Ipswich Town surrender their top-flight status and return to the second tier for the first time since 1968. Bobby Ferguson’s team battled hard all season against the drop, but a final day defeat at Sheffield Wednesday was costly as Leicester City – starting the day behind them in the final relegation place – won to leapfrog them in the table and stay in the top flight. Great retro shirt though.

View it on the Official COPA website here

I

I came across an interesting couple of books yesterday as I was on the web and followed through to see who the publishers were. It is Wibble Publishing in the UK. They have an eclectic mix of books that I thought merited some sharing! They say, “Our goal is to help you to get your literary work published. We will do it for you or advise you on the best ways to avoid the challenges and pitfalls of trying to self publish.” Seems a good offer.

This is a subject close to my heart, ” Before the Premier League: A History of the Football League’s Last Decades.”

Before the Premier League looks at the major developments in English football between the late 1950s and the early 1990s that led to the transformation of the game. The book traces the changes over the last decades of a unified Football League, and details how they combined to revolutionise the sport. From the transfer market and attendances, playing conditions and wages, to the influence of sponsorship and television, Before the Premier League is an account of the factors which shaped modern football. Several in-depth interviews with players and fans of this era bring the history to life and illustrate the main themes which run throughout the book. Their first-hand experiences and memories of English football give a unique insight into how the game was played and watched long before the Premier League.

Biography: Born in Leeds at the start of the 1973-74 season, the author, Paul Whittle, has spent much time playing and watching football ever since. He writes about the game’s history at the1888letter.com and this is his first book.

Take a look at the Wibble Publishing website for a fill list of titles.

Well, it’s that time of year again. As well as a huge holiday feast of games at all levels, it is often an opportunity to catch up on all the books you intended to read through the year ……. but never quite did!

Equally, the holidays give many of us the opportunities to check out new books and recommended books. Here are a few I read (or re-read this year) which I think could be of interest.


Football Against The Enemy – Simon Kuper
No, not the rivalry between West Ham and Millwall but some harrowing tales of modern history.
“If you like football, read it. If you don’t like football, read it”

A Season With Verona – Tim Parks
Possibly my favourite season-long guide of all time. Parks follows his beloved Verona the length (long) and breadth (narrow) of Italy. Fantastic read whether you love football, Italy or quality writing.

Stamping Grounds – Charlie Connelly
The quirky story of following the Liechtenstein national football team across Europe.

Fear and Loathing – Sid Lowe
Along with “Morbo”, this is a must–read if you have any interest in Spanish football

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro – Joe McGinniss
If you liked the craziness of Spanish lower leagues, I am sure you will love the craziness of the Italian lower leagues. Imagine, say, Gillingham making it to the Championship. Oooh, it can happen. Unlike Parks, the late Joe McGinniss was an outsider to both football and Italy. In some ways, that’s a plus as nothing is taken for granted for the reader

Messi – Luca Caioli
Yes, I know the whole world is a Messi fan now. Maybe it’s a good time to look back before PSG and the Argentinian World Cup win. I can’t claim to be a huge fan or biographies but this one is very readable.

England Legends
(Maybe an oxymoron!)

‘England Legends’ is Jim Norley’s new A5 hardback book containing original digital illustrations of over 75 England legends across all eras.

Contains all England’s heroes from 1966 and the recent Euro 2020 tournament as well as many of the other greats to wear the three lions. Buy direct from GillinghamLegends

The Games People Play / A Whole New Ball Game – Gary Thacker
Two seasons and two separate docunovels about life in levels 9 and 10 of the Spanish structure.
Far-fetched? Yes. Impossible? Absolutely not. Life away from Real Madrid, Barcelona and others.

Black Friday


I cannot claim to be a fan of Black Friday (or even consumerism!) but a couple of my contacts have interesting deals this weekend

Our friends at Stanchion Books have a 20% off discount (check exceptions) which makes great reads even better! They stock a huge range of football books and get a big shout out as they support the postal workers.

Some ideas….

Glory #8: Ukraine
£12.00
Special Ukrainian issue of this football and travel mag.
BUY

The Blizzard: The Football Quarterly #46
£13.00
Latest issue of this football quarterly.
BUY

Against All Odds: World Cup Upsets, edited by Adam Bushby and Rob MacDonald
£15.99
Join football writing’s biggest names for a definitive journey through the most unlikely results in World Cup history.
BUY

Red Dragons: The Story of Welsh Football by Phil Stead
£14.99
Covers the story of Welsh football since its earliest days. It looks at the characters, controversies and developments of the country’s clubs, players, and most importantly, the national team
BUY

Black Friday is live in the COPA webshop, starting today Friday the 25th of november throughout the weekend and Cyber Monday. This is your chance to shop selected styles at a 25% to 50% discounts.

Don’t miss out and click HERE to go to the Black Friday shop right now or scroll down to see a small selection of styles on offer.

3 Retro have an up to 50% sale on. Click HERE to see a selection.

Qatar

It is strange really; the whole “The Shirt” project started with Bjorn Heidenstrom, the Bold, Bald, Man of the North”, cycling from Norway to South Africa for the World Cup in 2010. Everything that the project has done since and will do in the future started off with that journey.

Literally at the very moment I write this, my beloved Spain are playing Costa Rica in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Amazingly, I have zero interest. Between politicians, the higher echelons of FIFA, Big Business, the candidacies of Russia and Qatar a huge dark cloud floats above the 2022 competition. The tiny state should never have been awarded the competition and since that fateful day when Mr Corruption himself, Sepp Blatter, pulled the name out of the envelope ….. to everyone’s amazement ….. nothing I have seen tells me that it was anything but a wrong decision. Now in Qatar we have farcical decisions in the fanzone, a ban on alcohol for a competition sponsored by Budweiser, huge arguments about the whole LGBTQ+ debate, stadiums far from full but “official attendances” massively inflated etc etc etc …

I will leave it there, I could get annoyed. I am not going to tilt and windmills. I will merely say that I hope football wins. I doubt it will but I can but hope.