The new shirts for 2021 are being launched at dazzling speed. Some are destined to be classics – usually the ones styled on earlier classics whilst others should be destined for the dustbin! The beauty of football is that we all have opinions so there are no “rights” or “wrongs.” You decide which ones you love. If nothing else some of the, shall we say, “less traditional” shirts are talking-points!

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A very interesting newsletter came in today from my friends at Copa. It concerns the oldest football club in the world – Sheffield FC in my beloved Yorkshire.

“We are honored to announce to have agreed a multi-year partnership with Sheffield FC, the World’s First Football Club, to become the club’s new on-field partner. Formed in 1857, Sheffield FC have played the game and honored its traditions continually for 164 years. They regard themselves as custodians of the beautiful game, fully committed to preserving the time-honored values associated with the beloved game. These characteristics, this DNA, is very closely related to our own.

The inspiration for the first Sheffield FC x COPA teamwear collection comes mainly from the very first kit the club wore 164 years ago. It’s all about how it once started. We have used that classic pattern in our designs, but we have added our own modern twist. It is our tribute to the present, past and future of this magnificent club.

“At Sheffield FC we call ourselves a living breathing antique and a modern forward thinking football club, which is why we think COPA will make a perfect partner. A nod to the past, respecting heritage in design and look to the future with modern products in fabrics and production techniques.Our values of integrity, respect, community and the fact that we believe that the game should be available to everyone, irrelevant of age, race, religion or ability, are shared by COPA.”
Richard Tims, Chairman of Sheffield FC

The first Sheffield FC x COPA range is now available through the Sheffield FC (online) store, copafootball.com and in the COPA Flagshipstore in Amsterdam.

Discover all on-field playing kits and side-line apparel now.”

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It is always kind when people congratulate you on The Shirt ride. It is equally humbling when you see somebody doing something much more impressive.

Today I “met” Tom Crossland on Twitter. Like me, he is a Univeristy of Hull student. Unlike me, he is running 75 marathons in just 90 days. That’s just a touch south of 2,000 miles!!

Tom’s Story

This June, I am taking on an epic 1,900 mile run around the coast of England and Wales, to raise awareness of the needs of survivors of trafficking. The goal is to raise £50,000 for the TRIBE Freedom Foundation, a charity inspired by a 1,000 mile run to set up the first UK home for trafficked children. Watch the run which inspired TRIBE Freedom Foundation here .

I was born with cerebral palsy. I was not able to walk until he was over 3 years old and as I grew up I found it difficult to maintain my balance and stay on my feet. Running never came naturally to me.

Setting off from Henley on Thames on 2 June 2021, I will run the equivalent of 75 marathons in 87 days, supported by friends, family and members of the TRIBE community. I would love for you to join me and you can take part in the virtual challenge here: https://resultsbase.net/event/5739

All funds raised will be going directly to TRIBE Freedom Foundation, a UK charity that works to fight modern slavery across the UK, by raising awareness, providing funding and support for frontline projects to fight modern slavery and working on projects which equip survivors with the long-term support to overcome their previous exploitation.

Learn more about TRIBE Freedom Foundation here: https://tribefreedomfoundation.com/
You can also follow Tom on Twitter

You can learn more and donate on Just Giving

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As a lifelong (1964- to date) fan of Gillingham, I was disappointed to hear that our goalkeeping legend, Big Jim Stannard needed an urgent operation. It would have been rude of me not to try to help. I hope you can too.

Jim played over 120 games for Gillingham and a further 400+ games at Fulham in a long and successful career between the sticks. Sadly, he now needs an operation for a prostate issue and a Just Giving has been set up to assist in raising £10,000. With the ongoing Covid crisis, the NHS waiting list is over one year, hence the need for funds for private treatment. I am proud to say that Gillingham Football Club generously offered £1,000 and other amounts large and small are pouring in. There is a way to go and if you can help, please visit the official Just Giving page here

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I am always delighted to support Prostate Cancer UK and, obviously, when it involves cycling I am even more keen to promote their events.

Cycle the Month this August

Cycle the Month: Choose Your Challenge is a virtual challenge for cyclists everywhere. Cycle 100, 200 or 300 miles your way throughout August. Complete your miles over a day, a weekend, a week or a month and help beat the most common cancer in men. Take on the challenge alone or in a team and track and share your progress using Strava to keep an eye on your mileage. Whether you’re a keen rider or a cycling novice, Cycle the Month and help fund lifesaving research to beat prostate cancer.

The money you raise by taking part in Cycle the Month will fund lifesaving research and support services for men and their families affected by the disease, like Asif.

Asif was inspired to cycle 100 miles his way for Prostate Cancer UK after losing his dad, Abul, to prostate cancer in 2019.

Joined by a team of friends, Asif tackled last year’s challenge and saddled up again back in May in his dad’s memory.

“My dad was my rock,” he said. “I could sit and cry about my dad, but he wouldn’t like that – he wasn’t that sort of guy. He always told me to do the best I can in whatever I do. If I could show him what I’m doing, he’d be tickled pink.

“There are so many stories of prostate cancer – it affects so many men. Cycle the Month helped process my feelings of loss and it turned a negative into a massive positive.”

Full details here Prostate Cancer UK

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I see thousands of shirts each season. Maybe one day I will try to work out how many but let’s say a thousand or more. Occasionally, just occasionally one screams at me. Class. Quality. Classic. This season’s home shirt from Pentwynmawr Athletic did that when I saw it on twitter this week. It is, in my humble opinion, I shirt of true beauty. I take my hat off to the club and also the designer/manufacturer at Tor Sports

It is available to purchase here.

I am looking forward to seeing many more 2021/2022 shirts in the next few weeks. I doubt that more than a handful will match this beauty!

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David Long has been a friend for a long time (sorry!) and has always been a supporter of The Shirt.

He just sent me this and obviously I was delighted to support “This Monday I will be playing 101 holes of golf with 3 friends – that is 5 rounds and 11 holes!

We are raising money for NHS Charities Together – they support frontline workers – and we all know how tough it’s been over the last 16 months, and continues to be so.

Why 101 holes you ask? Well, it would have been Captain Sir Tom’s 101 birthday this year, and that’s the inspiration.

Rather than asking for donations, for what is in effect a very long day of golf (we start at 4.30AM and hope to finish by 10PM), we have put together what is probably the best golf raffle ever! 

I have raided my golf network and have put together a wide range of golfing and non-golfing prizes. From sets of clubs, to memorabilia signed by the world’s best golfers, to holidays and much more – 61 prizes and counting. 

At £10 a ticket you have a chance to win these in our raffle and it would be incredible if you could support by purchasing a ticket.

Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Wallace, Bernd Wiesberger…these are just some of the players that have donated to our prize pool.

For the football and rugby fans amongst you we have some signed shirts and those not interested in any sport… well, we even have prizes for you in weekend breaks down in Cornwall.

You can find out more about the challenge, the charity, the prizes, and buy tickets at our website:

www.101HolesForNHSheroes.com

Thanks for your support

David – Founder, Babouche! Golf

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Well, what a season 2020-2021. We had a global pandemic, stadiums being closed to fans, players and managers going down with CoVid and the 2020 Euros being played in June 2021. Just as day follows night follows day etc, so the fixtures and shirts are being announced. In the UK, Manchester City are now the bookies’ favourites for the Premier League closely followed by Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. Interesting odds on relegation for Arsenal, I noted!

The new season’s shirts have been unveiled and in fact in some cases the club’s even used them in the final games. Commercialisation at its worst. Anyway, here’s a glance at a few of the 2021-2022 shirts that we should get used to. The prices in the official club shops probably disgust you. The good news is that many of the 2020-2021 shirts are available at huge discounts! “You pays your money and you takes your choice.” A shout out for JF Hornby sponsoring Barrow. They are a local company supporting a local team not a gaming company or multinational. #respect

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I am always pleased to learn of cycyling adventures and even more so when it is for such a good cause. So, I was delighted when Georgina Shaw of Shaw Marketing Services, a long-time supporter of TheShirt2010, sent me updates of the work in Spain.

Meet the stars of award-winning documentary in Marbella

On the 9 th of June, Marbella will play host to the stars and Director of award-winning documentary
“DE QUIJOTES Y SEMILLAS”, as part of the ECO Cine Forum screening series. Just three days after its
screening as finalist at the Malaga Film Festival, Marbella residents can see the film along with an
introduction and Q&A session with the stars Santi Cordón and Alberto Marín, and the Goya winning
Director Patxi Uriz.

The documentary follows chefs Santi and Alberto on their extraordinary 900-kilometre journey by
bicycle from Tudela to last year’s Malaga film festival. It is a poetic and powerful road movie,
showcasing Spain’s interior, and the epic journey on their “Verducycle”, complete with a mobile
vegetable garden. During their journey they aim to sow seeds of life as they pass through traditional
villages and bewitching landscapes, sharing the message of sustainability.

The protagonists previously studied permaculture at Arboretum in Marbella and so the team are
delighted to welcome them back to their Eco Cine Forum to see the film and chat to the stars and
the director about this new project.

The screening of the documentary and the Q&A session with the team behind it takes place at I.E.S.
Río Verde in Marbella on Calle Notario Luis Oliver from 7pm to 9.30pm. Tickets are on sale from the
venue at 5€ for adults and 1€ for students from 18.45. Find out more on
www.fundacionarboretum.org or find the event on Facebook @fundacionarboretum

The Arboretum team will also be celebrating the film by taking part in their own little journey from
their base in Marbella to the Malaga Film Festival on the “Verducycle” featured in the film. Their aim
is to sow the seeds of conscience and spread the message of sustainability along the Costa del Sol.
The founding members of the Arboretum project, who have been working tirelessly for 10 years to
build awareness of sustainability and environmental activism, are making this trip as a tribute to all
the farmers in Spain who work to preserve biodiversity, food sovereignty and the dignity of those
who work on the land. They will arrive in Malaga on World Environment Day and hope to inspire
many more people to minimise their impact on the planet.

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It’s always motivational to see people doing cycle rides for charity and I am happy to share on TheShirt2010

A Twitter friend sent me this today and I thought it needed more eyeballs.

Good luck, Laurence

” On June 25th we are cycling home , which doesn’t sound like a lot. However, we happen to live in Rochford, Essex and work in Manchester. A total of around 240 miles (or just over 386km).

The last year has been particularly detrimental to a lot of peoples mental health, we want to help in any little way we can. That’s why we have decided to raise money for The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide. Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives. And 75% of all UK suicides are male.

We want to change this and the first step is to talk to each other. Talk to your friends, talk to your colleagues, talk to professionals, even talk to people in the street. Remove the stigma of talking about mental health by leading the conversation around it.

We would also like you to sponsor us bucket loads of money so CALM can do their job more effectively and save more lives, but if you can’t spare a bucket load, anything you can offer will help.

Thank you, now please go and talk to somebody about how you feel. We promise it is the first step to feeling better.”

Please see what you can do to help. Here is the JustGiving page Thanks.

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