The Kitbliss Podcast

39: Goodbye to you all...

Sat, 10 Sep 2022 00:00:03 GMT

After four years and fifty episodes of different kinds, The Kitbliss Podcast has finally reached the end of the line. We've almost run out of words on the subject of football design, but we're taking this one last opportunity to give you the benefit of our wisdom. You lucky people...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

38: Stripes!

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 23:00:51 GMT

It's often been noted on The Kitbliss Podcast that certain teams in England and Wales can't help but turn their backs on tradition. Take those clubs that usually wear striped home shirts. Why do some of them switch to a plain shirt every few years, or wear a diagonal sash or something completely different? In this episode, Rich Johnson joins Chris Oakley to look at those teams who can't resist an occasional change, looking at the best striped shirts and the most interesting 'break with tradition' shirts...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

37: The Kitbliss 100 Greatest Football Shirt Templates (Part 1)

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 23:00:53 GMT

If you're a regular visitor to the Kitbliss website, you'll know that a major new project has recently started that looks at the 100 Greatest Football Shirt Templates. Well we couldn't pass up an opportunity to talk in greater depth about that, so here's the first episode of many in which we check out the templates in positions 100 up to 96 in our countdown...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

36: You Shouldn't Have...

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 23:00:58 GMT

It's the Kitbliss Christmas episode for 2021, and some of you have been kind enough to 'give' us football shirts as presents. How kind! But as we all know, Christmas can be a perilous time when loved ones gift us an item of clothing which is, shall we say, 'unwanted...'

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

35: True Colours 2

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 23:00:27 GMT

Can it really be 15 years ago since John Devlin's second book, True Colours 2, was released? For those of us that own a copy, time has certainly flown since we got our hands on another bumper batch of John's kit illustrations...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

34: Change One Thing...

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 23:00:42 GMT

How often have you ever thought a football shirt would be much better if one thing about it was different? Here on The Kitbliss Podcast, we're thinking that all the time (don't judge us). To see if our instincts are right, we decided to put our theory to the test...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

33: Puma Third Kits 2021

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:00:34 GMT

The Kitbliss Podcast returns with a look at some of the most controversial football kit designs of the last few years. Are Puma marketing geniuses or incredibly bad at making football kits?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extra 6: All About Jay

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 23:00:20 GMT

Chris talks to regular Kitbliss Podcast guest Jay about his introduction to football and kit design, his long-standing connection with Design Football, baselayers, French football and much, much more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

32: The Most Average Football Kit of 2020

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 23:00:43 GMT

For this year's festive episode, the Kitbliss team are shying away from the frankly shambolic quiz format of previous years and instead embarking on an altogether more valid project. Yes, this year, we're trying to find out what is The Most Average Football Kit of 2020...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31: Le Coq Sportif

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 23:00:59 GMT

If there's one thing we've been meaning to do on The Kitbliss Podcast, it's focus on one kit manufacturer and assess their output throughout. Well, we've finally got round to doing just that as on this episode we look at the work of French sportswear supplier Le Coq Sportif.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30: Goalkeeper Kits

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 23:00:39 GMT

Goalkeepers. They're a merry bunch of 'characters,' aren't they? Well you'd think so, judging by some of the brightly coloured kits they've worn down the years. But it wasn't always like that...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29: World Cup 1990

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT

In this episode of The Kitbliss Podcast we're going back 30 years to that exciting time when FIFA's 14th world football cavalcade was unfolding before our very eyes. It was an interesting tournament, not least because of the kits we were seeing on our TV screens...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extra 5: More Kits For 2020-21

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 00:00:30 GMT

As if we hadn't brought you enough kit news on the recent two-parter, he we are again with an extra side order of info about kit releases being launched for the new season in the Premier League and beyond.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28: End of 2019-20 Kit News Update (Part 2)

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 00:00:36 GMT

The second and concluding part of the latest podcast in which you find us wading hip-deep through the latest new kit releases. We start off with League Two in England and Wales but we soon take in Scotland, continental Europe and even Latin America on our conversational travels.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28: End of 2019-20 Kit News Update (Part 1)

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 00:00:15 GMT

The 'Part 1' bit of the title is important because our latest podcast was a mammoth recording of nearly four hours, so we decided to split this episode into two. And what caused us to talk for so long? Put simply, the welter of new kit releases for the 2020-21 season...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27: Liverpool FC Kit History

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 00:00:09 GMT

Later than planned, we bring you another edition of the podcast that asks: What exactly is a Buckminsterfullerene?

The longest ever episode of The Kitbliss Podcast to date finds Rich, Jay and Chris presenting a topical tribute to the 2019-20 Premier League champions, Liverpool FC - and specifically their best kits.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26: Football Shirt Logos

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 00:00:05 GMT

Logos. They're everywhere, aren't they? They're on buildings, cars, food packaging... why they're even on this website. Football shirts are no exception, of course, but that's because football kit manufacturers want you to buy lots of their lovely products. Yet would we still buy a great football shirt if it didn't have a logo on display?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25: Half-Way Decent Kits

Wed, 13 May 2020 00:00:39 GMT

In this episode we look at those kits worn by teams leading the old First Division or Premier League at Christmas, but didn't complete their title challenge successively.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extra 4: The A-Z of Weird & Wonderful Football Shirts

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 00:00:48 GMT

As previewed in Kitbliss Podcast Extra 3, we turn our attention towards Rich Johnson's new book, The A-Z of Weird & Wonderful Football Shirts and discover what it takes to turn a shirt collection of 700 or more into 200 pages of superb content.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extra 3: True Colours - International Football Kits

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 00:00:38 GMT

Books about football kit design are few and far between, and even when you find one the quality is somewhat variable. Thank heavens, then, for John Devlin - the sort of man you can rely on to deliver the goods whenever he chooses to publish a title on the subject.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24: Kits That Inspire

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 23:00:49 GMT

Jay, John, Rich and Chris wonder just what it takes to make a football kit inspiring. Should it be traditional or modern? Should it look like the kit worn by Brazil or Argentina? And is it ever wise to change your team colours in a desperate attempt to change your luck?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23: J-League 2020

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 23:00:41 GMT

Japan: Land of sushi, judo, origami and The Rising Sun. It's also where you'll find J-League football and all the amazingly varied kits within it. On episode 23 of The Kitbliss Podcast, our job is to highlight the best of those kits, and to ponder why so many Japanese team names have an Italian influence. Coincidence?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22: Kit News Catch-Up

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 23:00:37 GMT

Our first podcast of 2020 sees us diving headlong back into the world of football kit design with a lengthy recap of all that's been going on kit-wise since late last year...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21: Christmas Kit Quiz 2019

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 23:00:54 GMT

It's back, and it's just as dubious as ever... yes, it's the Kitbliss Christmas Kit Quiz! Once again, we bring you a podcast where you can test your football kit knowledge against the best brains Britain has to offer...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extra 2: Argentina Kit History

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 03:16:37 GMT

On this, the second free Kitbliss Extra podcast, Rich Johnson is the special guest for a look back at the best of Argentina's kits from the last 50 years or so.If you've ever heard Rich talking about football in the past, you'll know that he's a big fan of the 1986 World Cup, but will Argentina's kits from that momentous tournament rank among his favourites?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20: A-League 2019-20

Sun, 10 Nov 2019 23:00:58 GMT

We're long overdue a look at the Australian/Oceanic football scene, so here we belatedly review the kits of the new A-League season. Aside from picking our 1-2-3s, we also question the viability of Australian shirt sponsors (particularly those of a mental health / condom crossover), promote our Instagram accounts because we can, and remember the joy of martians that eat instant mashed potato.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19: The Kits of Euro 2000

Sat, 28 Sep 2019 00:00:21 GMT

Wikipedia tells us that 'Euro 2000 is often named by football writers as one of the greatest international tournaments ever' (citation needed), but did the kits match up to the action on the pitch? Join us as we pick our best and worst kits of the competition...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extra 1: FC Barcelona Kit History - The Nike Years

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 00:00:11 GMT

Many people believe that Barça shirts are iconic, but in this second part of a two-part episode, Jay and Chris assess the last 60 years of blaugrana kits in an attempt to find the genuinely great designs. Were we right to dismiss the kits of Mont-Halt and Meyba during our 50 Greatest Football Shirts Ever series, and did Kappa go too far in taking things to the other extreme?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extra 1: FC Barcelona Kit History - The Early Years

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 00:00:03 GMT

Many people believe that Barça shirts are iconic, but in this first part of a two-part episode, Jay and Chris assess the last 60 years of blaugrana kits in an attempt to find the genuinely great designs. Were we right to dismiss the kits of Mont-Halt and Meyba during our 50 Greatest Football Shirts Ever series, and did Kappa go too far in taking things to the other extreme?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18: True Colours Baggsy

Sat, 24 Aug 2019 00:00:13 GMT

Yes, folks, it's the game that's sweeping the planet * and in this episode, we're playing it! The game in question is True Colours Baggsy and you're invited to play along at home, especially if you have a copy of John Devlin's acclaimed book, True Colours (volume 1). Joining Chris Oakley for this nostalgia-filled episode of fun and frivolity are Jay from DesignFootball.com and Rich Johnson. Together, they pick the kits they'd like to own from several randomly-chosen pages of John's book - and you're invited to do so too! (* Utterly unjustifiable statement)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17: Huddersfield Town - Unsponsored...

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 00:00:09 GMT

If you're still unaware of the hoo-hah surrounding Huddersfield Town's new kit for the 2019-20 season, this episode of The Kitbliss Podcast will bring you fully up to speed.

For those that don't know, The Terriers hooked up with a major betting company recently and caused a storm with their controversial new kit launch, but having admitted it was a hoax, have they left themselves with egg on their face?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Special 3: Les Motherby interview

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 00:00:41 GMT

In this, our third special episode that was originally recorded for Patreon followers only, Les Motherby is the guest to discuss his lifelong love of Hull City Football Club and their kit history.

There are few people who know as much as Les when it comes to Hull's kits, which means he's just the right person to ask about *that* tiger print shirt from 1993-94, as well as the lesser-discussed follow-up from 1994-95. Is the 'Worst Shirt Ever' brigade focusing on the wrong target for their ire? Les gives his views...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16: New kits for 2019-20 (Part 2)

Sat, 29 Jun 2019 00:00:24 GMT

This episode sees us bringing you yet more news, views and opinions on the tidal wave of new kits coming out for the 2019-20 season. And BOY do we have opinions. We wag a critical finger at Dundee for their colourful shirt sponsor fail, snigger sarcastically at Greenock Morton's away kit (featuring skirt-shorts and integral groin bulge) and shake a fist at the veritable insult that is Newcastle United's home kit inspiration. All this, plus a lengthy discourse on the current trend for LGBT rainbow motifs and much more besides.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15: New kits for 2019-20 (Part 1)

Thu, 23 May 2019 00:00:43 GMT

If it's May, it must be that time of year when lots of new football kits are being released for the football season to come. If the constant tidal wave of news and information is proving to be overwhelming, however, fear not - The Kitbliss Podcast is here to make sense of it as ever. Joining Chris to assess the latest batch of kit releases are Rich and John, all of whom seem to be rather underwhelmed by the new Manchester United home kit...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14: Women's World Cup 2019

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 00:00:01 GMT

Among a welter of international football tournaments coming up this summer is the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019, so who better to run the rule over the best and worst kits than The Kitbliss Podcast? Many of the 24 competing teams have launched new strips and we've singled out our favourite three home editions, plus our favourite away kits, top ensembles and our least favourite kits too.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Special 2: Denis Hurley interview

Sun, 07 Apr 2019 00:00:21 GMT

In this, our second special episode that was originally recorded for Patreon followers only, Denis Hurley is the guest to discuss his lifelong love of football kit design, his kit illustrations and numerous website projects including and Squad Numbers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13: Team Badges

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 23:00:01 GMT

For this podcast we bring you an hour-and-a-half of discussion about football team badges, with particular focus on club teams in the UK. From the coat-of-arms badges worn by teams in the early 20th-century through to the modern logos we see today, we assess the development of that most kissable of team identities. In short, if you like laughing at photo-bombing owls, trees with nipples, references to CD-Rom encyclopedias and boiled sweets sold in Britain during the 1970's, you've very much come to the right place.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12: The Perfect Football Kit

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 23:00:23 GMT

Imagine if you had to make the perfect football kit. What would it look like? Would the shirt have short sleeves or long? V-neckline or round-neck? What colours would the kit have? Which manufacturer would make it?

Answering these questions is more difficult than you think, as was proven when the Kitbliss Podcast team tried to make its own perfect kit (metaphorically at least).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Special 1: Tottenham Hotspur Kit History

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:00:23 GMT

In this first special episode, originally recorded for Patreon followers only, Andy Rockall is the guest to discuss the finer points of Tottenham Hotspur's kit history.

As a contributor to the 2019 book release The Spurs Shirt, Andy knows more than most about the kits Tottenham have worn down the years, so who better to give us his views on the best and worst from the last half-century or so?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11: Ligue 1 Kits 2018-19

Thu, 17 Jan 2019 23:00:24 GMT

Ever wondered what kits are being worn in some of Europe's top leagues? If so, we can help, for on this episode of The Kitbliss Podcast, we'll be assessing the kits of the 2018-19 Ligue 1 season.

Joining Chris Oakley to run the rule over what's on offer are Jay from DesignFootball.com and John Devlin from TrueColoursFootballKits.com. All three pick their best home and away kits, the team with the best ensemble, the best kit detail and the worst kit in Ligue 1 this season.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10: Christmas Kit Quiz 2018

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 23:00:36 GMT

In this special Christmas episode, Chris Oakley gathers together his three regular guests, Jay, John and Rich, for a football kit quiz that proves to be as entertaining as it is educational (i.e. not very much in either case). Test your own knowledge against our triumvirate of kit magnificence with questions like 'What colour home shirts do Dynamo Kiev wear?' or 'What connects West Ham's 1985-87 and 2018-19 home shirts?' If you think you know the answers to those two, then this is the podcast for you...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9: Template Kits

Fri, 30 Nov 2018 23:00:35 GMT

Are template kits a sign that your favourite team can't afford a bespoke design, or do they ooze a degree of smart conformity? In this episode, Jay and John join Chris to establish the good and bad points about those football kit designs that crop up time and time again in different colour combinations. Are you happy to see your own team wearing a template design, or should there be a wider range of kits on show? Listen in and join the debate...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8: The Definitive Top 10 Worst National Team Kits Ever

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 23:00:20 GMT

Continuing on from the previous episode, we turn our attention to the worst national team kits ever (according to the entire internet). Once again, we raid our collection of data taken from 70 different internet sources to establish which countries have worn the worst kits ever seen in an international football match. As well as that, we tell you which are the five worst goalkeeper kits ever and generally give up in trying to say something positive about this weird and eclectic selection of football kit designs.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7: The Definitive Top 10 Worst Kits Ever

Fri, 19 Oct 2018 23:00:54 GMT

Have you ever noticed how many people have written blog articles or published YouTube videos to showcase (in their view) the worst football kit designs ever? If you haven't, you're missing out on a world of lazy research, borrowed opinions and misguided content. The question remains, however, that if you compiled the selections from a huge sample of these blog articles and videos, which would ultimately be the worst kits ever? The answer can be found on this podcast in which we reveal the top 10 worst football kits and do our best to tell you why they're far from terrible in the first place. Will your favourite team be featured in our countdown? Tune in to find out...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6: Novelty shirts and kits

Thu, 06 Sep 2018 00:00:15 GMT

Barely a week seems to go by without the launch of yet another weird and wacky kit design, usually belonging to a Spanish lower-league club hell bent on worldwide notoriety, and often featuring large depictions of vegetables, seafood or internal body parts. But is the trend for novelty kits damaging to the integrity of football, and are these kits just a natural progression of those eye-raising designs we saw back in the 1980's and 90's? Join us as we sort the tiger stripes from the tuxedos on this trip into novelty kit heaven.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5: Premier League and Championship kits 2018-19

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 00:00:02 GMT

With the arrival of a new domestic season, the Kitbliss 'gang of four' is on hand to pick out their favourite kits and to single out those that could have been far, FAR better... From home kits to away kits, great kits and weird kits, you couldn't ask for a more comprehensive assessment of all that's on offer in the top two tiers of English football, but will our selections match up with yours? There's only one way to find out, so download and listen in to this free-for-all of kit-based conversation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4: Kit Sponsorship

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

We all take shirt sponsorship for granted now, but is it essential to complete the optimum look of a modern football shirt or does it spoil the design aesthetic? In this episode we not only try to work out when a corporate logo crosses the line from being acceptable to downright disruptive, but also look back at the history of shirt sponsorship to see who started the trend and where things are headed in the future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3: World Cup 2018 Top 3's and THAT Nigeria shirt

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:00:14 GMT

With most of the new kits released for the 2018 World Cup in Russia prior to recording, Chris, John, Jay and Rich pick their three best home kits for the benefit of anyone that will listen. Before all that, there's an opportunity to wonder at the extraordinary popularity of the new Nigeria home shirt by Nike. Just what is it that caused so many people to queue up outside Nike's flagship London store? As ever, we try to provide you with all of the answers...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2: The Fabric of Football and Luke 1977

Mon, 07 May 2018 00:00:58 GMT

Chris is joined by Jay (DesignFootball.com) and John Devlin (True Colours) to talk about The Fabric of Football, a new series of events that it's hoped will give football fans a chance to enjoy the beauty of football kit design first-hand. After that, it's time to assess Luke Roper's chances of succeeding as the new kit designer for Aston Villa FC. Can an independent designer take on the big manufacturers with a fresh take on kit design, and what are the risks involved in producing kit for such an historic team?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1: World Cup 2018 - Adidas v Nike

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Chris Oakley and Rich Johnson look ahead to the 2018 World Cup and assess whose kits will be best - Adidas or Nike. Will the nostalgia-based designs of Adidas win the hearts and minds of football fans or will Nike grab the headlines with kits as eye-catching as those they've made for Nigeria?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.