Reading Unveil Kits For 2019/20

Reading have unveiled their brand-new home and away kits for the 2019/20 season - and they look great! This is the first season that the Royals’ jerseys have been designed by new ‘technical partner’ Macron, and it’s fair to say that they’ve done a very good job.

Reading FC

Firstly, the home kit, which I really like. It feels fresh without doing too much to reinvent the design. The mini stripes on the blue are a nice touch, as are the red trim and white collar, although I’m less keen on the small bits of white by the collar, but that’s not a big problem.

Plus, the sponsor is integrated well, with it not feeling like it jumps out too much. The sponsor logo can add a fair bit to the design of a football shirt when done well, and in this case I think they’ve got the balance right.

Reading FC

Reading’s away kit is even better. The red/black/grey/white colour scheme works really well, and on the whole the design feels like something new - not just a rehash of previous ideas. That’s particularly down to the unique take on Reading’s hoops - some of them black, the others being a funky mish-mash of the crown that’s on our club badge.

Also, a quick word on the women’s kit. It’s the same design as that of the men’s, but with a different sponsor: YLD, a London-based software company. Having a standalone commercial partner for the women’s team is great financially, and also shows the rising status of the team and the women’s game in general.

Overall, the reaction to these designs on social media seems really positive, even if we had to wait a while before the kits were released. Annoyingly, it’s another wait until you can actually buy them; they go on sale on the morning of August 3, when Reading take on Sheffield Wednesday.