Best Championship Kits for the 2016/17 season
The 2016/17 campaign is well underway and all 24 Championship clubs will be dreaming of securing promotion to the Premier League this season. As expected, Newcastle United and Norwich City are two of the early pace-setters and both sides will be quietly confident of booking a return to the top flight at the first time of asking.
However, neutrals aren’t just focusing on the football this year – many have been impressed by the number of quality kits around the second tier of English football. We take a look at our five favourite jerseys in the Championship and consider whether any of these clubs have what it takes to snatch a promotion spot to the top flight…
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield decided to revert back to a traditional-style shirt for the 2016/17 campaign and it has gone down well with the supporters. This retro jersey has a darker shade of blue than last year’s home kit and superstitious fans have pinned Town’s great start on their impressive new design. If The Terriers continue to play well and create chances up front, it won’t be too long before we see their iconic colours in the top tier of English football for the first time since 1972.
Sheffield Wednesday
This 1960s-inspired kit raised a few eyebrows upon release but fans have warmed to the jersey in recent weeks. Wednesday opted to go with a blue jersey with white pinstripes; and one could argue that it is the smartest kit in the Championship. The lovely shade of blue only helps to complement the new, old-school badge that has been embroidered onto the shirt. It was a case of ‘close but no cigar’ for Sheffield Wednesday last season as they fell short in the playoff final at Wembley. However, they could go all the way this year after a solid start to the campaign – their new jersey has got them playing like the Wednesday of old. Undoubtedly they are a team to watch this season; both for their football and their kit.
Queens Park Rangers
QPR have struggled on the field but they definitely have one of the smartest shirts in the Championship. As usual, their home jersey is royal blue with white hoops but they opted to follow a similar pattern for their away shirt this year – swapping only the blue for black. Whilst some have claimed that this looks more like a rugby jersey, the black and white hoops combination has been a huge hit with the QPR fans; although they might not wear it as often as originally hoped. The Hoops are out of playoff contention at the moment but a couple of positive results could help to turn their fortunes around.
Leeds United
Our pick for the best kit in the Championship this season. In 2015/16, Leeds United’s kit was sublime but they’ve gone up a notch again for the 2016/17 campaign. The gold trim just adds to the incredibly sleek design of the kit – and Leeds will be sparkling in all-white if they can regain their touch in front of goal. At the time of writing, bookmaker and shirt sponsor 32Red UK are pricing Leeds at 20/1 to secure promotion to the Premier League this season. To be fair, Garry Monk’s men have picked up their form in recent weeks after a slow start but Leeds have a long way to go until they recapture their magical performances from the 1970s – even if their jersey helps to take many fans back to the glory days.
Bristol City
Bristol City’s vibrant red jersey has been an instant hit with the fans at Ashton Gate and they truly boast one of the Championship’s finest tops. Red isn’t a popular colour in the second tier of English football so it is refreshing to see Bristol continue with their traditional home kit.
A large proportion of supporters don’t like having a glaring sponsor name on the jersey but most were happy to see local business Lancer Scott pip the national corporations to the sponsorship deal. Bristol City are mid-table at the moment but it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see Lee Johnson’s men flashing their fabulous kit in the playoffs at the end of the season.
