What happens when a bunch of Nike Partner Clubs, Classic Football Shirts and your favourite teamwear retailer come together?
The answer? Some truly beautiful football shirts, that’s what happens.
The guys at CFS sent us over some rare Nike template shirts from the 90s and early 00s. And we just did our thing with them. We got them printed and/or embroidered up with the branding of eight lucky NPCs.
Check out the results 👇
Sale United FC
This shirt designed for Sale United is based on a Nike template from the 2003/04 season. Simple, sartorial style is what makes this one so good.
The subtle white pinstripes on the red shirt gives off Liverpool vibes. You could easily imagine a modernised version of this being designed for The Redmen by Nike in the coming years.
Chester-le-Street United
This stunner was designed for North-East based Chester-le-Street United. So naturally it had to be black and white (sorry Sunderland fans!) And believe it or not, this is actually a goalkeeper shirt template released way back in 1998-99.
We’re completely in love with the mirror effect stripes on the front of the shirt. It’s the kind of flair we all love to see on our GK kits.
Norsemen FC
This one, designed for Norsemen FC, just screams out mid-noughties football shirt. You’ll remember several teams wearing similar templates at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, as well as some of Nike’s biggest club sides.
It’s very simple in it’s design but sometimes less is more. And you have to see the shirt in the flesh to appreciate the subtle touches including mesh panels and the Nike Football logo on the sleeve.
Droylsden Juniors FC
We’ve really treated the guys at Droylsden Juniors here. Possibly the most striking design of the bunch. This lightening bolt template was released following Arsenal’s hugely popular 1995/96 away shirt which was based on a similar design ⚡
They often go unnoticed but the collar and cuffs can sometimes make or break a shirt. Nike absolutely nailed them both on this one.
RNAS Culdrose FC
This shirt designed for RNAS Culdrose FC gives off massive Man City vibes because of the colour. But it was actually used as 1860 Munich’s home shirt back in 1997/98. Look close enough and you can see an 1860 tag at the bottom of the shirt.
Another feature that we love from the 90s Nike kits is the thin white outline around the swoosh. It’s only a small thing but it really makes the logo stand out.
Tintwistle Athletic FC
Whatever happened to kits where the manufacturer and team logos were bang down the middle of the shirt? It’s nice to see that particular design on this Tintwistle United shirt, based on a template from 1999/2000.
The wide central column reminds us of noughties PSG shirts, as well as that gold Barca shirt from 2001/02.
AFC Urmston Meadowside
Oh how we miss the Total 90 glory years. So much nostalgia is conjured up by this template from 2005/06.
The bright orange colourway meant that this one had to go to our pals at Urmston Meadowside FC. But it’s players like Van Nistelrooy, Heitinga and Van Bommel who spring to mind when we look at this shirt.
Clapham Rangers FC
Our friends at Clapham Rangers asked for something special and we delivered. The design of this Nike template from 1998/99 makes us think of the early years of MLS. Don’t know why, just does.
The MLS vibe is strengthened by the font we’ve used for the team name on the front of the shirt. Enough to make Alexei Lalas come out of retirement.
What do you reckon then?
We had looooads of fun designing these special edition shirts and we hope they’ve inspired a bit of Nike based nostalgia in you. Let us know what you think on our socials.
Big thanks to Classic Football Shirts for providing the shirts!
And if you want to check out the current crop of Nike teamwear kits then head over to Kitlocker.com