Umbro Starts Manchester City Fan Initiative after Kit Launch

Following the launch of Manchester City’s new kit, Umbro is asking City fans to come up with ideas on how to launch the club’s kit for the 2012/13 season.

The new kit was unveiled yesterday by former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher and the club’s captain Vincent Kompany. It marks the last kit made by Umbro, which will be replaced by parent company Nike next year.

A series of ‘fan launches’ will take place over the coming weeks, beginning with shots captured by music photographer and City fan Kevin Cummins.

The home kit keeps the club’s traditional sky blue colour, while the away shirt sees a return to the maroon colour worn by the FA Cup winning teams of 1934 and 1956, which were also produced by Umbro.

Noel Gallagher said: “The new home kit is pure class. It might be the best one we’ve had in a decade. As modern and radical as it is though, it’s nice to see Umbro keeping our heritage alive in the new away kit. The best dressed defending champions of all time? No doubt.”

The campaign just ads to Manchester City’s current digital ethos over the past year as the club looks to take advantage of its growing brand value and engage with more fans. Manchester City has said that online channels such as mobile and Facebook are a key part of its marketing strategy, which it is using to build a loyal global fan base that it will stay with the team rather than moving on when it stops winning games.

The club signed a six year with Nike in a deal in May.