Newcastle home kits are generally fairly consistent: the classic black and white stripes, with varying thickness, a tried and trusted aesthetic. But things could be set to change for next season.
Rumours are already rumbling that the club could join Adidas's elite category of clubs next season – and fans are right to be excited. FourFourTwo named the Newcastle away shirt as the best of the current season.
Yet according to Footy Headlines, Newcastle could be set for a new design in 2025/26, influenced by Australian side Brisbane Roar. The new-look style will supposedly be a shepherd's check pattern, and the mock-up images are something of an eyesore.
Newcastle set for a bizarre twist on their regular stripes
The first prediction of next year’s home shirt by Footy Headlines looks like it has been stitched by hand and then turned inside out, with far more white than black visible.
After the first effort of guessing next season's kit was panned by fans, the second “improved” prediction looks more polished, retaining the check pattern. But it is still likely to divide opinion, with a far less sleek aesthetic than the typical Newcastle home shirt.
Next season’s shirt will reportedly “feature a unique, classic design inspired by a shepherd's plaid to represent the club's black and white origin story”.
While refreshing the design might be tempting, an argument could be made that there is no need to fix what isn’t broken. The check pattern could yet be a hit, though, with plenty of time still to tweak and improve things.
“Perhaps Newcastle fans should take it as a compliment, but ‘stripe manipulation’ has become fairly common practice among big clubs who traditionally play in them,” says FourFourTwo's football jersey expert and Newcastle fan, Matthew Ketchell. “Shirt designers have pushed artistic licence to the brink at clubs like Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona when it comes to design.
“Traditional block stripes have made way for wavey stripes, stripes made out of small triangles and in the case of the latter club: replaced entirely by checks and hoops. The furthest stripe interpretation has gone on Tyneside has been adjustment of the width, and some of those designs were received as well as Bob Dylan was when he went electric.
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“If this leak proves to be true, Adidas might be well advised to manufacture some three-striped tin hats for themselves.”
Newcastle will hope they are wearing their new home shirt in European competition next season. The Magpies currently sit seventh in the Premier League after a promising start to the 2024-25 campaign.
