As they begin the celebrations around their 100th year, the Canadian Soccer Association have revealed their brand new Umbro home and away kits for 2012. The start of a whole host of events to commemorate their centenary, the new Canada shirts were launched over the weekend by Umbro Canada and the CSA. They’ll be worn by all of Canada’s national sides, such as the women’s team who have just qualified for the Olympics, and the men’s team, who are through to the next stage of qualification for the 2014 World Cup.

The new home and away shirts have a couple of special touches to bring players and fans closer together. Inside the collars of both shirts ‘O Canada!’ has been printed, the title of the country’s national anthem. There’s also a soundwave embroidered into the shirt, which is taken from a recording of Canadian fans singing their anthem.

The CSA’s centenary celebrations will culminate in a friendly game against neighbours the USA in June, before they head back into World Cup qualification. For more details on the new shirts and the Canadian Soccer Association cententary, head over to the Umbro Canada Facebook page.

Football teams often talk about keeping their fans close at heart, but Peru’s finest team have gone one step further with their latest home shirt. Universitario de Deportes, based in the capital city of Lima, have stitched a special crest onto the inside of their new shirt, so that it will be close to the heart of both players and fans that wear it and show their support around the world.

The special internal crest has been created by Peruvian artist and Universitario fan Cherman, inspired by one of the team’s nicknames, ‘Garra Crema’ – the Cream Claws. While this is a literal translation of the team’s colours, ‘garra’ is also considered to be a local word for resilliance and strength, and is seen by the Universitario fans as a key characteristic of the team.

The new shirt, which the team will wear throughout the forthcoming 2012 season, has been Tailored by Umbro to reflect the culture and history of the team, who were the first Peruvian squad to reach the final of the Copa Libertadores. Alongside the internal crest, the shirt also features the supporter’s ‘garra crema’ logo on the hem. Crafted from a lightweight cotton/polyester fabric, the shirt also features the team’s iconic U logo embroidered on the chest.

We know how popular some of our overseas shirts are amongst football fans around the world, and if we find out any ways in which this new Universitario shirt will be available we’ll be sure to let you know! Check out more photos of the new shirt over on our Flickr stream.

Chile’s most popular team will be Tailored by Umbro once again in 2012, as Colo-Colo have revealed their new home shirt. Colo-Colo – or to give them their full name Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo – are one of Chile’s top sides, and are the only Chilean team to have ever won the Copa Libertadores, South America’s top football trophy. Colo-Colo are celebrating this prestigious win on their latest home shirt, with an emblem of the gold trophy embroidered above their iconic badge.

The shirt has been designed after consulation with Colo-Colo supporters, with a clean all-white look giving the team a smart, Tailored look. Crafted from a modern poly fabric, the shirt has been designed with the Chilean climate in mind. Mixing tradition, modern design and the passion of the club’s supporters together, this year’s Colo-Colo shirt is sure to be popular with fans of the club all around the world.

Peru have already started off on the road to the next World Cup, with an impressive win against Paraguay last week – a game which saw the team wear their new home shirt for the first time. The new shirt, pictured here, develops the ideas behind the last Peru home shirt, which had proved to be extremely popular around the world.

The new shirt features the same iconic red sash and the Peruvian crest embroidered on the chest. However, look closely at the neck, and you’ll see a subtle colourful design. Inspired by the history of Peru itself, these ‘Tawantinsuyo’ colours are part of the Inca tradition, and represent the different areas that formed the Incan Empire.

All of Peru will certainly be behind the team when they’re wearing this new shirt, as they look to qualify for the world’s biggest football tournament in 2014. The next step is tonight, when Peru take on their fierce rivals Chile.

The game is both a derby and a vital qualifier, so it’s bound to be a tense affair, but the Peruvian authorities have also been reminding fans that it is at heart a game of football. Star players including captain Juan Vargas and celebrities across Peru have been sporting these tee shirts with the slogan ‘Te Sigo Amando Peru’ – ‘I Still Love You Peru’.

Hopefully the message will get across, and the team will get the result on the pitch in tonight’s big game.

For more on the new Peru shirt and the Te Sigo Amando Peru campaign, take a look at the Umbro Peru Facebook page.

It’s been a while since we raided our archive to look at some of our classic shirts, but we’ve been inspired by two shirts brought to our attention by kit collectors around the world. First of all, the brilliant Phoenix Flames shirt, pictured above and below, was pointed out to us by the team at The Boot Room. Cheers for that guys, what a great find! Take a look at the lettering on this one…

Secondly, an Italian fan has been in touch with a classy Parma shirt. What a great logo – thanks to Luca Capelli for sharing his pictures with us. If you know what era these shirts are from, or if you unearth any more classic shirts, get in touch and we can share them with the world….

Tailored by Umbro for the forthcoming 2011/12 season, the new Athletic Club home shirt has been revealed as the team celebrate their 100th anniversary. Inspired by the unique values and history of the Basque team, the shirt features Athletic Club’s red and white stripes in a distinct Herringbone print inspired by traditional tailoring. With a special centenary authenticator on the hem, the shirt also features a special collar designed specificially with performance in mind, with a rib insert for extra comfort.

Worn by the club as they look for success in the forthcoming La Liga season, Athletic Club are sure to be one of the best looking teams in the Spanish top league. Take a look at the club’s website for more details.

As they fight to qualify for next summer’s European Championships, the Republic Of Ireland have unveiled their new home shirt, tailored by Umbro. With two shades of green stripes separated by gold pinstripes, the shirt features a classic collar with one button fastener for comfort and style, and is crafted from a cotton/polyester blend, ensuring the shirt is lightweight and breathable.

Currently the Republic Of Ireland are close to the top of their Euro 2012 qualification group, and the team are confident of making it to next summer’s tournament and wearing their new shirt with pride. If you want to get your hands on the new Republic Of Ireland home shirt, you can order it online here.

Tailored by Umbro for the current Scottish champions, the new Rangers away shirt will be a fitting design for the club as they represent their country in Europe. The Glasgow club’s away strip is in a rich red colour, with blue and white stripes across the chest and upper arms.
 
The shirt is crafted from polyester to keep it lightweight and comfortable, with mesh panels under the arms for extra breathability. With a simple crew neck collar, the shirt has Rangers iconic club crest embroidered in red on the chest alongside the Umbro double diamond logo. Available to pre-order now, the new away shirt will be on sale from 7th July.

Croatian club Hajduk Split are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, and they’re doing so in style with a new away kit Tailored by Umbro. The team, one of Croatia’s most successful teams, will wear the new away shirt throughout the 2011/2012 season as they celebrate their centenary and look for success to mark the special occasion.

The new away shirt is certainly a fitting way to mark the club’s 100th year. In Hajduk’s traditional red and blue away colours, which reflects the Croatian national flag, the shirt features a gold trim and a special edition crest with gold lettering. With a traditional collar and single button fastener, the shirt combines classic tailoring with the latest in comfort and design technology.

The club have already held plenty of events to mark their centenary, including a massive party in Split in February, and still have a special game against Barcelona on July 23rd to look forward to. For more pictures of the club’s new away shirt, take a look at our Flickr stream.

With a new home shirt Tailored by Umbro, Nottingham Forest are sure to be one of the smartest teams in the Championship next season as they battle for promotion. In Forest’s classic red colour with a white collar, the shirt has a clean, classic design,and is crafted from a cotton/polyester blend which offers increased breathability. The smart collar design features a one-button fastener for comfort, and the shirt is ergonomically shaped to fit with the movement of the players on the pitch.

Fans of the shirt will have to wait until June 16th to buy it, but it can be pre-ordered now from the official Nottingham Forest site.