Football kits: This season's most garish designs - in pics

Image 1 of 8

A new range of football strips have been hitting club shops up and down the country in time for the start of the season.

Most teams have at least one fresh design for the season and, as usual, a few have taken liberties with their second and third kits, churning out designs that will have fans shielding their eyes.

This year, there has been a spate of car-crash designs from around the world. Here are a few of the most outlandish kits that will have you turning down the contrast on your TV or donning a pair of shades if you are at the match.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Heart of Midlothian away kit:

Hearts claim their new "iconic" strip "marks a bold departure" - and who would argue otherwise? The pink and primrose outfit is apparently a tribute to the Earl of Rosebery, who was president of the Scottish Football Association and even persuaded the national side to wear his racing colours.

Norwich third kit:

It's been a tough summer for Norwich fans, with relegation from the Premier League in May and now the sight of the Canaries' new third kit to contend with.

Barcelona away kit:

Perhaps not as garish as some of their more recent efforts, Barcelona's decision to combine their two main colours - red and blue - and wear purple has raised eyebrows in some quarters. The decision to pair the purple with pink makes it rather more shocking and creates a distinct point of difference to Real Madrid, who will wear a more subdued purple kit this season.

Celtic third kit:

Not quite as garish as the effort from Hearts, Celtic's third kit comes with an equally bewildering explanation. The striking design is apparently inspired by the rosy tickets to the 1967 European Cup final.

Tottenham Hotspur third kit:

Missing the glory days of Oxford United or Wolves? You can relive them with Spurs's third kit, which follows the club's long and unusual tradition of garish change kits that look like they should have been worn by other clubs.

Wolverhampton Wanderers away kit:

Talking of Wolves, the sleeping giants from the Midlands are determined to maintain a Day-Glo hue even when they can't wear their traditional gold and so have chosen a luminous green for their away shirts.

Partick Thistle home kit:

Having already made headlines thanks to their sponsors Kingsford Capital Management, who hired Turner Prize-nominated artist David Shrigley to design their logo and new club mascot, the Glasgow side have pulled out the stops with a typically bright home shirt. It may be one way for Mathias Pogba to escape the shadow of his brother Paul.

Crystal Palace away kit:

There is something stylish yet off-putting about Palace's away effort this season. The sash is a nice touch but the luminous yellow makes it harder to pull off with a pair of jeans.