City Reveal Away Kit – A Tribute to Lincolnshire’s Flag

July 4, 2025 Gary Kit News, Lincoln City 0

Last month, we were right at the forefront of the kit release. This month, the club have added a second shirt to the collection – our new away shirt.

With a new season comes a fresh look – and one that wears its heritage proudly on its sleeve. The design draws direct inspiration from the Lincolnshire flag in a year that marks two decades since its official adoption.

The predominantly blue shirt is rich in symbolism. A fleur-de-lis motif, taken from the City of Lincoln’s coat of arms and a key part of the county flag, runs through the design, with an embossed version featured prominently on the front. The remaining colours of the flag—green, yellow, and red—are integrated into the sleeve detailing, ensuring a vibrant representation of local pride.

The kit has been produced by Oxen, with the badge, branding and that of headline sponsors Nanna Tate (Branston’s well-loved potato brand) all in bright white, offering a sharp contrast to the dark blue background. Solgari appear on the back of the shirt, while Logicool retain their place as sleeve sponsors.

There are a few points to make, but before I do, remember I hated the blackout kit last season, and I wasn’t a fan of the blue ‘paint-splash’ kit either. I do not blindly like our kits. This one? Yeah, I do.

I was a big fan of the limited edition third shirt we did in 2019/20, one we only got to wear once as we lost 3-1 at Sunderland. I do have a slight issue when we have a shirt that is the colour of a rival – yellow, blue and (not that we ever have) black and white stripes are a no for me. However, there’s enough here to make it a Lincoln City shirt – the flashes of colour on the sleeve being the main draw.

I’ve seen some criticism of the sponsor as well, and in my eyes, that is the most ludicrous of all criticisms. I get it if you don’t like the shirt, but the sponsor is a fundamental. We have to have a shirt sponsor, it’s just part and parcel of the shirt. That isn’t dictated by who we want, but rather who we can strike a deal with. Of course, it would be great to have a cool sponsor, like Jake Bugg on the County shirts, or Football Manager and Wimbledon, but whoever pays the money, goes on the shirt. Branston (and their Nanna Tate branding) are supporters of the club, and therefore, we have to accept the sponsor. It’s an inevitability, not a design choice.

In past seasons, I have disliked at least one of our kits. In some instances, such as the pink and blue mash-up, I hated it until I saw it in the flesh. So far this season, I think we’ve had two that have landed. The club are clearly trying to make the kits relevant, fighting to give us symbolism and justification, rather than just a blue kit or a yellow kit. It can’t be easy – every year my wife says ‘it’s just red and white’ and for the most part she’s right.

Football shirts, like art, are subjective, and the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Plain black kits? Not for me. This royal blue? Two out of two so far. I just hope the third shirt makes it a handful of aces, rather than going a bit Meatloaf (niche, but if you know, you know).

If you wish to buy the kit, you can do so here.