Newcastle United have unveiled their new 2023/24 away kit that they will wear on the road throughout next season – and yes, it is green.
Unsurprisingly, many football fans suggest that this is a not-so-subtle nod to the club’s ownership, the Saudi Arabian PIF. It does not take a detective to see the connection either – the Saudi national team wear a green home kit, and the Kingdom’s flag is the same colour as well.
Nevertheless, Castore has produced a pretty nice effort overall for the Toon as they return to the Champions League in 2023/24. A cool green shirt boasts a two-tone stripe pattern, providing some texture to the jersey’s look.
The round collar and sleeve cuffs then have black-and-white trim, referencing the Magpies’ traditional colours.
Castore opted against using the club badge’s traditional colours. Instead, they have given it a green background and blacked out the crest itself. This is the same case for the sponsor logos, except for “Noon.com” on the left arm.
Elsewhere, this new kit comes with white shorts and green socks – although there are green alternate shorts available if required.
While critics may call this a blatant effort of appeasing Newcastle’s owners, the club does actually have a history of using green in alternate jerseys.
Newcastle and green shirts: 2023/24 away kit latest in succession of green strips
Newcastle’s first instance of green properly appearing on an outfield shirt came in the 1988/89 season. Back then, the Toon’s Umbro shirt for their travels was an eye-burning yellow and green stripe kit, which they carried on into the 1989/90 campaign.
The same shade had previously appeared on kits to add a pop of colour to the collar.
A few years later, 1993/94 saw Newcastle sport their first fully green strip. This came with blue pinstripes and McEwan’s Lager sponsorship – with Asics’ idea proving a popular one.
However, once Adidas took over, the German giants waited until 2005/06 before bringing back a sort-of green. Their metallic green and black away strip was only used for one season. Puma then toyed with the colour in the 2010s, most notably in their dark, 2019/20 away jersey.
Overall, this usage of green from Castore is not an unheard-of scenario for a Newcastle kit. But, of course, the fact that it is representative of the club’s new ownership is clear as well.
The 2023/24 away kit is the second new strip from Newcastle, joining their fresh home threads.
Earlier release: Magpies’ 2023/24 home shirt
Castore unveiled their latest home effort for the Northeast side earlier this month. 2023/24 sees the arrival of a new kit sponsor on Tyneside, with “Sela” replacing “FUN 88” on the front of Newcastle strips.
The new home shirt saw Castore swap a round-neck collar for a V-neck design. For many members of the Toon army, this evoked memories of the home kits from the mid-1980s and thus is a nice retro touch.
The new home kit and away kit will surely sell better than ever, as 2023/24 marks the return of Newcastle to the Champions League. We are sure St. James’ Park cannot wait for European football to be back.
Featured image credit: Newcastle United
