In professional soccer, a player’s jersey and the rest of the equipment they wear out on the pitch is referred to as a “kit” or “uniform.” Using the term “uniform” is fairly self-explanatory, but “kit” is a word that might sound a bit strange to U.S. players and fans when used in a sports context. Today, we’ll break down why it’s called that, and differentiate between the different types of soccer club kits

Why Is It Called A Kit?

The term “kit” in soccer refers to a player’s complete outfit. This means not just their jersey, but all their gear, including shorts, cleats, shin pads, strappings, socks, and headbands, with every piece meant to match in terms of color and design. A kit is therefore everything you need to play the game – like a shaving kit holds all the tools you need to shave. 

The term itself is most popular in Britain, where soccer fans will refer to the jersey – which is the most popular merchandise among fans – as a “strip.” 

Why Do Teams Have Multiple Kits?

Professional soccer teams typically have three separate kits: a home kit, an away kit, and a third alternative kit used on some game days. 

A team will always wear its home kit during home games, and these kits typically feature the team’s primary color prominently in their design. For example, Manchester United’s logo primarily uses red, so the Manchester United home kit features a red jersey. 

The away kit is worn while playing away games against teams whose home kit too closely matches theirs. If Manchester United played an away game against a team that also used red in their home kit, for instance, they would wear their away kit instead. That way, players and spectators would be able to easily tell which team players were on. 

Lastly, if neither the home or away kit is appropriate, a third alternate kit will be used. Third kits are typically more experimental in terms of their aesthetic and colors than the home and away kits, such as when Manchester United used a distinctive white/black stripe pattern for their third kit during the 2020/2021 season. 

Among fans, club and national team kits remain the most popular way to show one’s support for their squad. SoccerPro offers a full range of licensed soccer kits, so you can always wear your team’s colors with pride. If you’ve got a favorite star on the pitch, we also organize uniforms by player, allowing you to wear the same jerseys as the greatest stars of both past and present.