Nike has revealed a sustainable National Team Kit for the Socceroos and the Matildas, as the respective teams prepare for the football events of 2022 and 2023.
Both the home and away kits were revealed online in an exciting unveiling, by which Matildas players Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter, Caitlin Foord, Kyah Simon and Hayley Raso, plus Socceroos players Trent Sainsbury, Awer Mabil, Adam Taggart and Jamie Maclaren, all unzipped their jackets to reveal green and gold simultaneously.
The home jersey appears more traditional in bright Australian gold, elevated by a green colour-blocked polo collar. Green shorts and gold socks complete the kit.
The away jersey appears somewhat more modern, with a freshwater jersey, freshwater socks, and deep obsidian shorts. Nike says the away kit is a contemporary take on the 2004 Socceroos kit, which was the first official kit released by Nike for the Socceroos.
Even better, the National Team Kit is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. The decision to create a sustainable kit is in line with Nike’s ‘Move to Zero‘, but also prioritises performance for the athletes.
Made from Nike’s NextGen Vaporknit, the kit’s high-stretch, anti-cling textile allows for agile movements with no distractions, and provides heightened ventilation while wicking away sweat and heat.
Undoubtedly, the silver lining of 2020 was the exhilarating moment the FIFA Women’s World Cup was announced to take place on home soil, co-hosted with our pals across the pond in New Zealand.
The National Team Kit, revealed in a virtual event on Thursday, September 17, is what the Matildas will proudly wear as they play to win in the world event.
“The home kit is so traditional, it’s classic. It’s green and gold, and it just represents Australia so well. We’re all really passionate about that,” Hayley Raso, Matilda’s winger, tells The Latch.
“The away jersey is so vibrant and fresh, and it brings out a lot of our personalities. The design puts us first — it dries up the sweat, it’s comfortable, and it allows us to move well, which is key for us as athletes.”
Raso, a Matildas winger, began playing with the Matildas at 17. As she prepares for her third World Cup, she’s taking a moment to reflect on how women’s football has evolved between then and now.
“It’s grown massively since my debut. Looking back, I don’t recall seeing that many fans in the stadium — I had my family there which was most important — but seeing how football has risen since then is incredible,” she tells The Latch.
“I remember speaking with some of the former Matildas, who said they used to sew their badges and emblems onto their own jerseys, and now we’re filling stadiums while young girls and boys are looking up to us, inspired by us.”
Raso’s story is one of resilience. In 2018, the 26-year-old suffered a traumatic back injury, breaking three vertebrae in an on-field collision that left her unsure if she would ever walk again.
Following an extensive period of rehabilitation, Raso returned to the field six months later, to score against New Zealand at the 2019 Cup of Nations. As such, the turbulent events of 2020 haven’t shaken her. Raso now has her sights set on representing Australia and is looking forward to playing alongside the Matildas once more on home soil.
Looking at the National Team Kit, she’s thankful for Nike’s ongoing focus on sustainability and echoes the brand’s message, that without a planet, there would be no sport.
‘The world is fragile, especially at the moment. Nike using recycled plastic to build their shirts, to create their shoes, it sends such an important message. We need sport. We need football.”
Nike’s home and away jerseys are available to purchase for $105 from today at Rebel Sport stores around the country.
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