Kolkata: With just a month away for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is the biggest footballing event of the country till date, the Indian U-17 national football team were given an additional boost, as sportswear giant Nike launched the team’s jersey and kits on Thursday for the upcoming mega event.
Following the trend of the Indian national team’s jersey in almost all the sports, the new jersey is a shade of blue and contains Nike’s propreitary Dri-FIT technology which will help to draw sweat away from the body to the exterior of the kits.
The kit made of recycled polyester fabrics also features an orange stripe on the sides, which reportedly expand if the players move around in the field. The advantages of this type of kit is that it helps to maximise ventilation, while also allowing the players to remain dry and feel comfortable, to perform better.
Indian captain Sunil Chhetri was quoted by The Times of India as saying, “Over the years, I have witnessed the India national team kits evolve as the game has. As we continue our journey in the world of football, Nike’s new innovations in the kit will certainly help the team on the field. The material is much lighter and the air truly flows through the jersey to keep us dry on the pitch.”
As the Indian colts look to create history, the Nike kit will help the team in numerous ways. “We are extremely happy that both the senior and the U-17 team will be wearing kits that include some of Nike’s most pinnacle innovations in football. The new blue look for the team will complement our fearless brand of football well,” said Kushal Das, general secretary of the AIFF.
24 teams from across the globe are set to compete in india in the biggest global tournament of the world for the youth. With a golden chance at hand to impress and make a mark in world football, the Indian U-17 team will look to play fearless football. As Indian U-17 star Jackson Singh rightly said, “This is our moment; we want to tell the world that Indian football has arrived. As a team, we aren’t afraid of our opponents, we don’t get intimidated and we are ready to put everything on the line for our country”.
The new team kit would be available at select Nike retailers from 8th of September and on Nike.com from September 12.