We independently choose all products featured on our site. We may earn a commission when you purchase something through the links provided.
Sensational kits from the best of grassroots football
Once upon a time, non-league football was synonymous with no-compromising centre halves and a stern kicking. Nowadays, though, there are teams across the country that are using non-league football to represent something different than the cash-rich tiers of professional football.
These clubs are putting community at the heart of everything they do, often championing the progressive values they think have been forgotten by the higher-ups. They’re also designing some of the best kits in the game.
We’ve pulled together seven stand-outs from non-league, all of which prove you can show your support for the grassroots without compromising on aesthetics.
The best non-league kits
Dulwich Hamlet, who play in the National League South, is best known for its progressive approach and devoted fan base, giving it a reach that extends far beyond its corner of South East London. It’s no surprise, then, that the club’s pink and blue colours have become one of the most recognisable signs in non-league football.
For the 2022/23 season, Dulwich Hamlet has improved on those classic colours by using a quartered design for the home shirt. The team’s outsider ethos is confirmed through the shirt sponsorship from legendary house label Defected Records, whose logo sits in the middle of the shirt.
Advertisement
Despite being in its first season of football, West London’s Portobello FC has already gained a fanbase partly due to its eye-catching kits. The club represents the area around Portobello Road, and a central part of its philosophy is to “embrace the colourful and creative nature of the community.”
To do that, it worked with Philadelphia-based label Icarus to produce three stand-out designs for its debut season. Each kit is inspired by the kits of the ‘80s and ‘90s, adding an artistic twist to the Middlesex County Football League, Division 2. All three designs break with football kit conventions, but arguably the stand-out is the orange, green, black and white zig-zags of the club’s third kit.
East London’s Hackney Wick FC has always had some of the best kits – its gold colour and badge always helped – and previous standouts have included a black, orange and grey camouflage shirt. But for the 2022/23 season, the Wickers took things one step further and worked with Netflix on a -sponsored design.
The collaborative home shirt arrives in Hackney Wick’s gold colour, while a zig-zag pattern features prominently, taking inspiration from African art and representing community and the diversity of the area. The shirt was designed alongside London-based label Labrum, who feature their “Designed By an Immigrant” slogan on the neck. Rounding off the shirt is the logo for Hackney Wick FC’s “Grassroots for Good” charity.
FC United of Manchester was born as a breakaway club from Manchester United, founded by fans dissatisfied with the club’s direction after the Glazers’ takeover. Unsurprisingly, it often looks back to the era before that takeover was confirmed. That’s true of its red home shirt, white away kit and badge inspired by the city’s crest. FC United’s yellow and green third kit references its protest roots and connection to Manchester United.
Yellow and green scarves have become a common sight at Old Trafford as a reference to Manchester United’s origins and the values fans think have been lost. FC United has appropriated these colours into a more contemporary aesthetic produced by New Balance. The shirt also features no sponsor’s logo, as is traditional for the club.