Everton Appear to Miss Mark with ‘Celebratory’ Kit

It’s 60 years this January since Everton last played Sunderland in the Third Round of the FA Cup on the way to lifting the famous trophy at Wembley in 1966.

So on Saturday, the club and Castore released a new fourth kit celebrating ‘Hill Dickinson Stadium’s place in one of the most iconic and revered cities in the world’.

The shirt appeared to be dark navy with a bright pink Everton badge and Stake logo.

No, I have no idea what the relevance was either.

The club announced on the official website: “Castore is kicking off 2026 with a new Everton kit and matchday range that celebrates Hill Dickinson Stadium’s place in one of the most iconic and revered cities in the world.

“The exclusive collection includes a selection of dark blue warm-up shirts and track jackets featuring an abstract design that pays homage to notable buildings from Liverpool’s famous skyline, including Hill Dickinson Stadium, the Three Graces and St John’s Beacon.

“Central to the range is a dark blue playing kit that will be worn by the Men’s Senior Team for today’s FA Cup Third Round tie against Sunderland.”

Judging by the reaction on social media and speaking to my Blue mates, the unveiling fell flat, which is rather fitting for the way the Everton first-team played in it.

I still don’t understand what the point of it was and it’s a shame.

You see, Everton are one of the most storied and recognisable clubs in the country and boast one of the most passionate and emotional fanbases in England.

Therefore, producing a special range that Evertonians want to buy, that has meaning while also looking the part, should be easy. It’s a tap-in. Yet it feels like the club again missed the target with this one.

Why not, at a time special takes on retro kits are still hugely popular, do you not keep it simple and bring out a plain royal blue offering in reference to that 1966 triumph over the Black Cats? It ties it up with a strong reference while also giving a nod to Everton’s successful past. One of the goalscorers that day, Derek Temple, has been a regular at matches in recent seasons and could have played a role in the unveiling, even being present on the pitch at Saturday’s game.

Alas, it was another shirt with a loose link, like the waves on the home shirt because the club are now playing on the River Mersey. It’s another uninspiring and totally forgettable strip but for the fact Everton have now lost in it. Thanks to the timing of the announcement, this will forever be a kit that is synonymous with a lacklustre FA Cup exit which sees the club’s barren run extend to a 31st year.

It will definitely be referred to in the future, I’m certain of that. ‘Remember that pink and navy shirt? Yeah, the one we lost in the cup against Sunderland’ is sure to be a conversation that comes up in pubs occasionally over the next few years.

But hey, it’s just a kit isn’t it? Does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Some will say, ‘If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.’ However, the essence of a football club is what makes you fall in love and it’s important that these ‘special’ releases have meaning.

Traditions matter and many Toffees insisted this morning that Everton should always play in royal blue at home. It was in March 1971 that the team wore amber against Colchester United in the FA Cup at Goodison Park after the powers that be said that if there was a colour clash in the competition, both sides should have change strips.

Back then, that was a rule whereas today’s outing was to market and promote a new range. It’s different. I think some more tradition was eroded away today and it leaves a bad taste. In fact, another new chapter was added to the ‘Everton That’ chronicles.

Really, you want authenticity. To wear a shirt that makes up the fabric of all that is Everton past and present. That felt lost today though. It actually felt rushed and cobbled together.

If you know the club and know Evertonians, it’s actually more difficult to misstep and get these things wrong.

I know Blues, myself included, who will be forever frustrated and gutted that a commemorative shirt was not worn during the final-ever men’s game at Goodison Park having played there for 133 years. It was sad but also a giant missed opportunity.

There is so much potential to be tapped into that will excite and inspire the fanbase that seems to be missed time and again. You see other clubs, like Newcastle just this week, who release iconic ranges and it takes you back, it takes you somewhere. It tells a story. With Everton, I haven’t felt that for a long time with any fresh release. It seems the pieces produced by the club simply lack the depth and understanding required for most fans to want to go out and make a purchase.

I’m drifting further away from the club I’ve supported for thirty years by the day. Not because of a new shirt, of course, but because they just don’t seem to get what makes Everton, Everton.

An Everton season ticket holder and football writer, you can subscribe to all of Ell Bretland's work at https://ellbretland.substack.com