Inspired by a random poll by FC Edmonton a few weeks ago, we decided to rank the teams kits over their lifespan. For the sake of simplicity (not to mention the fact that FCE kits have typically been the inverse of each other), we are going to combine the home and away kits in this ranking. Third kits will be ranked on their own, as they have had their own colours and templates. By our counts, that puts the list at eight. We’ll start with that last place kit.

2013 Home and Away – Adidas

Home kit w/ the United Way logo (courtesy FC Edmonton Facebook page)

The last place entry on this list aren’t exactly the worst looking kits a team has ever worn, but rather some of the most bland. This was year two of FC Edmonton’s kit deal with Adidas. The home kits consisted of an all black look with blue trim, and the away kits were all white with black trim. The coloured trim was sparsely used, limited mostly to the edge of the sleeves and bottom of the shorts and collars. Outside of that, additional colour could only be seen in an small odd triangular design on the shoulders. From a fan’s perspective, this was maybe the worst outcome that could have happened. FC Edmonton for some reason insisted on using the miTeam option in creating uniforms during their tenure with Adidas. It USUALLY allowed for a custom look as opposed to using a basic off the rack template. But with these kits as a result, the team would have been better off throwing their badge on a random pre-made template as opposed to wasting the time, resources and money in creating a one off kit that had as much excitement as a teaspoon of mayonnaise. It should be noted that these kits were without a sponsor until the team added the United Way logo on the front of the home blacks for the Voyageurs Cup matches against the Vancouver Whitecaps, and The Fath Group added to the away whites for the last home match of the season. Thankfully the team realized this was a bad look and decided to change their branding and move back to blue and white for the 2014 season. Thankfully FC Edmonton decided this was the tipping point in their partnership with Sticks and Stones marketing and discontinued outsourcing their kit designs.

White kit w/ The Fath Group Logo (courtesy FC Edmonton Facebook page)

Pros: The font used for names and numbers was a huge step up. After 2012’s chunky, italicized offering that had blue on black, this was a welcome change. Usually an overlooked aspect but it’s always appreciated when having to rely on dodgy streams to follow your team. Just simple white on black (or black on white) block letters and numbers is always a safe bet. The arched names brought some flair to the jersey (and yes, curved names is flair on this offering). This kit also introduced the rally rabbit above the names on the back, just below the neck. For a team lacking identity, this was a welcome addition that pleased fans and is still an important feature for kit nerds in Edmonton. The ‘keeper kits were pretty good as whole too. They provided a unique look that no other ‘keeper was wearing in the pros, including other Adidas teams.

Keeper kit w/ font (courtesy FC Edmonton Facebook page)

Cons: Extremely bland. I almost feel wrong using extremely here, because that’s too exciting of a word to be anywhere near this kit. Expectations were a little high after 2012 when the team unveiled something fresh and unique. The team really should have just picked something random off the rack and sewn a badge on it. I mean, the Carolina Railhawks actually looked a lot better doing just that with Adidas. Also, did I say these were bland?

Away kit (courtesy FC Edmonton Facebook page)

Stay tuned, we’ll be ranking the rest of FC Edmonton’s kits in the coming weeks!