Nike reveal the new home kit to be worn by Chelsea throughout the 2022/23 season, which pays homage to one of the most important figures in the club’s history, Ted Drake.
It is 70 years since Drake joined Chelsea as manager in 1952 and his influence can still be strongly felt at Stamford Bridge, a theme continued by our new home kit, with several features a nod towards the innovative changes he made in modernising the club, producing one of the biggest turning points in our history.
The visionary former Chelsea manager is best remembered for guiding us to our first-ever top-flight league title in 1955, having recruited wisely and in contrast to the past when unreliable big names were signed.
It was his work to revolutionise the club off the pitch that did much to cement his lasting legacy at Chelsea, and that is honoured in our new home kit for 2022/23.
Drake was the man who changed the club’s nickname from ‘the Pensioners’ to ‘the Blues’, feeling it more fitting for the dynamic team he was building in west London. It is a moniker which has remained ever since and ‘the Blues’ appears in the detailing on the buttons of the new shirt’s collar.
That collar also references another change to the club’s identity made by Drake which has stood the test of time - the introduction of the iconic ‘lion rampant regardant’ to the club’s badge - replacing the image of a Chelsea Pensioner as the central theme under the legendary Blues boss.
The current badge is largely similar to the one which was worn on the team’s shirts for the first time during Drake’s final season at the Bridge in 1960/61, with the ‘lion rampant regardant’ still present and inspiring the Pride of London.
Symbolic of the club’s determination and fearlessness, the heraldic lion features further on the Henley neckline in a turquoise pattern. A detail that evokes 1950s style with a contemporary twist, it feels as fresh today as Drake’s vision did way back when.
Our 2022/23 home kit goes on sale worldwide on Wednesday 13 July, but supporters can get their hands on it already, as it is available for early access from the Official Chelsea Online Store and in the Stadium Megastore at Stamford Bridge now.
Leave a comment