MUMBAI: Eredivisie giants Ajax Amsterdam and adidas, in collaboration with the Bob Marley family, on Friday released the 2021/2022 Ajax third kit.
The kit is a tribute to the Ajax fans and the love shared by the club and its fans for reggae legend Bob Marley and his iconic song, Three Little Birds.
The black kit features red, yellow and green details. On the back of the jersey, just below the collar, it features a subtle reference to the iconic song, with three little birds sitting on Amsterdam’s Andreas crosses. The kit will be worn in this season’s European matches, alongside Ajax’ home kit.
It bears noting that even before the release of the kit, their newest jersey had hogged several media headlines across the globe with countless leaks about the design of the shirt emerging online. On the day Ajax officially launched their Bob Marley-inspired kit, they were forced to use a queuing system to access their own website as it crashed minutes after release due to high demand.
A spontaneous love story
The story of Ajax, Bob Marley and Three Little Birds started in August 2008, when Ajax played a friendly match in Cardiff, against Cardiff City FC. The Ajax fans were asked to remain in the stands after the game. To entertain the patient fans, the stadium DJ played several tracks, one of which was Three Little Birds. The rest is history. The fans instantly embraced the song as their own and have been singing it at every game since. A true symbol of hope, the fans sing the song regardless of the score in the game.
Capsule collection
The kit features a jersey, short and socks. On the socks, Amsterdam’s Andreas crosses are prominently highlighted. The range also includes a track top, track pant, sweater, t-shirt and Samba footwear. Samba footwear originates from football but has become a global fashion icon in its own right. With stripes in red, yellow and green, the footwear also features the Ajax crest on the tongue of the shoe and the three little birds on Amsterdam’s Andreas crosses on the heel tab.
“I am beyond touched that Ajax has taken Three Little Birds and made it their anthem. Stories like this warm my heart and show how impactful songs like Three Little Birds can be. Soccer was everything to my father. To use his words: football is freedom”, says daughter Cedella Marley.
Available now
All product is available from August 20 onwards, and available on ajax.nl/shop, adidas.com and in Official Ajax Fanshops (ArenA, Kalverstraat and Bataviastad).
