Aston Villa players say Castore kits are 'horrible'

'It's horrible to play in those shirts'. This is the statement some Aston Villa players made to the US magazine The Athletic, which in an article talked about the difficult relationship between Aston Villa and the sponsor Castore, and more generally about the difficult relationship between Castor and the football world. The players of the Villans' men's and women's teams complain that the new kits make them sweat too much and limit their performance on the pitch and in training. Castore has been the Aston Villa's sponsor since 2022, but also of Wolverhampton and Newcastle in the Premier League - which has already announced a switch to adidas in 2024/25 also due to the poor quality of the uniforms. The brand's limitations had already surfaced in the past, with jerseys torn too easily and logos inserted the wrong way round, but the disappointment of Unay Emery's players had also started last summer, when high temperatures brought to light problems in the breathability of a fabric composed of 90% Polyester and 10% Elastane.

The footballers' shirts are completely wet at the end of the game, despite being changed at half-time, which makes them tight and uncomfortable for movement. The players of the women's team expounded precisely on the fit, saying that the kits do not seem to be designed for the female body by remaining too tight. A subject dear to the fans' hearts is the club colours, each team has its own shades and Aston Villa's Claret is among the most recognisable colours in the entire Premier League. The Castore jersey fabric is blamed for darkening the claret too much, completely changing the tradition of the home shirt design, a theme that fans historically are unwilling to compromise on. The contract between Castore and Aston Villa is 'multi-year', but who knows whether because of these technical problems and the discontent of the players, the English club will go in search of a new sponsor for the 2024/25 season.