I can't be sure how far back the tradition of releasing new kits for each season goes in European football, but the tradition is now one that has fans waiting to see what each manufacturer will come up with in terms of design for the club's new season.
Everton has been hit or miss in terms of when they get the kits out, with releases of new home shirts coming as early as the end of the previous season, while lately the trend seems to lean more toward the midsummer push for new gear for players and fans alike.
The home kit got the ball rolling in late June, as Everton released the New Wave shirt, a tribute to the club's new home at Hill Dickinson Stadium, which sits along the River Mersey on Bramley Moore Dock. The players have already debuted it on the field in Everton's preseason opening preseason match, a 1-1 draw this week away to Accrington Stanley.
The club has followed that kit up with a rather smart addition to the mix, as the away kit sports a rather classic look.
As always, there's a story behind the design. Everton's website says that the shirt features a "pastel yellow shirt, featuring a polo-style collar with ribbed insert and Prince Rupert’s Tower on the neck, incorporates a sleeve pattern that represents the railway line that served the Liverpool docklands during a time when they were at the centre of maritime connectivity during the mid-to-late 1800s."
The kit is available now for purchase in person at Everton Two in Liverpool or online for supporters around the world. Like the home shirt, it comes in multiple purchasing options, including a pro version that is identical to the one worn on the pitch by the players, a replica version that is designed to be a more casual fit, and versions with and without the sponsor in both fits.
Everton will debut the shirt during tomorrow's trip to Blackburn to take on Blackburn Rovers for the second preseason contest in the build-up to the upcoming campaign. No word yet on the plans for kits or merchandise options on the club's upcoming tour of the United States.