Up-Close: Arsenal FC 1971 Home Kit

Look in the stands at any Arsenal Football Club home match and you are bound to see their fan-favored 1971 home kit. This is our World Exclusive up-close look at the shirt courtesy of Kitbag’s “Relive with Retro” event.

While it’s call the Arsenal 1971 home kit, the shirt was actually worn by the club from 1967 to 1978 before  they signed their first ever technical sponsor deal (with Umbro at the time). The significance of 1971 to Arsenal is that it marked the year of their first ever league (then the First Division) and FA Cup double. The honor saw them become just the second team to win the double in the twentieth century.

The Arsenal 1971 retro home kit is manufactured the club’s official throwback shirt partner Score Draw. The Gunners current crest is included on the tag of the shirt while the tags that come with it carries the team’s branding and an authenticity hologram.

The kit itself uses a timeless ribbed crewneck design that was used for many a football shirt during the 1960s and 1970s. The cuffs on the shirt are also ribbed for a snug fit. The simple cannon crest that Arsenal wore on their kits from 1967 to 1990 is embroidered on the left breast.

The Arsenal 1971 home kit features what is now the Gunners’ customary red torso and white sleeves. The jersey is of added historical importance to Arsenal since the color scheme has been used by the club since this shirt was launched (the claret HIghbury farewell home kit of 2005/06 being the only exception). The Gunners had worn a mainly red primary kit from 1965 to 1967.

Arsenal’s 1971 Score Draw home kit is made of 100% cotton to replicate the football shirt fabric used before polyester popped up in the late 1970s. It fits true to size and will complement a well-built physique. The shirt does shrink slightly upon its first wash for what we thought was an even better fit.  We were worried that the red on the shirt would bleed onto its white sleeves upon washing. Fortunately this did not happen.

The Arsenal 1971 throwback home shirt is now available at the Kitbag Retro Lounge. It is discounted to $32 until the end of March.