ENGLISH Premier League mainstay Arsenal Football Club is expected to show off a new, Jamaica-inspired, pre-match kit ahead of the outfit’s fourth fixture of the 2022 season, against the newly promoted seventh-place Fulham outfit.

The London-based Gunners have enjoyed a long and storied relationship among Jamaican football fans, with some of the decades spanning the club’s 47 titles more fruitful than others.

Arsenal describes the kit as a “vibrant display of energy and style”, presented as “a bold, all-over geometric print in green, gold and black” colours of the Jamaican flag.

The 13-time league champions declare that the ode to its Jamaican fans is a “tribute to those who call both north London and Jamaica home”.

British-Jamaican Arsenal legend Ian “Wrighty” Wright lauded the duo’s acknowledgment of Jamaica’s far-reaching influence, as well as the show of inclusiveness from his former club.

“It’s fantastic to see adidas and Arsenal celebrating its rich and diverse fan base. Arsenal is for everyone, and creating initiatives, support, and products that resonate with the wide-ranging fan base is fantastic to see. The fans are going to love it!”

The black, green and gold adidas-designed kit is sure to excite Jamaican football fans across the globe, considering the sportswear company’s recently minted partnership with the Jamaica Football Federation — which includes providing the official kit for the national football teams — commencing January 2023.

The Arsenal-adidas kit, according to the Gunners, will be on display this weekend at the highly anticipated Notting Hill Carnival. The parade of the pre-match kit continues “a series of initiatives” for which the club has teamed with the sportswear giant to celebrate their vast fan base.

The Jamaica-inspired kit’s reveal complements the return of the carnival from a lengthy two-year absence due to the novel cornavirus pandemic. The historic festival highlights and celebrates the culture of Caribbean peoples and their descendants across the United Kingdom.

Arsenal currently sit atop the league, having won their first three fixtures of the 2022 season. The Gunners are on nine points with a seven-goal differential, one more than reigning champions Manchester City who retain second place.

— Gorgette Beckford