Kit Launch 2013

This past Friday St Andrews was host to the Birmingham City Ladies official kit launch ahead of the eagerly anticipated 2013 season, and the club was kind enough to invite us along to the event. Four Blues Ladies players made the trip to parade the new outfit: Captain Laura Bassett, England duo Karen Carney and Rachel Unitt, as well as new signing and youth international Mel Lawley. Sadly for not only the shoot, but also for the team, Carney appeared with an ankle injury sustained on international duty with England which, we later discovered, would lead to an estimated six weeks on the sidelines. The three England girls wore the new home kit, manufactured by Legea, whilst Lawley displayed the one off, commemorative pink FA Cup kit which, following the girls' FA Cup tie away to Cardiff, will be auctioned off to raise money for the Help Harry Help Others charity, in memory of young Harry Moseley, a cause close to the hearts of many involved with Birmingham City. On what was a typically miserable March afternoon, photographs of the girls were restricted to inside the ground and in the stands. The day also honoured the partnership once again between the club and official sponsor Hollywood Monster, and they were represented by MD of the company Tim Andrews, along with the Monster himself! It was confirmed to us that the official away kit would also be pink, but in the design of the home kit, as opposed to the FA Cup kit design. The kit has also added a new sponsor this season, with Aspen Cooling Limited having their logo portrayed on the shorts. 

After the photo shoot, we caught up with the players and asked them a few questions about the season ahead. First up was Rachel Unitt, and we asked her what she thought about the new kit, which teams would challenge this season, and her goals for the season:

Skipper Laura Bassett followed, answering questions on time away from football, the new signings and the aspect of social media in the womens game:








Karen Carney was next in the chair, and she told us about her latest injury setback, the challenges ahead for Blues, and her career highlights:








We also asked young Mel Lawley about her move from Bristol Academy in the close season, her main strengths as a player, and her opinion on the commemorative kit she was wearing:








Finally, manager David Parker was kind enough to give us his thoughts on the season ahead, the plan for the future of Blues Ladies, and the impending battles with new faces in the WSL:








For more photos from the day's kit launch, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/94083446@N05/sets/72157633010183804/