Albirex Niigata is one of a few teams at the top end of the J-League in Japan who do not have the privilege of being backed by a major company. As such, they enjoy a high degree of popularity amongst fans of football, and have built one of the largest and most fanatical fanbases in J-League. Niigata was the first team to average over 40,000 in Japan in 2005, and has managed to build a loyal fan base that spreads far beyond its home city, and can call on fans from right across its home prefecture of Niigata, Japan.

This relationship between Albirex and the fans is one the club values highly since it cannot call upon a large corporate backer. This relationship sees the club acting upon suggestions that the fan base offer to the club through the many avenues of communication. Albirex began their professional life in a kit of orange/blue/orange. But after talking to the fans, switched to a “more orange” kit in 2007 when the shorts where switched over.

Albirex Niigata currently enjoys a long term relationship with Adidas, and utilises Adidas’ Formotion kit, designed for mobility and to be breathable. The kit itself continues Niigata’s move to have an all orange kit, and also includes a nod to the past.

The kit consists of two tones of orange arranged in stripes similar to one of Niigata’s most popular kits from 2000. The main sponsor, Kameda, and the club logo are both sublimated onto the kit, with the J-League logo and Niigata rice sleeve patches being sewn on. With J-league rules allowing so, Niigata’s kit features also features a secondary sponsor, B’s international, on the back at the top. The players name under the number.

The swan features heavily in the clubs heritage as the swan is the prefectural bird of Niigata, and also through Cygnus, the swan-like constellation of stars that appear in Niigata’s sky. As such, the club worked the swan into the current kit, and not just in the clubs logo. It also features over a players heart by being worked in to the striping on the front of the kit, and has been worked into the base of the shirt on the back.

With J-league rules allowing so, Niigata’s kit features a secondary sponsor, B’s international, on the back at the top, and the players name under the number.

Paul Woodcock