Aston Villa women’s boss concerned over ‘wet-look’ shirts

Aston Villa’s women’s manager Carla Ward said her players have expressed “concerns” over the club’s ‘wet-look’ shirts ahead of the start of the Women’s Super League season.

The new home claret and blue shirts, made by British sportswear group Castore, noticeably change colour in games.

Castore is trying to find a solution to the problem, although that will not be achieved before this weekend. 

The men’s team host Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday and Ward’s side kick off their WSL campaign at home to Manchester United the following day.

“I think we have similar concerns as to what the men have,” Ward said, referring to the kit at her pre-match press conference on Friday.

“It was highlighted early in the pre-season from the men’s side and backed up by the women.

“But as far as I am concerned, it’s over to the club and Castore to deal with it. My focus has to be the weekend and making sure the players are focused on that.”

Ward praised the club for the way they have dealt with the issue.

“There’s been a constant communication of how can we help the players and make them feel better,” she said.

“There’s a genuine care from the football club. The players feel that, we feel that, and our focus is now solely on Manchester United.”

Villa have expressed their concerns over the kit to Castore and the company is now trying to create a version that does not retain sweat.

On Wednesday, Villa men’s team manager Unai Emery was asked about the shirts following his side’s League Cup defeat by Everton.

While he did not give a direct response to the question, Emery’s translator did acknowledge “there is a situation”.

Villa signed a multi-year contract with Castore, who provide kits for a number of other clubs, in 2022.

A Castore spokesperson said: “There has been some media speculation about a potential issue in the football kit supplied by Castore to Aston Villa Football Club.

“We are working closely in collaboration with the club to address this issue as quickly as possible to meet the standards we expect.”