Nike and SAFA have unveiled the new 2016-2017 national teams kit

Nike and SAFA have unveiled the new 2016-2017 national teams kit – this comes ahead of Bafana Bafana’s 2018 World Cup Russia qualifier against Senegal next weekend (Saturday, 12 November 2016). The match will take place at the new Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. Kickoff is at 15h00.

Bafana Bafana will debut the new home kit in that match. The kit aims to inspire a new era of success for the South African Senior Men’s National Team and to spark brilliance in the players’ on-pitch performances.

Nike brings a fresh design and new innovation to the national team kit, such as the laser cut ventilation, which keeps the athletes cool while performing at high levels of pressure. The design of the jersey also seeks to provide less distraction for athletes so they can perform at their best.

The sides of the home kit features green colour reveal tape that run the length of the shirt and shorts. Expanding when the player is in motion, they are designed to maximize ventilation and reveal bold flashes of green. In the home kit, yellow socks showcase a linear green graphic on the calf. Both highlight the most dynamic part of the footballer’s body, the lower legs, to accentuate speed.

The away kit has the inverse design on the shirt – all green with yellow colour reveal tape on the sides of the shirt.

While this new kit serves to inspire national pride, it has also been created to give players the very latest Nike innovations in fabric construction, performance technology, moisture management and environmental sustainability.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) is elated with the new kit.

“This new kit could not have come at a better time when we are engaged with the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and we are confident it will inspire the team to greater heights. Once again Nike has outdone themselves in delivering a world-class kit that should make the team the pride of the nation,” said SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan.

“We started the qualifiers with a draw away to Burkina Faso, and since we are playing at home, I don’t see a reason why, with such a great design from Nike, our boys can’t pick up three points against Senegal. They will have all the inspiration they need, both from the design and in the grandstands. So we also urge South Africans to come in numbers to support the team in this crucial mission to go to Russia for the World Cup.”

The kit will be available at Totalsports, Studio 88 and selected retailers from Thursday, 3 November 2016.
Nike Dri-FIT Technology

Nike Dri-FIT technology draws sweat away from the body to the exterior of the shirts and shorts, where it quickly evaporates. This allows players to perform at their best by remaining cooler, drier and more comfortable.

The laser-cut ventilation holes and mesh panels in key areas of the kit are designed to improve performance by increasing air circulation to the players’ bodies and helping regulate their temperatures.

The jersey is crafted using mesh fabric that makes up the full front and back panels of the shirt, increasing airflow and facilitating enhanced movement. Commitment to Sustainability

Nike leverages sustainable innovation for its football kits through the use of recycled polyester, delivering unrivaled performance and lower environmental impact.

The kit’s shirt and shorts are constructed with recycled polyester fabric, which is made from recycled plastic bottles melted down to produce a fine yarn.

Each kit is made using approximately 16 recycled plastic bottles. Since 2010, Nike has diverted more than three billion plastic bottles from landfills into recycled polyester, enough to cover about 5,200 football pitches.