Aston Villa women's team walk out in 'wet look' shirts despite backlash over kit
Aston Villa women's team have walked in their new 'wet look’ shirts, despite a major backlash over the new kit.
The team debuted the new strip as they played against Manchester United this afternoon during the Women’s Super League match.
Despite taking to the pitch, the side has previously hit out at the design, with pundit Jacqui Oatley claiming the side ‘absolutely hated it’.
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If you’ve not seen the controversial kit, it’s worth tuning into Villa Park to see what all the fuss is about.
Designed by British sports brand Castore, the new shirts are meant to retain sweat throughout matches, which gives the kit its ‘wet look’ appearance.
While this ‘clingy’ fabric is fine for the men's side, the sportswear is understandably has left some of the female footballers feeling a little, um, exposed.
To make matters even worse, the same has been used for all the team's kit which means that the women’s side will be forced to wear it whether they are at home or away.
Despite the intense backlash over the sub-par shirts, manager Carla Ward has said it’s up to execs to sort the issue.
She told The Sun: "It's up to the football club's legal team and Castore to discuss that and deal with that.
Amid reports that Villa could be cutting ties with Castore, she added: “It's something I've tried to completely ignore as difficult as that is…. The football club are in full control of that.”
However, she did insist that Aston Villa had supported players throughout the backlash, telling the newspaper: "They've been excellent with us, myself and the players around it."
The manager isn’t the only woman to criticise the kit though, with broadcaster Jacqui Oatley also calling out the kit.
“Normally they'd absolutely relish those games and look forward to them. But they're actually dreading it because they're really conscious about how they're going to look in this wet, clingy kit - for obvious reasons,” she told Newsbeat.
Having explained how concerned players were, she added: "You can imagine, as a female athlete, you have plenty enough to think about just being the best you can be on the football field without thinking about getting sweaty and your kit clinging to you.”
Despite the backlash though, men’s team debuted the new kit during a match between Aston Villa and Brighton, which ended in the Premier League side beating them 6-1.
LADbible have reached out Aston Villa for comment.
Katherine Sidnell