I honestly thought I had done well when it came to buying football shirts this year but as I was putting the images together for this post I realised that I have actually added a lot more football shirts to my collection than I originally thought. I also noticed that there is actually quite a good mixture of shirts that I have acquired and I have actually added some women's fit shirts which is definitely a change as I normally only buy men's fitting ones. So here are the shirts that I have added to my collection over the course of 2021... 

Me and Liam added another Rangers shirt to our collection at the start of 2021 thanks to it being on offer at Classic Football Shirts. I think that these were just £12.99 each so there was no way weren't ordering them. I can see a lot more Rangers shirts been added into the collection over the next few years. 

My auntie actually got me this Atletico Madrid shirt from a local charity shop and I am amazed at the condition it is actually in. There are a few little things like the Nike sizing being worn out in the neck of the shirt but other than that it is actually in great condition. It has all the badges on the sleeves to which is a great little bonus. 

This shirt is one that was simply purchased due to my love for it on FIFA Ultimate Team. This was my teams shirt all through my time with the game and I fell in love with it. I honestly never thought that I would own a RB Leipzig shirt but as soon as I saw it in the end of season sale I knew I had to purchase it. 

This PSG 2020/21 away shirt was another end of season sale purchase that I certainly don't regret. When this short was originally released I told Liam that I wanted it so when I saw it on offer it went straight into my basket. I had never really been bothered by PSG shirts in the past but I think it was the collar that sold me on this shirt the whole thing just looks brilliant and to say I don't normally like white shirts I have actually won this shirt a fair bit. 

I absolutely love watching Away Days, Ellis who runs the channel is fantastic and I honestly watch every video he posts. When he announced these shirts earlier in the year I knew I had to make sure I got one as the overall design is fantastic. 

For Liam's birthday I got him a retro Barcelona shirt and I just had to get myself this Juventus one at the same time. As soon as I saw the image of it on the website I knew it needed to be added to the collection and I really can't wait to wear it when it finally fits me properly. I would love to add more shirts like this into my collection in the future. 

As I said earlier I don't normally buy women's fitting shirts just because I feel they are ridiculously tight no matter what size you get. I saw this Barcelona shirt in Sports Direct for £15 though and bought it straight away. Yes I am never going to fit into this but it is such a nice shirt with the colour and the collar. This is definitely one of my favourite Barcelona shirt in recent years. 

When I got my Barcelona shirt I also spotted this England Lionesses home shirt for just £10 and although it is in a women's size I made sure to purchase it as I already had the home shirt at home. I would love to be able to fit in this for the Euros in July but I highly doubt that. 

I have wanted a Kelley O'Hara shirt for the longest time and I finally got my hands on one this year thanks to Foudy's. This was under £50 and I am so glad I have it, I know there was a lot of controversy around the team and they are no more but with O'Hara being one of my favourite players I knew it was time to have a shirt with her name on in my collection. Maybe a Washington Spirit one should be next. 

This is definitely my most recent purchase and is one I have looked forward to for the longest time. I remember watching Bradford City vs Fiorentina when I was little and then meeting the team after the game and they were fantastic and gave us some badges and key rings alongside some food. I have said for years I was going to get a Fiorentina shirt but it wasn't until I found this one for £25 on Classic Football Shirts that I finally took the plunge and purchased the shirt. I absolutely love this but I am definitely glad I sized up in it as it is certainly tight fitting. 

I only have one of this seasons Bradford City shirts at the moment and to be honest I think I have picked my favourite one to start with. As I said earlier I normally avoid white shirts but I love this seasons home shirt with its retro vibe. Granted I do want to add a lot more to my collection including a goalkeeper shirt but I think this was the perfect one to start off with. 

When I got my home shirt I ended up getting Liam one of the seasons goalkeeper shirts and I actually wanted to keep this for myself. I am not usually a fan of goalkeeper shirts but Avec have done a great job with Bradford's this year plus with Liam playing in goal when he used to play I knew he would love this one. It actually looks too good to be a goalkeeper shirt and I think it would have looked good as an away one. 

It is safe to say I have added plenty more shirts to the collection in 2021 but I am determined to add even more in 2022 as there are plenty missing especially from this seasons shirt offerings. I need to get some more Bradford ones, PSG and there are a few others I am hoping to get in the end of season sales. Fingers crossed I can get all the ones I am wanting and I am sure 2022's shirt post will be even bigger than this one. 

Women's football is certainly on the rise however, there are some areas of the game where women still struggle to feel included up until recently it has been hard for women to find boots that provide them the need they require to feel comfortable whilst playing and even football clothing for training and games that makes the female player feel more comfortable and confident. There does seem to be a few companies popping up now though that are catering more to the females players needs such as Miss Kick who are providing female fitting football clothing, one thing I never thought about though was goalkeeper gloves and how they might differ between the men and women playing but that all changed when I discovered KeepHer Soccer on Instagram, I started to see there was a need for women's goalkeeping gloves and I was lucky enough to as owner Doug a few questions about his company and why he ran with the idea of starting a company for female goalkeepers..

EOTA : So tell us a little about yourself Doug ?

KeepHer Soccer: I am a Dad of three daughters, married 31 year and love soccer! I live in Portland OR and grew up in a suburb of Chicago. I played soccer in college and then started coaching shortly after college.  I coached youth level for many years.  The last 5 years have been coaching at the high school level. I have my USSF “C” license and a masters degree in coaching and athletic education.

EOTA :  Where did the idea for Keep her Soccer come from? 

KeepHer Soccer: For along time I’ve been amazed at the type of specialty equipment that evolves in sports.  Different shoes for every type of game and condition.  There are different styles of equipment even within the same sport (such as baseball the first base glove is different from a catcher’s glove which is different from a fielders glove.

Then I started seeing how some things were different because of men and women.  My classic example is that of a jacket.  A men’s jacket is typically straight at the sides while a women’s jacket typically curves in a bit.  This shows up in sports and recreational gear all the time.

I also kept hearing from the girls in my house how they liked clothes that were fitted for their body shape rather than a man’s body shape.  They want the same quality, materials, function etc… but just something that fits them better.

I began to see how this shows up in various ways in sports and then some places where it is really lacking.

Specifically in soccer I saw female shoes and female uniforms which completely make sense.  But I never saw any goalkeeper gloves that were specifically made for females. 

I decided I’d do some research to see if there is an actual difference between men’s and women’s hands.  I found out that there is.

Then it really puzzled and bothered me that no one was addressing this issue.  I approached some companies and told them about my idea yet no one wanted to give it a shot. 

I decided if no one else would do it then I would!

EOTA:  Out of all the equipment that is used in the game why is there a focus on gloves rather than an item such as a boot or a clothing item? 

KeepHer Soccer :  For me it was the item that had yet to be addressed by any company.  Plus I have a passion for goalkeeping.  I played in college, my middle daughter played in college and I’ve coached goalkeeping for a long time.  Goalkeeper gloves were overlooked as an item that could be and should be changed because a female has a different need than a male.

EOTA :  What has been one of the highlights of being a part of shaping the game for women so far? 

KeepHer Soccer : Probably when I get feedback from goalkeepers who say something like “This is the best fitting glove I’ve every used.” 

EOTA :  What makes your gloves so different from those that can be generically bought from any store? 

KeepHer Soccer :  There are four main ways the hands differ:

1.       In males the thumb is typically shorter

2.       In males the index finger when compared with the ring finger is usually shorter.  In females the ring and index finger are about the same size

3.       In females the little finger is typically shorter.

4.       The average “hand index” is .44   This is the ratios of the hand width to length.  In males the hand index is higher resulting in a wider/broader hand.  In females it is less resulting in a more narrow hand.

EOTA :  Where do you see the company in the future? 

KeepHer Soccer : We have slowly been growing over the last four years and are on a path to keep progressing. We have a distributor in Australia and hope to find one in the UK. 

EOTA : Where can you buy the gloves from currently? 

KeepHer Soccer :  Mostly on line.  There are a few stores in the states that carry them

EOTA :  If you could give any advice to anyone wanting to create a product to either help women players or any players in generally what would you say? 

Keep Her Soccer :  This is difficult because there are so many things that come into play when developing a product.  Plan on start up cost being 2-3 times what you expect.  There are always unforeseen items that come into play once you’ve decided to move forward.  So make sure you have the funds to finish out the first wave.  It doesn’t have to be tens of thousands of dollars but you do need more than you first expect.

It is amazing to think that no one else seems to think that there is an issue with females having to play in male gloves due to the lack of availability from the big sporting brands but it is great to see what Keep Her Soccer is doing for the women's game. I think as the game continues to rise we are going to see more and more female goalkeepers wearing Keep Her Soccer gloves and let's hope they can break into more markets around the world in the near future. With the amazing designs they do I actually wish I was a goalkeeper as I think I would really be spoiled for choice when it came to purchasing from them. 

If you want to take a look at the sort of thing Keep Her Soccer do for yourself then you can find there website here or head on over to their Instagram. 

City started the game strong and had a fair few chance on goal however, they were just unable to get the ball in the back of the net. The chances kept on coming for City though and they eventually took the lead in the 8th minute when Hawkins put the Railway defender under some great pressure to win the ball back and get it across to Stuart who slotted the ball into the back of the net. 

It looked like City were going to get their second not long after with the chances still coming thick and fast for the side however, the 'keeper kept Railway in it and a few other shots found the wrong side of the post. The second goal of the game went in City's favour in the 27th minute with Jakeman burying a strike in the roof of the net, she found herself in a great position and there really was no way of stopping the shot. 

The game really was going all in City's favour however, Railway grabbed a goal back in the 33rd minute when a great ball from the midfield split the City defence and the Railway attacked slotted it home after a slight 1 on 1 situation with City's 'keeper. It didn't take long for City to extend their lead once again though as Stuart doubled her goal tally in the 37th minute with another great goal. In the 45th minute just before half time was called City managed to add another goal with Stuart getting her hat-trick after stealing the ball from the Railway defender before calmly slotting the ball home. 

At half time City went into the dressing room 4-1 up and honestly showing no signs of slowing down. Hames made his only two substitutions of the game with Stuart and Hawkins coming off to be replaced by Norde & Thomas. City started the second half just as they ended the first with plenty of chances but again they were just unable to find the back of the net, the game could have had a bigger scoreline if it wasn't for the Railway 'keeper who saved quite a few City shots before eventually getting beaten again in the 61st minute when Jakeman got her second goal of the game after a 1 on 1 situation with the goalkeeper, the ball from Roberts to set Jakeman free was fantastic and perfectly placed to lead to the goal. 

Just 3 minutes after the 5th goal City got their 6th goal of the game when a fantastically placed free kick from Roberts found the head of Woodcock who found the back of the net with the resulting header. The goal was just another sign of how well Roberts can take set pieces and find the perfect pass. In the 70th minute Jakeman finally got her hat-trick when the original shot from Norde was saved and landed at Jakeman's feet who calmly slotted the ball home. 

The game ended 7-1 and it is safe to say City really dominated the game although on a few occasions they did let Railway slip past them however, other than the goal they scored they didn't seem too threatening. I really do believe the game could have gone into double figures though if it wasn't for the Railway goalkeeper who really did pull off some fantastic saves to stop some brilliant strikes from City. 

Throughout the game City did really well with passes being linked up really well and space being created to get into some really dangerous positions. Once again though it was the right hand side that looked the strongest when Roberts and Hawkins were linking up really well together, they seem to be able to read each other really well and it helps create some great opportunities for the team. 

When it comes to a player of the match pick it could have been a number of players as they stood out a lot making some great decisions throughout the game and really contributing towards City's win however, for both me and Liam our player of the match is Jakeman who worked hard throughout the full 90 minutes, grabbed herself a hat-trick and never looked like slowing down. She certainly covered a lot of ground throughout the game and had one of the best performances we have seen from her this season.

City are very comfortably into the next round of the cup and I am looking forward to seeing who we draw. Every week we are seeing some great improvements from City and I think today just summed it up with how they played and kept on pushing even when they were a few goals ahead. 

So we have covered our favourite home shirts from clubs in leagues that are the Premier League or League 2 or the big clubs in Europe and today we are finishing off this little series with our favourite away shirts from those different leagues. It is safe to say this post has a mixture of clubs from different levels in the UK and even one from Australia again, which seems to be filled with hidden gems so I might have to take a closer look at the Australian teams soon. But here who is made the cut for this post... 

So there you go those are our favourite away shirts from different leagues around the UK and even one from Australia, who knows some of these might find their way into my personal collection one day but for now I will just stick to enjoying them through social media. Again though if anyone knows where I can get that Adelaide shirt from at a reasonable price in the UK please do let me know. 

What is you favourite shirt from this post?