Forward Madison’s new kits turn the creativity up to full-mingo

There are some boring soccer kits out there. Actually, there are a lot of them.

Then there are some that stick out — in a very good way.

On that note, Forward Madison FC, Minnesota United’s USL League One affiliate, revealed their kits on Saturday. To put it concisely, they’re pretty dang sweet.

The team has already gone all-in on their flamingo-centric branding, unique enough by itself. Then they turned it up to full-mingo, offering to send one lucky fan a “year-long supply of plastic flamingos.”

They’ve been praised for not taking themselves too seriously on social media, from measuring snowfall in plastic flamingos to witty logo-explainers. “It makes it a little more enjoyable to be on Twitter and have fun with your club versus just these really bland, corporate tweets that go out a couple of times a day,” Director of Fan Engagement & Digital Media Kuba Krzyzostaniak told the USL League One website. “[We want to] have conversations with our fans and engage with them, not just be this bland, corporate mouthpiece.”

Yeah, that’s the way to do it.

Madison’s jersey reveal was eagerly anticipated, simply because the kits were going to be something good. (I had been hoping for a pink jersey and yellow shorts/socks to go full-mingo, but what they actually came up with was even better.)

Then Madison revealed their away goalkeeper kit. Pink with a flamingo pattern. Wow.

Plenty of people expressed interest in buying this jersey on Twitter, to the point that the club is considering selling it.

Of course, the kits revealed on Saturday are just as sweet.

Courtesy Forward Madison FC

The home shirt is modeled after the city of Madison’s flag, which is a great tie-in that makes the kit feel local right out of the gate. The sash is a traditional design (which I’m predisposed to), but there’s still a spin on it with the logo on the side and pink accents along the sleeves. Plus, it’s based on the isthmus (a geographical feature) in Madison.

Courtesy Forward Madison FC

The away kit plays off the sash, but more abstractly. It has the little flamingo pattern throughout, which is exactly the kind of subtle touch more uniforms should feature. It won’t show on TV, but it does up close. The team’s supporters even have their motto on the inside of the collar. Perfect. The pink is of course a unique color, and actually will match with the goalkeeper shirt. A unifying color scheme is always a nice thing.

Courtesy Forward Madison FC

Then there’s the home goalkeeper kit. It introduces gold to the color scheme, which actually works quite well. It’s simple but still unique. Another score.

All in all, Forward Madison’s lineup of kits for their inaugural season is a win for both the club and Hummel, the manufacturer. Arguably one of the best benefits of the jerseys are their prices though.

All of the kits come in at $79 (plus $6 flat-rate shipping).

The Flamingos’ kits represent a job done right. Creative and well-priced, we’ve got plenty of reasons to pick up a few ourselves.