Charlton Athletic has been chosen as one of five English Football League (EFL) clubs to participate in a new cooperation between Jameson and Classic Football Shirts.
A set of limited edition bottles produced by the online shirt reseller commemorates the next phase in Jameson’s four-year association with the EFL, encouraging supporters to recall their favourite away shirts during their clubs’ most memorable moments.
And the legendary 1998/99 away jersey, worn by club great Clive Mendonca during Charlton’s debut season in the Premier League, has been chosen to feature on a unique bottle.
The shirt was worn in the Addicks’ penultimate game of the season, a 4-3 thriller against Aston Villa, in which Alan Curbishley’s team scored a last-minute winner to keep their slim survival chances alive.
However, a 1-0 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday the next weekend was enough to relegate them, however the club did recover the following season, earning the First Division title.
Leicester City, Sunderland, Portsmouth, and Tranmere Rovers are the other four clubs included in the collection, which pays homage to some of football’s most memorable away jerseys in history.
Leicester fans can remember their renowned green alternative kit from 1984, which was memorably worn by England legend Gary Lineker, while Sunderland fans can recall their white away kit from the early 1990s, which was also worn in the 1992 FA Cup final.
Portsmouth’s distinctive yellow jersey from the 1998-99 season, worn by the likes of Steve Claridge, and Tranmere’s 1991 away uniform, famously worn in their Third Division Play-Off Final victory at Wembley, are also included.
The bottles hope to bring supporters together to reflect on where they were, who they were with, and how they felt on the best away days in their teams’ histories, encapsulating the essence of an EFL away day excursion, where fans routinely gather to enjoy the craic and have a drink.
Jameson UK Brand Director Josh McCarthy commented on the collaboration: “Seeing the massive collection of historic football shirts from away matches ingrained in the memories of fans from 72 clubs got our creative juices flowing, and we couldn’t help but reflect on our own favourite away days.
“An away game pulls fans together in such a unique and special way; it’s the same camaraderie you feel when you crack open a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey and exchange memories with your friends.
“And thus our partnership was born. So chose your favorite design, open it with buddies, and relive your favorite road game experiences.”
Classic Football Shirts Gary Bierton added: ”The beauty of away shirts is that they don’t necessarily display the acknowledged club colours, so these shirts are associated with certain times, providing excellent on-the-road memories for fans.”
“We wanted to celebrate these away day memories and the players who wore them by selecting some of the best jerseys from the EFL clubs. Hopefully, fans will enjoy these replica kit bottles while reminiscing about the good (and terrible!) games.
Together with the EFL, Jameson will celebrate the bottles’ launch with five exclusive pop-up events at each of the partnered clubs ahead of the EFL Play-Off Finals, where fans will be able to get their hands on the iconic bottles as well as meet some club legends.
