THE WORLD CUP OF DAFC KITS

By John McNicoll

Which kit will take the plaudits?

Ever wondered which classic Dover Athletic home shirt is the most majestic? Well wonder no more as we bring you the World Cup of Dover Athletic kits (home edition). The idea crafted by the River End Podcast was wonderfully brought to life through graphics by Jordan Pettman. A selection of shirts were put in a random generator and drawn out to create a knockout style competition. Bringing back to life some of the clubs most iconic retro shirts, the lads have worked this to perfection so I think it’s only fair that it gets the coverage it deserves. Each tie was decided by a poll on Twitter, with the winning shirt moving through to the next round before ultimately being crowned Dover Athletics’ greatest home shirt.

Courtesy of @theriverend1 & Jordan Pettman

Round One

Match one saw the 1993-95 shirt romp through with 76% of the votes. And it was a similar story in match two as the fans voted for the 1992/93 version to triumph over its more recent counterpart.

Match three was a landslide victory over the less fancied Jacetts pinstripe number with over 80% of the votes while in match four, we saw the emergence of our brand new 40th anniversary shirt. It would be the last time we would see the 2023/24 edition as it was beaten by the 1997/98 Daihatsu.

With one half of the draw completed, it was now time to turn attentions to the opposite side.

Match five was a tight affair with the 1995/96 shirt squeezing past with a 55% vote whereas the 2003/04 shirt pipped 07/08 to the post in match six. The 2000 Vandanel won match seven and concluding the first round set of fixtures was the latest shirt, the 2022/23 Megger. The 2010/11 shirt was victorious and marched through to the last eight.

The first game of the quarter final stage saw two heavyweights from the first round clash with the two early Countrywide Derv shirts facing off with the 1993/95 Plaaya shirt knocking out the much fancied Spall version. Next into the action was the 2015/16 shirt which squeezed past the 1997/98 Daihatsu with arguably the closest vote of the competition so far, claiming 51% of the votes to make the last four.

The 1995/96 shirt was a worthy winner against its 2003/04 competitor and found itself through to a semi final spot. Completing the round was the 2000/02 shirt, facing off the 2010/11 version with the millennium shirt edging through with 59% of the voting.

We now have only four shirts remaining for a chance to be crowned Dover’s greatest shirt, probably. You can check out the action as it unfolds if you have a Twitter account. Just follow @theriverend1 for your chance to vote and get involved. If you don’t have Twitter fear not, as we will return once we have completed the final. Great work lads, superb.

The Final Four

With the club entering its 40th anniversary year, you can now pre-order your new home shirt for the coming season. Click HERE for more details.