The wait for West Ham United’s 2026/27 kit goes on. As far as former Upton Park stalwart Don Hutchison is concerned, new providers New Balance would struggle to do worse than Pony did in the mid-90s.
Julian Dicks, it’s fair to say, was a pretty uncompromising customer.
The legendary left-back was not going to let his laser-like focus be affected by an itchy collar. So, as Don Hutchison recalls, tearing open the neck of his West Ham United jersey like a ravenous lion ripping out the jugular of a poor antelope became part of Dicks’ pre-match routine at Upton Park.
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Did Pony design West Ham United’s worst-ever kit?
Pony might have got the colour balance fairly spot on; a rich shade of claret set against the summeriest sky blue.
But long before football shirts stuck to a footballer’s figure like lycra on a Tour de France peloton, Dicks, Hutchison and co were forced to trudge around the field like they were dragging a magenta parachute behind them.
When asked on X why Dicks and some of his teammates used to wear the collars as open as a heat-stroke-hit Brit on a Barcelona beach, Hutchison pulled no punches.
‘Pony’ indeed…
“The real reason is we hated this shirt” Hutchison says. “It was five sizes too big and the biggest/stupid collar in he world.
“Dicksy hated it so much he cut it off before a game!”
New Balance replaces Umbro as the Hammers’ shirt designer
West Ham ended their ten-year partnership with Umbro following the final kick of the 2025/26 season.
This means The Hammers 2026/27 jersey will be designed by New Balance; a US-based corporation who, in addition to creating the current kits of Liverpool and Tottenham, also masterminded natty recent efforts donned by the likes of Lille, Porto and Bayer Leverkusen.
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According to insider Sean Whetstone, the Tourism Authority of Thailand held talks with at the London Stadium before the departure of Nathan Thompson, formerly West Ham’s executive director for commercial, marketing, digital and content.
‘Amazing Thailand’ could replace BoyleSports as the sponsor emblazoned on the front of the Hammers jersey, though confirmation is yet to arrive.
Unlike their Premier League counterparts, Championship clubs are still permitted to go into next season with betting sponsors on their shirts.
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