Vancouver Whitecaps FC are connecting with their roots, releasing the 2021 Hoop jersey on Tuesday as a nod to the club’s 1979 North American Soccer League (NASL) Soccer Bowl championship season.
“Tradition is very important,” said Axel Schuster, Vancouver’s CEO and sporting director. “Our community is the heart of our club, and they have identified strongly with the Hoop throughout our history as the longest running professional soccer club in Canada and the United States. We are all looking forward to new memories in this edition when we start our season next month.”
The 2021 Hoop jersey has a blue hoop that’s cut and sewn onto the front of the jersey, plus there are hoops around the sleeves. Other details include “The Village of Vancouver” on the back of the neck, a jock tag with the Village logo, and a round neck as opposed to a collar from the previous Hoop kit.
The kit has a two-color cresting, as inspired by the blue names and red numbers from the early 1980s Hoop jerseys. Like past Vancouver jerseys, they’re mainly white and feature navy and light blue details.
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hoop jerseys were gifted to frontline staff from the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and Whole Way House Society as they continued to serve the community.
