Atlético Ottawa will wear the red and white stripes and blue shorts of Atlético Madrid.
The newest Canadian Premier League club unveiled their inaugural home kit Thursday as the league looks to restart and begin its sophomore season.
Atlético Ottawa presented their new kit with a virtual unveiling with guests including the CPL commissioner David Clanachan, club president Jeff Hunt, club CEO Fernando Lopez and head coach Mista along with members of the supporters’ groups. Also on hand were Atlético Ottawa players Francisco Acuna, Ben Fisk and Antoine Coupland.
“I really love the kit,” said the young midfielder Antoine Coupland. “When I saw the kit I really felt something special in my heart. I envisioned myself wearing that kit, whether it’s at TD Place, whether it’s scoring a goal, whether it’s providing that assist, whether making that defensive tackle, so yeah, it was very special and I’m very excited to wear this jersey on the field to play the Atlético way under coach Mista.”
What best matches your opinion of Atlético Ottawa’s first-ever kit?
- It's good (45%, 10 Votes)
- Love it (41%, 9 Votes)
- Not bad (9%, 2 Votes)
- Hate it (5%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 22
Loading ...The red and white striped jersey includes a “Rideau” blue outline on the collar and sleeves. The back is mostly a solid red and is complimented by a shaded, red maple leaf.
No surprises with impressive first Atlético Ottawa kit
There was much speculation as to what the kit design would be for Atlético Ottawa. Many people assumed they would adopt the red and white stripes of the parent club Atlético Madrid, and they were proved right as Ottawa will wear a similar uniform to Madrid.
Though some might object to the use of such a similar kit to Madrid, the overwhelming enthusiasm for having such a European powerhouse at the helm of Ottawa’s new soccer team is only enhanced by this move. It visually plants Atlético Madrid’s flag in the CPL, and it’s likely to build on the notoriety the club and league are already garnering domestically and internationally.
Ottawa can certainly benefit from the kit’s similarity just by having Atlético Madrid reinforcing this new team, as not just an affiliation, but as a new member of the Atlético family.
Atlético Ottawa’s Ben Fisk with the new kit. Photo courtesy Canadian Premier League
“It’s another historic day for Atlético Ottawa and the Atlético de Madrid family,” said CEO Fernando Lopez. “I’m thrilled that so many fans and the media have joined us to be part of this virtual unveiling event.”
Though the shutdown came at a time when enthusiasm was growing for this new team, the people at the helm seem committed to making this venture work.
“This is still a non-traditional soccer market but I think that in the coming years, and very soon, soccer will be in the same conversation as football and hockey in this market and I believe it will be a dominant sport, as it deserves to be,” said president Jeff Hunt. “We’re gonna take this extra time that we’ve been given to make sure that when we do open it will be bigger and better than we could’ve ever expected.”
Canadian Premier League commish hoping for return to training within two weeks
Before Ottawa can don their new jerseys, the CPL clubs will need to return to their training camps.
“Well, I’m certainly hopeful,” CPL Commissioner David Clanachan said when asked if Ottawa will get to practice at TD Place stadium anytime soon. “We have to get all the approvals required for return to training, obviously we have that in place already from Canada Soccer, so we’re expected to commence training pretty shortly, I would say hopefully sometime next week or early the next after that.”
Atlético Ottawa also announced the jersey numbers for the 14 signed players, with a noticeable absence in the number 9 slot. The question of who this centre-forward might be should be answered soon as Ottawa will need to quickly fill the rest of the roster once the league resumes.
Overall this was a big day for the club. The supporters now have a big piece of their club’s identity. The red and white stripes of Ottawa will represent the nation’s capital. Will this finally be the time Ottawa got professional soccer right? Time will tell. However, looking at the jersey, this time just feels different.
