Paying tribute to Central Florida’s iconic Space Coast and the many trailblazing women whose accomplishments inspired generations, Orlando Pride has unveiled their new Nike primary kit for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) seasons.
Not content with simply unveiling their new out-of-this-world kit in the normal manner, Orlando Pride made league history by launching the jersey into outer space in what was a groundbreaking promotional investment from both the Club and its presenting partner, Orlando Health. In addition to the Ad Astra kit, the Club also sent several other items into space, including limited edition mission patches, and an official 2021 NWSL match ball, which will be presented and used to kick off the Pride’s 2021 regular season home opener in May.
The top of the Ad Astra kit features a rich black color that is scattered with stars — a recognition of the many influential women in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) industry — and is emboldened by an all-white crest, the first time the Club’s jersey has featured a knockout crest design. The space-like onyx top half seamlessly transitions into the Club’s iconic purple on the bottom, with the two colors meeting in a star-inspired pattern.
In an additional detail, the words “Ad Astra” are included at the bottom of the jersey as part of the design, which is styled after NASA’s many mission patches. Meaning “To the Stars”, the latin phrase that is common to space explorers is written in a NASA-inspired font and surrounded by three prominent stars. Those stars symbolize the immortal "Hidden Figures" of NASA — Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson — the three female mathematicians and so-called "human computers" who broke color and gender barriers at NASA, and helped John Glenn become the first American to orbit Earth.
“While this jersey itself is special, all that it represents is truly extraordinary, inspired by our very own Space Coast and some of history's iconic women. As a Club that strives to break barriers each and everyday, we are proud to celebrate the women, both on our Orlando Pride squad and beyond, who do the same,” Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride CEO Alex Leitão said. “Thanks to the dedication of our team and support of our partners at Orlando Health, we are thrilled to really ‘shoot for the stars’ in our unveil of this kit and to continue investing in the women’s game, including the launch of this jersey. We hope our fans love it as much as we do.”
The Orlando Pride 2021/22 Primary Jersey is available now at ShopOrlandoPride.com
