Catching the eye thanks to a creative approach that belies their league status, Southern League South side Walton & Hersham FC have dropped their kits for 25/26.
In an age when clubs are judged as much by their TikToks as by their trophies, Walton & Hersham FC have made a habit of doing both. With a social following tipping over the million mark — a flex most League One sides would kill for — this Southern League South club is redefining what grassroots football looks like in the modern era. Three promotions in five years, a playoff charge last season, and now a kit launch that again would rival most league-based teams? The Swans don’t just talk the talk — they walk it like it’s Milan Fashion Week. OK, bit of an exaggeration, but we applaud the intent.
Cue the 25/26 kits, shot through the lens of fashion photographer Nathan Singh — whose résumé reads like a roll call of luxury: Burberry, Ted Baker, Axel Arigato. Swapping runways for goal lines, Singh brought an editorial edge to the campaign, setting the shoot against the refreshingly unpolished Half Way Café — a local landmark, halfway between Walton and Hersham, as if the club’s fairy tale needed one more dose of symbolism.
Created by new technical supplier JerseyBird, the home shirt keeps it unapologetically Swans. Drenched in their signature red, it’s elevated by elegant flashes of blue and white on the collar and cuffs. But it’s what’s beneath the surface that hits hardest — subtle wave patterns ripple across the fabric, a nod to the nearby Thames and a reminder that while the club’s story may be viral, its soul remains firmly rooted in the water-worn banks of Surrey.
Moving on and it's the away shirt where things get loud. Loud like punk should be. A bold purple number trimmed with white, it’s a tribute to local legends Sham 69 — one of punk’s loudest voices, who took their name from the Swans’ 68/69 Athenian League title-winning side. Stitching history into style, the shirt carries design elements that celebrate the band’s influence and the club’s cultural roots, right down to the post-match anthem “Hersham Boys” that still blares out from the speakers at the Hub.
There’s a reason Walton & Hersham keep finding themselves in the headlines. While the rest of non-league is busy surviving, the Swans are building something that feels bigger — something part club, part movement. From a WhatsApp takeover by a group of uni mates to a media-savvy rise that’s seen celebrity investors and a fanbase spanning the globe, they’ve become the story everyone else wants to write.
These kits are a reflection of that — bold, stylish, rooted in identity, and effortlessly cool. In a game that can often feel like it’s losing touch with its soul, Walton & Hersham are proof that romance isn’t dead — it’s just dressed better than ever.
Shop the Walton & Hersham 25/26 kits at whfc.shop