Spectacular carnival shirts pressed in Holland and Germany!

For many people, February and March are months to stay inside to avoid the cold, gloomy weather, sipping hot chocolate and waiting for the sun to return. However, for many communities, it is also the start of the best period of the year: carnival season. Carnival's main events often involve parades, public celebrations, and dressing up, giving people some light during these dark days. Carnival is celebrated all throughout the world, and western Germany and the southern Netherlands are certainly no exception. As a result, the main soccer teams from Mainz and Waalwijk both decided to create special one-off match shirts to celebrate “Fastnacht” (Mainz) and “Carnaval” (Waalwijk). It goes without saying that we at MatchWornShirt are big fans of all shirts, but these two have really caught our eye!

Mainz 05 made sure to keep the club's beautiful red and white colors front and center on the shirt they wore in their 1-0 win against Union Berlin. Across the front, the shirt features red, white, blue, and yellow stripes, which are the colors of “Fastnacht”. On the back is a white square containing the players' numbers and names, as well as the club's name. Around the square, countless names are written in red. These are the names of fans who supported Mainz 05 throughout the COVID crisis by extending their season tickets, even though they were unable to watch a game. This is an amazing gesture by Mainz 05, and it makes this shirt even more special.

RKC Waalwijk took a different approach. The club swapped its traditional yellow and blue kits for all-black ones with a festive touch. Painted on the black background are all kinds of Carnival decorations in the yellow, red, and blue of “Carnaval”. These colors are also visible on the stripes across the chest of the shirt, as well as on the club crest, which was changed for the occasion. The club crest is probably the most notable change on the entire shirt, as the club gave the lion that traditionally features on the crest a “Carnaval” scarf, a mask, and a crate of beer. Best of all, the money raised from these funky shirts supports Fonds Gehandicaptensport, a charity that enables people with disabilities to participate in sports.

We can safely say that these shirts are among the most extraordinary we have ever seen at MatchWornShirt, and we have seen a lot!