Down The Rabbit Hole: The Tennents Sixes.
Writers cut of the original piece published for HANON & PUMA March 2023.
An other worldly ‘Star Wars Holiday special’ type event that puts your idols and known faces in an out of context situation. To readers of a certain vintage or those younger with nothing better to watch on YouTube other than the Tennent's Sixes, the UK experienced a wave of indoor football fever during the 80's, where top tier professional sides from both North & South of the border (with the briefest of cross over events happening once) took part in cup competitions of indoor 6-a-side football with the goal of being crowed champions..
The notion of it by today's standards seems bonkers; teams and players at the peak of their abilities mixing it and sliding about on artificial grass in a big hall that spends the majority of it's time holding exhibitions for caravan sales. No reality TV crews or celebrity cameos, just a legend laden kick-about squad rocking the clubs kit with low socks and some astros, ready to bask in the unbridled heat of competition that close quarters football brings so many of us on a weekly basis, and therein lies the charm of it all. Imagine the excitement of Mohamed Salah leading a crack team of 5 other Liverpool players to take on Harry Kane's hotshots or the unrivaled good-time energy Scottish football would bring to (again) a game of sixes. Truly the antidote we all need to the seriousness the modern game so often cloaks itself in.
Taking this beloved and niche nugget of football culture round these parts, we draw inspiration from the accidental sartorial brilliance of football of the era as we surf the high wave of vintage football kits being everywhere and on everyone's timelines. A salute to the bright sheen of 80's & 90's jerseys resplendent with flock sponsor logos and popped collars, the enduring comfort and style of football shorts, and lastly, to football socks worn low with no shinnys and well known faces showing up to play in trainers.
This 2023 edition of the PUMA Super Team sees the style launch with an updated material mix that stays true to archive pairs. The mixture of mesh and suede on this pair adds a textural contrast to the all red upper combined with a dazzling white leather Formstripe, completing the Zerouali spec look. Further details include contrasting white stitching along the gum coloured tooling, as well as suede flaps on the lateral sides with gold foiled branding. PUMA sign things off in their usual fashion with a brace of woven tongue labels and gold foiled cat logos at the heels.
The PUMA Super Team OG - 2023 edition