Birmingham Panthers Partner with Birmingham City University to Design New Kit

The Birmingham Panthers have announced an exciting new partnership with Birmingham City University (BCU), giving design students a unique opportunity to create the new kit for the team’s 2025 Netball Super League Season.

This initiative allows BCU’s fashion design students to apply their skills in a real-world project that we hope will benefit them in their future careers.

BCU’s School of Fashion and Textiles, known for its innovative programmes, will see its students working on this project as part of their graduate course.

The Panthers have provided students with guidance and dress templates to ensure the winning design meets the criteria set out by the League.

Their designs will be assessed, and the winning design will be chosen by a panel comprising Birmingham Panthers officials, which will include coaching staff and players.

The partnership reflects the Panthers’ commitment to engaging with the local community and supporting young talent.

Alison Akinrinlola, Director of Netball at the Birmingham Panthers explained the motivation behind this collaboration, emphasising the franchise’s desire to build strong relationships with local educational institutions. “We want to engage with young people and different audiences and this partnership with the BCU enables us to do this. It’s a fantastic opportunity for design students to have their work recognised on a national platform”.

The project timeline is quite rigorous, as the new kits need to be ready by September 2024, to ensure they are available for the start of the upcoming season. Students have until late July to submit their designs, after which a winner will be selected.

This collaboration is poised to bring fresh, creative energy to the Panthers’ kit and underscores the franchise’s commitment to supporting local talent and building meaningful community connections.