text and photo by Kevin Estrada

PASIG — The latest Philippines kits from German sportswear giant Puma were unveiled last Saturday, November 15, at Bridgetowne, with the giant Victor statue as the event’s backdrop.

With the usual blues and whites for our home and away strips, the brand that brought the Big Cat then made a stark change on the left part of the chest, as they put the national flag instead of the usual round badge of the Philippine Football Federation.

The last time the flag was featured prominently in the kits was way back in 2012, wherein the design brought silverware as the then-named Azkals took won the inaugural edition of the Philippine Peace Cup.

The third kit features the pink and purple combination that is specifically for the Filipina5 as the women’s national futsal team takes on the challenge when the country hosts the inaugural edition of the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup which will kick off on the 21st of November.

“What we told our designers is that we wanted a home jersey, but we wanted it to be totally different from the home jerseys that we did,” said Paolo Misa, Puma Philippines country manager. “From what we’re hearing, it’s the crowd favorite,” he added.

While kit connoisseurs and purists have panned the flag on the chest, he then explained the rationale behind it in an exclusive for Fullcourtfresh, stating that the new threads are inspired from what they have released in 2024.

“We’ve changed it into a flag, instead of the PFF emblem. Because the goal is—and this is to align with the PFF—we wanted the national team jerseys to be the jersey of the Philippines, not just football. That’s why we put the flag there,” said the former UP Men’s Football Team standout.

Misa then felt that the flag represents the simplicity of the kit and speaks volumes of it, even if they had an option to insert the national coat-of-arms in the shirts.

“I think everyone agreed that having the flag there, going back to basics, [it] says a lot. Nothing represents the Philippines more than the flag.”

With the success of the launch, Misa and his team are brainstorming way ahead for the future kits.

“The way we plan for these things, next year’s design is already being discussed. That’s how advanced we’re trying to be.”

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