Written by Mike Carter, Hull KR Shirts.
Hull KR’s kit line up for the 2024 Betfred Super League season is now complete, and what a trio we have! Every year, each set of kits is like a family, where each one should be different from the rest, but ultimately, on the inside, they’re all the same. I will come back to this later in this review…
As always, we shall start at the beginning. After being heavily involved during the launch of the 2024 marble alternate kit, it was great to be back on the outside again. I loved being a part of the reveal, and it was great to tick it off the bucket list, but I would much rather be on this side, the fans’ side – enjoying the ride!
At 09:00 AM on Thursday 16th November, Hull KR posted, “Be bold, be different 🩷⚡️” to their social media channels. Supporters have become accustomed to this now, with these early morning teasers being posted on social media on the morning of a kit reveal being a regular thing. However, there was absolutely nothing in the post that signified it was to be a launch, but we all knew that it was, didn’t we? This is a case of successful subconscious marketing at its finest.
Following on from the initial post, 90 minutes later, an article was published about the career and life of Robin number #658, Peter ‘Flash’ Flanagan. Flash made over 400 appearances in a 14-year career with Hull KR between 1960 and 1974. Within the article, it was mentioned that Flash was the licensee of the King William, also known as King Billy public house, in the late 1970s. Outside the pub is a statue of King William himself. The second sign of a connection to the original post after the lightning bolt (flash) emoji.
I have to admit, the 12:00 PM launch really caught me out. It was closer to 12:30 PM when I had realised that I had missed it after scrolling through my phone notifications. An interesting move from the media team at the club, the whole 6:00 PM reveal timing was becoming very predictable (to me at least), so that was when I was expecting it to be revealled. Predictable isn’t always bad, but I do understand why they would mix it up a bit.
For the first time this year, a 2024 kit wasn’t made available for pre-order ahead of it’s reveal, I can only assume that this is because its name has been introduced previously and it would have been too much of a giveaway. What could also have been a factor was the earlier reveal/on sale on time.
We’re gunna rock down to ELECTRIC PINK Avenue!
This will not come as a shock to my close friends, but I absolutely love this kit! I have been asking and asking… (Well, actually, nagging and nagging) the powers that be at the club for a pink kit for years now. So I am naturally over the moon that we will finally have one.
The reference point to Flash Flanagan is subtle. It’s not as obvious as some of the kits we’ve dedicated to a player in the past, and I like that. It’s a nod, opposed to a tribute.
The main design element of the kit is the flash-like markings within the main body of the shirt. I really like these a lot. The connection to Flash Flanagan is loose, but I get the reason for mentioning him. Hull KR CEO Paul Lakin would say “Sixty years on from one of our most electric and eccentric players, Flash Flanagan, taking to the field at Wembley, the flashes are a very subtle nod to the past and those electric moments the players create on the field. We hope throughout 2024 to see many more stand out flashes of brilliance by the team on the pitch.” The full piece can be found on the clubs’ website alongside the launch material.
There is a bit of irony to the name ‘electric pink’ though, as when you study the kit, it is actually purple! The flashes within the design are pink, and their frequency (plus the marketing surrounding the kit) makes you think the shirt is pink, but in fact, it is actually a tone of pink that is almost purple and not pink. Either way, I love it. I love the flashes and the colour combo! I would be interested to see what it would have looked like inverted, though, with purple detailing on a pink shirt… The purple is much more noticeable from the back, which you will see as you complete your way through this review.
The collar is the same style that we have on the home and marble kits for 2024. It has a stub collar with a central insert. It’s a slightly more fitted fit than previous seasons, but it isn’t something that I’ve come to find uncomfortable whilst wearing my shirts. The club crest is embroidered onto the shirt, as it should always be on playing shirts, in my opinion. The crest is applied in pink to compliment the colourway of the shirt.
Once again, the sponsor integration is excellent. Each sponsor has their logos featuring in white on the electric pink kit, which adds to the aesthetics. I can not tell you how lucky we are to have this kind of buy-in from sponsors. Take a moment to have a look at some other clubs’ kits released for the 2024 season and then compare them to ours. There are some wonderful kits that have spoiled by poor integration! However, that isn’t the case in East Hull, though, is it? Connexin and company deserve huge praise for the continued contributions!
The Robin icon features in its usual spot on the back of the kit. It is in the same place on all three shirts again in 2024. I have said this before, but I wonder how long it will be before the icon is in the crest position on a shirt, in a similar way to Manchester United using the red devil, Arsenal using the cannon and Liverpool using the Liverbird on their away/third kits.
The shorts for the electric pink kit are solid purple, with a flash side panel design. Once again, all sponsors appear in white, including Hull KR Shirts partner Steve Leaming Plant. We have yet to see the socks that will be worn with the kit, but I believe they will be all pink, with a purple turnover.
Later on that evening, at 20:28 it was announced that homegrown star and England RL International, Mikey Lewis, had penned a new contract that would keep him at Hull KR until the end of 2028. This is fantastic news for Mikey, Hull KR and each one of their supporters. A further sign that the club is heading in the right direction by retaining the services of one of its highly sought after home grown stars.
Also included is the first look at the hoody version of the shirt, as modelled by Mikey (above). This was a sell-out item in 2023 when we saw it for the first time as a design take of the 2023 home shirt. After that initial success, for this coming season, they have been made for all three kits! I think I’m more excited about getting my hands on one of those than I am the shirt itself, actually.
The hoody is available for pre-order, so don’t miss out on the latest must-have piece of Hull KR merch!
Pink, pink, pink!!!
Strangely, my obsession with pink kits started in 2014, when Real Madrid, one of the most iconic football teams in the world, released a full pink strip. I don’t know what it was about it, but it grabbed me the first time I saw it, and almost 10 years later, it is still one of my favourite kits ever made. Hull City used a pink-ish kit in 2016/17, that Umbro titled purple cactus. City didn’t have a good record in that kit, so hopefully Hull KR will fair better in this one.
I like the brightness and how in your face the 2024 electric pink alternate is. It’s a step away from tradition and is something new like we’ve never seen before. I’ve got a representation of every Hull KR shirt from 1989 to 2024 within my collection, but this one will stand out the most and I love that!
It’s worth pointing out that the electric pink training range released in September was a HUGE clue for the colourway and name of this kit. I am disappointed that I didn’t even click to it. It felt like a minor filler range to get retail from the end of the season to the kit launches, like it could have possibly been testing the water for 2025, “if it sells well we’ll do it!” Oh, how wrong as I! Due to how successful it sold first time around, this range has been fully restocked, so if you missed out in September, you’re in luck!
On a side note, I’m happy but shocked that the club has committed to pink so strongly for 2024, especially after never really fully backing it previously. The closest we’ve been was in 2018, where we wore charcoal and pink on the road as well as releasing a lovely training wear range that complimented it. That was a nice kit, but it has nothing on this one, in my opinion!
The trio of kits that we used in 2023 were brilliant and are unquestionably our best trio of the modern era, with only 2019 coming anywhere close to its brilliance. Now we have the 2024 kitset to add to that mixer, in my opinion, which should lead to some fun posts, polls, and questions during the off-season on Hull KR Shirts social media platforms, so keep an eye out for those.
Naturally, I can see this kit being very popular with younger supporters in the fanbase. Rugby League is far more inclusive now in 2023 than it has ever been, and this could be another step in ensuring that there is something available for everyone. I have mentioned in the past about the demographic that kit designers have to please within their roles, and this one might cover the broadest range ever!
I fully understand that this will not be liked by everyone. It will be like Marmite. It will probably divide supporters more so than any other Hull KR kit of the last 20 years. Within the trio, there should be something for everyone, though. The home kit is traditional and a design that is adored, coupled with the fact it wasn’t something that we were expecting to get anytime soon. The marble is clean, stylish and sleek with duelling blues that look fantastic together. The electric pink is loud, creative, and in your face, it is everything you should expect from an alternate kit, in my opinion! As I mentioned at the start of this review, they’re all part of a family that will go down as the class of 2024 together. No family or family of kits is perfect, but this set comes pretty close, with them all complementing themselves in different ways. Just look at how ace they are together!!
I for one, are looking forward to seeing a sea of electric pink wherever the Robins are in 2024. Mostly because everyone knows that Mike loves pink kits!
The entirety of the 2024 kit ranges can be purchased by clicking here. All playing kits are available for immediate dispatch and can also be purchased from the Hull KR store at Sewell Group Craven Park.
Hull KR Shirts 