Brockwell United FC launch striking new kit to celebrate women and non-binary footballers

To mark their fifth anniversary, Brixton-based club Brockwell United have been kitted out in a stylish new strip designed by illustrator Donatella Esposito; players from the club went down to nearby Champion Hill for a photoshoot; the Swans are breaking down barriers to get more women and non-binary people playing the game…

By Jon Holmes

Brockwell United players wearing the club’s new anniversary kit, designed by Donatella Esposito (photos: Lucien Phoenix)

Brixton-based Brockwell United Football Club are marking their fifth anniversary with an eye-catching new kit.

BUFC – also known as The Swans – are a grassroots football club in South London for women and non-binary players. The club has its roots in Brockwell Park whose famous nesting swans form their logo and embody the team’s loyalty and commitment on the pitch.

Brockwell United‘s mission is to empower women and non-binary players by inspiring a love of football, especially in beginners or those returning to the sport who were either bullied out of the game at a younger age or forced to stop due to the lack of opportunities and facilities.

The Swans aspire to be the friendliest club in London and have implemented a ‘Removing Barriers to Entry’ commitment, to encourage more women and non-binary people to get into the sport.

BUFC is truly focused on the game, not the competition – never running trials or inductions based on ability – as the club believes anyone can be, and has the right to be, a football player.

The new kit is exclusively sponsored by MOMA Foods and pays homage to the classic football shirts of the 90s with the collar and geometric shapes in the shorts. The running players are carefree and liberated, something which the team want all their players to feel when playing football. Brockwell Park’s swan and the team’s motif translates into the new kit with the colours white, grey and orange.

Brockwell United’s chair Ellie Levitt adds: “For us, football is about community and providing a safe space, something which women and non-binary people don’t always experience with football.

“The new kit is hugely important to the club and represents that community spirit and empowerment as well as our growth – first starting out as a small group of friends to celebrate our fifth birthday and being one of the biggest South-East London grassroots football clubs, with 80 players.

“The kit launch also celebrates all things South-East London, from our sponsor through to the launch venue – we take pride in supporting our local businesses and community and couldn’t think of anywhere else more fitting to take photos of the new kit than at the iconic Champion Hill, the home of Dulwich Hamlet FC.

“As we see interest in women’s football at the national and local level continue to grow, we hope moments like the Women’s Euros tournament will inspire the next generation of women and non-binary people to see this as a sport for them – we will be waiting with open arms.”

The kit was designed by illustrator Donatella Esposito, whose work takes inspiration from growing up in the South of Italy, surrounded by shells, sea treasures, flowers and ceramics.

She said: “The Swans’ focus on participation in football for women and non-binary people made me rediscover the sport and drove me to create images of movement, positivity and togetherness.

“With minimal use of bold lines and colours, we wanted to capture the joy within the act of playing football. The crowds on the sleeve represent the celebration of grassroots football and the supportive community and fans which comes with it.”

Kit sponsor MOMA Foods launched 15 years ago at a breakfast stall in Waterloo East station. The company has gone from feeding hungry commuters to selling their award-winning oat drinks in supermarkets across the UK.

Katherine Lambert, MOMA’s Assistant Brand Manager, added: “As a business with our roots firmly in South-East London, we’re delighted to announce our sponsorship of Brockwell United, and really excited to see the new kits in action.

“Brockwell United’s inclusive mission to get women and those from the LGBTQ+ community playing football at all levels is something we are really proud to be supporting, and we hope to pick up some footballing skills ourselves along the way!”

The kit launch event at Champion Hill was supported by the Dulwich branch of Yard Sale Pizza: “We’re buzzing to be supporting Brockwell United – Yard Sale Pizza are all about the local community, and what’s more local than the local football team!

“We’re big fans of their mission to grow a team for women and non-binary players that’s all about the game, rather than the competition and it’s a pleasure to be a part of it.”

Thank you to Brockwell United FC for sharing their news with us! Photography by Lucien Phoenix


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