This year's FA Community Shield will be played with a stylish limited edition football
(Image credit: Mitre)
English football’s traditional curtain raiser will be an all-Manchester affair when the FA Community Shield takes place on Saturday, August 10.
Premier League winners Manchester City will be looking to buck their recent trend of losing the past three editions of the match when they take on their local rivals Manchester United.
This game will be a rematch of May’s FA Cup final, in which the unfancied Red Devils prevented their noisy neighbours from winning a second consecutive double as goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo sealed a 2-1 win.
VIDEO: How Leny Yoro Solves Man United's BIGGEST Problem
All eyes will therefore be on next month’s Wembley clash and viewers may well notice that the game will be played with a very stylish new football from Mitre.
The company has just unveiled their FA Community Shield Ultimax Pro football and the eye-catching bespoke design has plenty of significance behind it, as it pays homage to all the clubs that have played in the match since the first contest in 1908.
Mitre’s Delta (or chevron) has colours and patterns related to all each club that has won the match, with the proportion of colour illustrating how many times each side has won the trophy.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
The Community Shield is a repeat of the FA Cup final (Image credit: Getty Images)
The company’s brand director Simon Rowe explains more: “What a way to start the 24/25 season with the launch of Mitre’s limited edition FA Community Shield Ultimax Pro,” he said. “As a brand, we’re proud of our football heritage and this new design pays homage to Mitre’s history and the winners of this iconic competition.
“With the same front-running technology that can be expected from the Ultimax Pro, we’re sure that fans and players are going to love this ball and can’t wait to see it in play on Wembley’s hallowed turf on 10th August.”
If you like the look of the ball, then you’ll have to act quickly if you want to own one, as only 150 will be made available via the Mitre website and Pro:Direct Sport.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
