Society is increasingly nostalgic for the immediate past. That’s not surprising – have you seen it out there?
Football isn’t immune to this trend. The Premier League, perhaps clocking that their ‘product’ is increasingly unwatchable, have made highlights from every game since 1992 free on their website.
But there’s also a rising counterculture in non-league; attendances are rising, partly thanks to increasing Premier League ticket prices and rising passive aggression towards season-ticket holders.
You can decide on the day whether you want to go, have a pint stood next to the pitch and actually feel appreciated by the club for your presence. What’s not to like?
Nowhere is this more apparent than West Didsbury and Chorlton, who play in the ninth tier of English football.
Crowds in this part of south Manchester for weekend matches regularly top 1,000 people, remarkable whichever way you square it.
By comparison, you could count the attendees at your average French or Spanish ninth tier match on the fingers of one hand.
We digress. The main reason West Didsbury and Chorlton have come onto our radar is the unveiling of their stunning new away kit.
The Midland League Premier Division side have leant into everyone’s longing for nostalgia with a Sampdoria-inspired shirt and Football Italia-aping promotional video.
Allow your mind to wander and memories of Serie A’s glory days break up those clouds of anxiety. Trequartistas. Proper defenders. A more uncomplicated age.
Or feast your eyes upon a shirt indelibly linked with Roberto Mancini, Gianluca Vialli, Attilio Lombardo and Sampdoria’s improbable 1991 Scudetto triumph.
As one user on X replied, we might well be in ‘shut up and take my money’ territory.
Introducing our 2026/28 away shirt.
On sale now.
🔗 https://t.co/9W7sizQLlH pic.twitter.com/Xze3QwsYdU
— West Didsbury & Chorlton (@WD_CFC) September 25, 2026
West Didsbury and Chorlton have a reputation for their hipster fanbase, with regular chants about hummus heard echoing around Brookburn Road on matchday.
And, on this evidence, it’s safe to say the club know their audience.
More than anything, in increasingly fractured times, they’re aware that many people consider West Didsbury and Chorlton a vital part of their social life and position themselves as an integral part of the local community.
How can you get this kit? Sadly, it’s already sold out on the club’s website. Perhaps a second batch will be released in the near future.
Otherwise, you’ll just have to set course for Staffordshire and the Black Country to see this magnificent kit in action.
READ NEXT: 11 former pros we can’t believe are still playing in non-league in 2026-27
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every club to have played in Serie A since 2000?