City inspired by the past ahead of the FA Cup Final by Aaron› 12 May 2011

As they look ahead to Saturday's FA Cup final, Manchester City will have a special piece of history behind them that was discovered in the Umbro archives. A telegram sent by the club to Umbro in 1934 after City's FA Cup victory has inspired the special numbers and lettering that the team will wear at Wembley on Saturday as they aim to beat Stoke City in the FA Cup final.

As explained in the video above, the font used on the player's shirts on Saturday has been inspired by the lettering used on the telegram, which thanks Umbro for "the fit, quality and smartness of the entire outfit" in the 1934 final that "was undoubtedly perfection". Let's hope that the players feel the same way this weekend!

The numbers on the back of the City shirts on Saturday will also feature another link to Manchester and the city's past. The historic Manchester coat of arms will feature at the base of each number, a discreet nod to a tradition of using the Manchester emblem whenever City play at Wembley.

The club will also be celebrating this historic link with a special Mercer jackets that the team will wear as they step onto the Wembley turf.

As you can see from our pictures, the Manchester coat of arms has been intricately embroidered onto the jackets, putting the whole of the city (or at least a big part of it behind MCFC in the Cup Final.

We've also got a shot of what both Man City and Stoke City will be aiming to fire into the goals at Wembley - the official FA Cup Final ball. Detailed with the match information, these special edition Umbro Neo balls will be seeing plenty of action on May 14th. Designed for a truer flight and greater accuracy, the Neo certainly did what it should in the semi-finals, where there were six goals in total. I wonder how many we'll see in the final?

Category:
Manchester City, Football Equipment