Pink and proud: Torquay United’s away kit choice

Torquay United’s new home playing strip is expected to be more traditional than the away shirt, which has raised a few eyebrows among the Gulls’ fan base.

United held a poll over last weekend for supporters to pick the away shirt, from four options supplied by their new Torbay-based suppliers VX3.

All carried the club’s new badge, which highlights United’s 125th Anniversary this year.

The options, in mauve, lilac, green and blue, definitely weren’t traditional, a deliberate move by the Gulls’ new owners to appeal to younger fans.

And the poll did attract almost 6,000 votes.

But United regard their home strip as the key issue, both for the club’s image and all-important replica kit sales.

That will not be revealed until early next month, and it’s predicted to be along more traditional lines.

But the launch is due to happen with a fair bit of the panache, which the Gulls plan to bring to much of their public relations in the future.

Expect more of the inventive and humorous film clips, like last week’s deckchair cameo of Neil Warnock and Paul Wotton, which went down so well...

The new regime at Plainmoor is still restricted by the Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), which they had to agree to lift the club out of administration.

Despite a range of other recent announcements, it means that they will not be able to start trading for at least another ten days.

Back to that all-important away kit vote, and the winner was option 2 with 42% of the vote. The palm tree inspired design is a break from tradition and carries a freshness that has become an early benchmark of the Bryn Consortium…long may that continue.

United’s pre-season programme is beginning to take shape, with a trip to Tiverton Town on Saturday, August 3 added to a list that already contains Buckland Athletic away on Friday, July 12 and a visit from Exeter City on Tuesday, July 30.