If the women's Euros once again taught us that modern football, when played with passion, intensity and a real sense of togetherness, can be genuinely inspiring, the Premier League is about to remind us that is also about money.
Lots and lots of money.
And one of the ways the clubs make that money is by flogging football shirts all around the globe, with no corner of the world off-limits to a Nike, Adidas or Puma number with a badge slapped on it and a sponsor emblazoned across the front.
But, we again hear you cry, which of those shirts are the best in the coming season?
Well fear not, we are back for what feels like the 307th time to bring you the definitive home and away Premier League kit rankings for 2022-23.
You know the rules by now. We don't mess around with third kits and unless the strip has been officially released (a bit of a problem this year, it turns out) then we're not going to include it.
Ready then? Off we go.
Honourable mention: Brentford home
Now don't get us wrong, we like shiny new football kits around here. It's kind of our whole reason for being, if we're honest, but every so often less is more.
It was back in November last year that Brentford announced they would be keeping their 2021-22 home kit - their first ever as a Premier League club - for two seasons, thereby giving a little bit back to their fans and providing a rare step in the correct direction when it comes to the relationship between football and getting people to part with their money, at a time when more are sorely needed.
Well played.
Still waiting: Chelsea away, Leicester away
These are strange times for the world - you don't need an article ranking football kits to tell you about that - and while there are many, many more important things to get worked up about, the fact that we still haven't officially seen two Premier League away kits yet is rather strange.
Supply and distribution issues have been blamed, with Leeds taking the step of apologising to their fans before their late release on Wednesday, and while we can be pretty sure what all of them will look like as the information is out there if you look hard enough, we just don't deal in leaked kits around here.
You expect better of us, and you're right to.
They'll all be out fairly soon though you'd imagine. Chelsea are away at Everton on the opening day of the season, so they'll need to have one in order to avoid a fairly confusing kit clash.
It might well be that some of them have been released by the time you're reading this, but we're sticklers for the rules around here.
Sorry lads, you missed out.
37. Liverpool away
While actual football in the division might be getting more predictable with each passing season, the Premier League kit ranking game is a fluctuating experience.
Just 12 months ago, when we were all a little younger and less despairing of the world, Liverpool's away kit was the very best in the division. It was modelled on an old number from 1996, which coincidentally was the same year the designers had the acid trip this one is based on.
36. Fulham away
If the Liverpool away kit looks like something has gone wrong with your telly, this Fulham attempt could convince you that you need to buy a new one.
The spearmint sleeves and badge might have given it somewhat of a fresh look were it not for the rest of it, which is apparently a "detailed modern interpretation of the Craven Cottage brickwork" according to the club.
So a wall then.
35. Leeds United away
Leeds kept us waiting for their away kit this summer, and then threw some yellow socks in the wash with their home one and splodged a bit of blue paint over the top.
At least I think that's what they did, it's pretty hard to tell as the Yorkshire club have gone down the same psychedelic route as a number of other clubs this summer.
It can look alright when done well, as you'll find out below, but it can also end up looking like this.
34. Bournemouth away
We get it. It's Bournemouth, they're by the sea, it's August, they're back in the Premier League after a brief period away, they're rightly feeling good about that and all is sunshine and palm trees.
But are the Cherries really going to want to give off the multipack holiday t-shirt vibe when they rock up in the Hounslow hail to play Brentford away in January?
Seems risky.
33. Everton away
Everton wore this kit in pre-season when they were beaten 4-0 by Minnesota on their summer tour of the US, and as omens for it go then that really isn't a good one.
The Merseysiders have had pink away kits before and most have looked good, but it is the pattern here that diverts the eyes away from the shirt and ultimately the pitch, although if Everton have another season like the last one then fans could welcome that.
32. Leicester City home
And speaking of collars, there is a big old white one on the Leicester City home shirt that kind of takes the attention away from what is otherwise a pretty standard Foxes number for the new season.
The 1970s would be calling the King Power Stadium because they wanted their fashion back, that is if the 1990s weren't calling to retrieve that reference.
31. Tottenham Hotspur away
No strangers to funky away and third kits in recent times, Spurs have gone for this combination of three colours that have all been seen on their change kits in the past few years - but then again pretty much everything was.
The shirt itself isn't terrible, even if it is fairly cycling jersey-ish, with black shorts and luminous socks accompanying it. Hmm.
30. Wolverhampton Wanderers away
Someone gets it every year, and this time around it is the turn of Wolves to take the not-so coveted The Away Kit That Looks Like A Goalkeeper's Kit And In Fact You're Pretty Sure Has Been At Some Point award.
Jose Sa, John Ruddy, Rui Patricio. They've all sported this kit at some point in the recent past and do you know what? We were fine with that.
We're less on board with this, even though the weird, almost constellation like pattern on the front of the shirt apparently takes inspiration from Molineux's Billy Wright Stand.
However, what with it being a Wolves kit and this being season starting in an even numbered year, so no Norwich, then don't expect to see it often.
29. Nottingham Forest away
In truth, Wolves only just pipped the returning Nottingham Forest to that award this season, with the Tricky Trees back in the big time with an away number that looks part-goalkeeperish, part-Sweden kit with rogue sleeves.
Don't get too excited about the lack of sponsor though as one will be on there for the start of the season. You all know how this works.
28. Everton home
We're entering the realms of the forgettable now, and frankly there are a fair few of those this season.
Hummel's chevrons down the sleeves are always a wonderful sight on a football kit, but that's pretty much all this very average Everton number has going for it, with the frankly ginormous sponsor taking far, far too much of your attention.
27. Chelsea home
Having got funky with last season's shirt which featured all manner of patterns on the front and a jazzy yellow line down the side, Chelsea have very much gone back to basics for 2022-23. They've then gone a little further down the road from basics and ended up here, wherever this is.
It's a Chelsea kit alright though, that could barely be more obvious.
26. Liverpool home
It kind of makes you wonder which designs were rejected, doesn't it? Or maybe they didn't even get that far?
Maybe a big book of Liverpool home kit ideas was opened up in a Nike office one day and they all just thought, "yep, that one on Page 1, that'll do. Pub?"
Rarely has a club managed the contrast between too bland home kit and too busy away kit in the same season, but Liverpool have absolutely nailed it here.
25. Leeds United home
This will be the third season that Leeds have had something called SBOTOP on the front of their shirts, and the third season that we're not really sure what that is.
It's almost certainly a gambling company because, y'know, read the room, but is it one that you're ever going to come across in your day-to-day life?
Other than that the kit is alright.
24. Wolverhampton Wanderers home
Wolves kits have seem to have gradually got a bit more yellow over the years, and this one continues the trend while also sporting the obligatory obscure gambling sponsor, only this time on the sleeve.
The Midlanders' kits are always distinctive but this one seems a little bit paint by numbers, and we've kind of ran out of things to say about it now really.
23. Tottenham Hotspur home
Another one for the fairly bland collection of what is not a vintage Premier League season for kits, but at least the blue and yellow trim does give this something different from last season's offering, which was basically just a white t-shirt.
The giant red sponsor remains a bone of contention with some Spurs fans, but it's been there long enough you tend to just ignore it these days.
22. West Ham United away
Now it would have been very easy to not go mad with the sleeves here, and we'd probably have criticised West Ham for doing so as we have with some of the extremely bland efforts above, but did they need to go this mad?
Apparently they are there to represent east London, and to be honest there is a bit of 2012 Olympics vibe to them. All a bit 'hmmm' though.
21. Fulham home
Yes you're right, it is pretty much the same as the Leeds United shirt we've stuck four places lower but a) there's a nicer colour to the trim here, and b) when on earth have we ever applied logic or common sense to this?
It's okay though isn't it? Fulham return to the top flight again with a classic look, and hoping those Ws transfer to the pitch this time.
20. Nottingham Forest home
As discussed above, a first return to the Premier League in 23 years has seen Forest bide their time in the search for a new shirt sponsor, with the club determined to get the maximum possible revenue from any deal.
They'll eventually confirm one, so enjoy this unaccompanied, very Forest shade of red while you can.
It's a solid comeback.
19. Manchester United home
When they revealed their new home kit United made a big fuss of the fact that it has a collar, so much so that they might as well have just shouted "DO YOU REMEMBER ERIC CANTONA AND WHEN WE WERE GOOD?" to a fanbase who have become used to having to cling onto former glories.
The irony is though that it's the collar, and the weird detailing, that just make this all seem a bit like a bland imitation of better times. A little like... well yeah you get it.
18. Brighton and Hove Albion home
We've been here before with Brighton.
The question that hangs over all of the striped clubs - the likes of yer Southamptons, yer Newcastles, yer Sheffields United and Wednesday - is just how thick they go.
Brighton have probably been the least willing to experiment with this over the years bar 2020-21's very strong blue with white pinstripes number, and oddly enough it is pinstripes who save this one, with the thin yellow lines certainly improving it.
17. Bournemouth home
Okay this might well be where we lose you.
Yes we've had a go at slightly too jazzy kits above, but making an effort is better than making no effort at all, isn't it?
Bournemouth are back with a new take on the stripes that isn't so much about thickness but more about whether or not your eyesight can stand it.
Ours can. For now.
16. Crystal Palace home
And if you hadn't flown into a rage at that then this may very well sent you over the edge.
Palace's home kit made a stir when it was released, so much so that certain experienced kit rankers were immediately sent it across various forms of media in expectation of a skewering.
But it's actually okay isn't it? Different, and looks good on the actual footballers who are the only ones who are contractually obliged to wear it.
Are you still with us?
15. Aston Villa home
Over to a more conventional choice now, and a home kit from Aston Villa which could very well fall into the category of looking suspiciously like home kits we've seen from them before, but it's quite nice so we'll allow it.
Emerging brand Castore are the force behind this one again, and it takes up a slightly better than mid-table spot that Steven Gerrard will probably be happy with.
14. Southampton home
We're back onto stripe length again, and Southampton's status as the Premier League club who are most willing to get a bit creative.
We've had conventional stripes, pinstripes and a Peru-esque sash from the Saints in recent years, and now comes this very different Hummel number that mixes things up again.
It's eye-catching, although wait until you see their away kit...
13. Manchester United away
As with the home kit it is back to the late 1990s for Manchester United on their travels this season, and a change shirt that brings back memories of countless late winners, iconic goals and joyous celebrations under Sir Alex Ferguson, that presence who still reigns supreme over the club all these years after his retirement as manager..
No pressure, Erik.
12. Brighton and Hove Albion away
England's women had a similar change kit to this in this summer's Euros but they didn't need to wear it, but just being associated with such a team wins Brighton some acclaim here.
Yes, we know it is a little bit goalkeeper kit-ish but if you haven't worked out that we're massive hypocrites around here yet then you need to have a look at yourself.
11. Aston Villa away
We're reliably informed that Villa will usually sport sky blue coloured shorts to go alongside this shirt, and not the claret ones they had on when they faced Manchester United in a friendly in Australia.
Does that change the look of the kit? Certainly, and the shirt is a stylish number with a nice little subtle drop in the collar, which sounds very much like we know what we're talking about.
10. Crystal Palace away
As you'll have already gathered, Palace's stripes attracted a lot of attention earlier this summer, and there's a slightly more refined version of them on the south Londoners' away kit. But only slightly.
Yes they look like a child has scribbled all the way down the front of the shirt in red and blue markers, but if they didn't do that then what have you got?
You've got Tottenham's home shirt basically, and one of those is enough.
9. Arsenal away
As we've said before around these parts, putting gold detailing on your shirts before you've actually achieved anything is a pretty risky move.
It's also usually destined to not get you a very high place in these rankings, but the gold and black works quite well here and fits with an Arsenal who are hoping to be a little more serious this season while retaining their style.
8. Newcastle United home
While Southampton might like to experiment and Bournemouth clearly had some sort of epiphany before designing their home number this season, for Newcastle the search for the ideal stripe thickness has long been over.
Sure, they've dabbled with usually thicker and occasionally thinner approaches, but at a time when they are determined to project themselves onto the world stage they've gone to what they know.
And it works.
7. Manchester City away
It's a new take on an old classic for City this season, with the club's iconic red and black striped away kit simply tipped on its side. It works as well, doesn't it?
Okay it might make you as dizzy as a defence trying to cut out a Kevin De Bruyne pass, but it is different and in a season where we've had a bit too much of the same it is one of the better change strips.
6. Newcastle United away
Yep its that same gold question from the Arsenal away entry above, but it works here with the darker navy colour to created a striking design that Newcastle will wear on their travels.
The obligatory obscure gambling sponsor may still be there for the world's richest club, but you can overlook that as well as the shorts and socks colour choice. Can't you?
5. West Ham United home
We're a sucker for retro-inspired kits around here, but there aren't actually that many for us to marvel at this season. This is a cracker though.
It's modelled on an early 90s kit in which the Hammers achieved promotion under legendary manager Billy Bonds some 30 years ago, and the sleeves give it a different, refreshed look to recent West Ham shirts.
Lovely jubbly.
4. Brentford away
Speaking of retro, get a load of the badge on this crisp Brentford away kit.
While the Bees have admirably opted to keep last season's home shirt as they help fans who are feeling the pinch, their new away shirt brings back an old club crest from the 70s on an away kit similar to ones they wore in the 80s and 90s. What's more, they'll be keeping this one for two years as well.
No complaints here.
3. Arsenal home
They're usually pretty consistent performers in these rankings, and Arsenal hit the top three with a stylish home shirt which benefits from the adidas collar in a way that isn't quite replicated with Manchester United.
Why is that? We don't know, to be honest.
If you hadn't worked it out by now we're pretty much making this up as we go along.
2. Southampton away
This might be it, you know. This might be the moment that your humble kit rankings have jumped the shark. And not just any old shark, a shark hidden in the choppy waves of this, the Southampton away kit.
It's... bold isn't it? And different.
And while it might be because it reminds us of a casual shirt we once bought in an attempt to switch things up but were ultimately far too shy to wear in public, we're grown-up enough and confident enough to embrace it now.
Look as us, eh?
1. Manchester City home
We'll be honest, as with a few kits this season, when this was initially released we weren't too sure about it. But it has grown on us ever since.
As one of only three strips in our list to go with the badge down the middle it was always going to stand out, but the subtle colours on the collar and sleeves, the return to a more Man City shade of blue and also the reinstatement of the white shorts all make it work.
It's this season's number one, and it would be no surprise if City won the less important prize in May too.
