The Poland Shirt: A New Poland Kit for the Euro 2012 Co-Hosts

2012 marks the Poland National Team's second appearance in the European Championships, with their first coming in the Euro 2008. The co-host nation with Ukraine, they will face Greece in the innagural match in Group A on June 8th. With their FIFA World ranking of 70th (as of Feb. 2012), the lowest among the tournament participants, they are certainly considered one of the long-shots of the tournament. Fans need only look back as far as the Euro 2004, however, to be reminded to never count out the underdog.

The Newly Redesigned Euro 2012 Poland Home Kit

The Euro 2012 Poland Shirt is unique both in its design and its evolution. The initial version of the Home Poland Kit was unveiled in November 2011 for friendlies against Belarus, Italy and Hungary, however, a well-publicized outcry from the devoted fanbase over the exclusion of the Orzel Bialy (Polish White Eagle) led Nike to redesign the shirt before releasing it to distributors. The updated version of the shirt was revealed the following month with the nation’s coat of arms moved to the mid-chest area of the jersey to make room for the Orzel Bialy, now appearing over the left breast. This dual-crest design, along with a solid red number plate spanning the length of the chest, makes this one of the most unique jerseys featured in the summer tournament. Borussia Dortmund midfielder and Polish National Team captain Jakub Blaszczykowski has said of the kit "The new jersey represents our flag and our pride to play for the White and Red. This will be the most important year in Polish football history, so the jersey will be remembered for many years to come."