The jersey will be part of the team's primary kit during the 2021 season. A lighter, secondary kit will be revealed later. Unlike other major league sports, MLS does not require a white uniform and a colored uniform, but it does require one dark jersey and one light jersey.
James Ruth, Austin FC's senior vice president of marketing, said the process to create the jersey has taken over a year, with input from CEO Anthony Precourt, club President Andy Loughnane and Matthew McConaughey, club minority owner and "minister of culture."
Ruth said McConaughey's involvement goes beyond bringing publicity in his celebrity owner role.
"Matthew has taken this on with real fervor; he's extremely invested in things like the look of the kit, how we present it, and in 2021, what our fan experience is going to be like," Ruth said.
The club wants to make the jersey about more than Austin's celebrities and the way the city presents itself to the rest of the world: Austin FC is calling the jersey "the uniform for Austin." Ruth said that is a play on the American idea of a sports uniform, but "also in this instance we mean the uniform for the people that work in Austin," he said.
Teaser videos Austin FC released ahead of the jersey reveal featured some of those Austinites who build the city's culture, from neon sign maker Evan Voyles to Otoko sushi chef Yoshi Okai and Gold Rush Vinyls founder Caren Kelleher.
Austin FC will become the 27th MLS franchise in the upcoming 2021 season. The start date of the season and the team's first home game are still yet to be determined. The 2020 MLS season will finish Dec. 12, after which the league will make decisions regarding 2021.
