League Championship Side Reading Launches Kit By Sending It Into Orbit
League Championship side Reading launched its new kits "rather literally by sending them up into orbit," according to Chris Wright of ESPN.com. To promote "the grand unveiling, the Royals have tethered their new home and away shirts to a balloon" and let it drift 40km into the atmosphere while using a camera "to beam footage of the ascent back down to Earth." The entire climb, "all 39,084m of it, can be seen on this rolling live feed." Once they've reached their maximum height, the kits will be dropped back down to terra firma, "reaching speeds of 211mph as they go." If everything goes to plan, the jerseys should eventually land in a field "somewhere between Thetford and Norwich" (ESPN.com, 7/27). FC BUSINESS' Aaron Gourley reported "clinging to their coat hangers, the home and away kits embarked on a 135-minute ascent from a top secret location." The footage from the kit launch "was broadcast live on the club’s official Facebook and YouTube channels" as well as on the big screen in front of fans at Madejski Stadium, with the kits unveiled by the cameras in space at 10am Tuesday morning. The "rocket fuel" needed to get the kits up into the atmosphere was supplied by kit sponsor Carabao, a Southeast Asian energy drinks brand which became the principal partner of the Royals earlier this summer (FC BUSINESS, 7/27).