This season Manchester City will play in a new away kit that emphasizes their proud status as Barclays Premier League Champions, while providing a subtle reference to a key moment in their history.

The away shirt features a dark blue collar with a lighter blue V-shaped insert, and the body consists of a series of blue bands.

These tonal bands are dark blue at the top of the shirt and gradually become lighter travelling to the hem creating a striking modern graphic.

In May 1999, Manchester City famously scored two late goals to secure a 2-2 draw against Gillingham in the Second Division play-Oof final at Wembley before winning in a penalty shoot-out and securing promotion back to the First Division.

On that day, City triumphed wearing an away shirt of dark blue and yellow stripes. To honor that memorable occasion, this season’s away shirt features yellow names and numbers on the back, and the Nike Swoosh and sponsor’s name in yellow on the front.

Inside the back of the neck is a dark blue pennant tab with the bold statement “We are City” in yellow.

The new away shorts are dark blue and the new away socks are also dark blue with a lighter blue at the top. The away socks have a wide tonal stripe of chevrons on the back.

The new away kit will be available to pre-order from July 25 and to purchase in stores and from Nike.com from July 29.

While this new kit features Nike’s signature design details, it also offers players the very latest in performance innovation, kit technology and environmental sustainability.

NIKE DRI-FIT TECHNOLOGY

Nike Dri-Fit technology draws sweat away from the body to the exterior of the shirts and shorts where it quickly evaporates. This helps players to perform at their absolute best by remaining cooler, drier and more comfortable.

The laser-cut ventilation holes and mesh panels featured in key areas of the kit are designed to increase air circulation to the players’ bodies to help regulate their temperatures throughout ninety minutes on the pitch.

The kits are made of a new dual-knit fabric consisting of both cotton and recycled polyester, which removes sweat while providing a softer feel and an overall more flattering appearance.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Nike continues to place environmental sustainability at the heart of their kits, which are again made from recycled polyester this year. These kits have been created to provide both unrivalled performance benefits and lower environmental impact.

The kits are made from recycled plastic water bottles. The shorts are 100 percent recycled polyester; the shirts are 96 percent recycled polyester, while the socks are 78 percent.

Each kit is made using an average of 18 recycled plastic bottles, and over the last four years Nike has diverted almost two billion of these bottles from landfills to produce their kits.

By using recycled polyester Nike is also reducing the energy consumed in the entire process by up to 30 percent.

A NEW AND UPDATED PERFECT FIT

Nike took 3D body scans of many of the world’s leading footballers to create a kit with an updated and perfect new fit. The new fit allows the body to move more naturally within the kit, and so effortlessly improves players’ comfort and performance.

The Nike Elite Match fit sock for 2014 also boasts a sleeker and updated design created especially for football.

Nike’s designers spoke to many of today’s elite players to gain an insight in to what they wanted from a sock during a game. There are now strategically cushioned zones to provide comfort and protection around the big toe and the anklebones where the majority of impact occurs, while arch support provides a firm foundation for the foot to prevent any slipping.

There is less material on the sock to enhance players’ touch, while flex grooves on the ankle and top of the foot prevent bunching.