Cambridge United Football Club has unveiled its special-edition fourth shirt, created in collaboration with the Fitzwilliam Museum and Romsey Mill, to celebrate Black History Month…
The shirt will make its on-pitch debut when United face Bromley at the Cledara Abbey Stadium on Saturday 18 October (12:30pm) and following the game, the match-worn shirts will be signed and auctioned off in aid of Romsey Mill. A limited number of replica shirts are available now from shop.cambridgeunited.com.
The shirt design is inspired by An Eighteenth Century Family, a celebrated painting by British-Nigerian artist Joy Labinjo, featured in the Fitzwilliam’s Rise Up: Resistance, Revolution, Abolition exhibition.
The painting depicts abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, his wife Susanna Cullen, and their daughters — connecting local Cambridge history with wider national themes of identity, representation, and belonging.
To shape the final look, the Fitzwilliam Museum collaborated with Romsey Mill - the club’s Charity Partner of the Year - and digital artist Antonio Roberts, to host weekly creative workshops with young people in the local community.
The collaboration highlights Cambridge United’s ongoing commitment to celebrating diversity, building connections across the city and using sport to help bring together the local community.
A special launch film starring Sullay Kaikai, which tells his story as a black British footballer of Sierra Leone heritage, announced the project, alongside photographs of him and other Cambridge United players inside the Fitzwilliam Museum, set against its iconic architecture.
CEO Alex Tunbridge said, "At Cambridge United, we believe football has the power to bring communities together and shine a light on important stories. This collaboration with the Fitzwilliam Museum and Romsey Mill is about more than a shirt - it’s about celebrating Black heritage, educating through creativity, and giving a platform to voices that deserve to be heard. We’re proud to play our part during Black History Month and beyond."
“This project is about more than designing a kit,” said Michael Corley, Fitzwilliam Museum Interim Deputy Director of Learning and Public Programmes. “It’s about these three key organisations coming together to celebrate the extraordinary ambitions of people both past and present.
"Young people across the city, continue to be driven to make a positive difference where they live and further afield. By connecting their current aspirations with stories of those who made change in the past, and by showing real career opportunities along the way, we aim to demonstrate that the city is behind them.”
Romsey Mill’s Lead Youth Development Worker, Laura Kahlbaum added, “At Romsey Mill, we’re passionate about collaborating with local organisations like The Fitzwilliam Museum and Cambridge United to create exciting opportunities that our young people might not otherwise experience. It’s particularly meaningful when these opportunities are not only unique but also deeply significant - like this one, which celebrates Black History Month.”
The Cambridge United Fourth Shirt is available now from shop.cambridgeunited.com or in-person at the Club Store on Newmarket Road.
