The Orlando Pride released their Luna kit on Thursday, inspired by NASA’s Artemis Lunar Exploration Program that aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon in 2024 as part of the first moon landing since 1972.
While the Pride’s 2021-22 Ad Astra kit recognizes icons who laid the foundation for women and minorities in space exploration, the Luna design completes the story by looking into the future.
“With the success we saw last year with the Ad Astra, I think for us it would be hard to top, but we were like, ‘OK, how could we do something as great or better?’ So I think we were able to put something really special together,” said Pedro Araujo, the Pride’s SVP of Brand and Marketing.
The jersey will be the club’s secondary kit for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Orlando players will debut the kit on Saturday in the club’s final match of the Challenge Cup against NJ/NY Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena.
The Pride have natural ties to NASA’s Lunar program, as it connects deeply to central Florida while also honoring trailblazing women. Many people on the Pride’s staff live in the Space Coast or have family members who work for NASA.
“It’s ingrained in who they are and they’re proud of that heritage,” Araujo said. “Having those people in the room while we were brainstorming was super important.”
The jersey features a depiction of the moon’s surface on one half and orbital solar system rings on the other, revolutionizing the traditional straight, vertical stripe design often seen in other soccer leagues.
“I don’t think anyone’s ever seen that kind of composition or layout on a soccer jersey,” Araujo said.
Players’ names and numbers on the back are displayed in rocket aluminum, inspired by thermal space blankets that protect spacecrafts, equipment and astronauts from the changes in temperature outside of Earth’s atmosphere. The front of the jersey features a single-color crest embroidered in space black, and Orlando Health as the sponsor for the seventh straight season.
The moon emblem on the bottom right of the jersey includes a depiction of Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt and the Moon who had the power of perfect aim with her bow and arrow. “To The Moon” is written on the inside of the neck as a reminder to fans and players of the possibilities ahead.
The Luna kits will be available for purchase at the Pride’s first home game of the regular season on May 1 against Gotham FC.