The club’s home shirt has been redesigned to feature diagonal stripes to mimic seat belts as part of a road safety campaign backed by former England striker Ian Wright.
Non-league club Basingstoke United’s first team will wear a one-off kit when they take on Merthyr Town on Saturday.
Instead of the usual yellow jersey with three vertical blue stripes, the new jersey has only one diagonal blue stripe on the front.
The sleeve of the jersey also features the AA logo, representing the charity behind the event.
During the game, “Fasten Your Seat Belt” signs will be posted on perimeter boards, placemats, parking lot flags and beer mats.
Analysis by the AA Charitable Trust found that 43% of 17-29 year-olds killed in road crashes in the UK between 2019 and 2023 were not wearing a seatbelt.
The analysis also found that 29 percent of young drivers killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts, and 95 percent of them were men.
Edmund King, the organisation’s director, said: “Young players are the most valuable asset to any football club, so keeping them safe on the road is vital.
He added: “Research shows that teenagers are most vulnerable to serious injury when they are not wearing a seat belt, whether as passengers or drivers.”
”We hope this initiative will inspire other clubs to consider supporting our campaign and even changing their kit before a match.”
Wright, who appears weekly on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast alongside Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jill Scott and Jamie Carragher, said: “Wearing a seat belt is the easiest way to protect yourself when travelling in a car, whether you’re driving or sharing a car.
If a driver fails to fasten their seatbelt within the specified time, they will be issued a fixed fine of £100 on the spot.
Post time: May-06-2025