New Reading shirt sleeves contain important climate change message

'We can’t do everything, but we can’t do nothing'

Championship side Reading have launched their new home shirt for the 2022/23 season, which aims to raise awareness of climate change. While the shirt, which was unveiled on Monday, features the club's traditional blue and white hoops, its sleeves are covered in a bold striped design. The Royals have since explained that the stripes - known as 'climate stripes' - represent the average temperature in Reading over the course of the club's 151-year history. There are, therefore, 151 stripes per sleeve in total.  Those in shades of blue indicate a cooler-than-average year, while red shows years where the temperatures were warmer than average. The stripes were created four years ago by Professor Ed Hawkins of the University of Reading. It was announced last month that the club had entered into a partnership with the university with the aim of starting conversations around the climate crisis and inspiring action.