The Kelly Green jersey has long been clamored for by Eagles fans. A promise made by Chairman and CEO Jeffery Lurie last March left fans on the edge of their seats. The color, jersey, and style that symbolized the grit and grind of the early '90s Eagles is finally hitting the shelves. While it has been a waiting game for fans, Eagles employees have been hard at work preparing for this very moment.
"November of 2022 is when we started to get together our plan of what styles we were bringing in, what players, and how much we needed to order," Director of Merchandise Emily McNichol said. "All of that started to formulate last fall."
The merchandise department has been working tirelessly to make sure they are ready for the barrage of fans that will be purchasing Kelly Green apparel. The first task at hand for McNichol was placing the order. Numerous departments and executives were consulted as to how much gear would be purchased. This specific order was compared to past Super Bowl orders to ensure that all three Pro Shop locations would have enough jerseys and other merchandise to last the entire season.
Once the order was placed, the Eagles' front office moved on to its marketing plan. This consisted of producing a jersey unveiling and creating the best way to tell fans. The seven-month process involved collaboration from multiple departments. Eagles Entertainment worked on the graphic design and reveal video and the communications team worked on press releases that would be sent out upon the release of the new jersey.
Kelly Green is a familiar site at Eagles games. From Reggie White and Jerome Brown to Randall Cunningham and Mike Quick, the vintage look has stuck around for decades. While fans can buy Kelly Green jerseys with the likes of White and Cunningham on the back, they have been yearning for the opportunity to rock Jalen Hurts, Darius Slay, and others in the famous Kelly Green.
"The unique part about this is having current players in these jerseys," McNichol said. "We will have sideline gear that the players and coaching staff will wear."
The Kelly Green selection will take up an "appropriate" amount of space in each Pro Shop location, per McNichol. This new line will be treated as an alternate color and uniform, while still emphasizing the team's primary color – Midnight Green.
Fans will have the opportunity to purchase Kelly Green merchandise at all three Eagles Pro Shop locations starting at 9 AM on Monday, July 31. The apparel includes jerseys, shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and more.
The Lincoln Financial Field Pro Shop will treat the release day like a gameday. Staffing will be all hands on deck to accommodate the large crowd that is expected to show up. There will also be staff members who will continuously stock the shelves when certain merchandise runs out.
"I am looking forward to the fans' excitement," McNichol said. "I know the demand has been there, I have seen it in our stores. I know how well we sell retro products and retro jerseys. So, for the fans to be able to finally have that dream of Jalen Hurts wearing a retro jersey come true, I am looking forward to checking that box with our fans."
The Eagles Cheerleaders, Drumline, SWOOP, and Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro will provide fan entertainment on Pepsi Plaza at Lincoln Financial Field for the public on-sale. Gates to Pepsi Plaza for fans will open at 8 AM on Monday.
