Hannover 96 celebrates the 70th anniversary of their 1954 German Championship win with a new Special Edition Kit

Hannover 96 became champions of Germany for the second time at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion on 23 May 1954 with a decisive 5-1 win over the Kaiserslautern team of Fritz Walter, the captain of the German national side that only 42 days later would go on to win the World Championship in Bern, Switzerland, beating the favourites Hungary 3-2. To celebrate the 70^th anniversary of this victory in what was at that time known as the Oberliga, Hannover 96 and Macron are presenting a ‘Special Edition’ shirt, which will be worn on Saturday 16 March in the home match against Kaiserslautern, and which honours this important event and the players who wore the club’s colours that glorious season.

“It is a wonderful thing to be honoured in this way after 70 years!” said Rolf Gehrcke, the only one still alive among the players who were part of that legendary team. The former midfielder, now 91 years old, was involved in the photo shoot for the presentation of the special jersey together with current players Nicolò Tresoldi and Marcel Halstenberg, not hiding his emotion for this historic anniversary.

The new Special Edition Kit of Hannover 96 is inspired by the one worn by the German club in the very last championship match of the 1953-1954 season. Although the club already had red as the main colour of the home kit at that time, in order to avoid confusion with the opponents of 1. FC Kaiserslautern (also dressed in red) Hannover 96 decided to play with the colour combination of the club's flag: green shirt, white shorts and black socks. Though inspired by the past, the new kit is made with an innovative, sustainable material. The shirt is made entirely from Eco Fabric, a polyester material derived exclusively from recycled plastic, and therefore conveys a clear message of sustainability and respect for the environment. The material chosen for the kit is Eco Piola, which combines softness and elasticity with a distinctive retro look.

The all-green shirt has a V neck with a criss-cross drawstring. The custom inside neck label is green too, with the dates 1954 – 2024 in gold and a laurel crown with the number ‘70’ in the centre and the word ‘Jubiläum’ (anniversary) underneath. Also in gold is the Macron logo and the words ‘Designed in Bologna’, certifying that the jersey was conceived, designed and developed through the collaboration between Macron and Hannover 96 in the technical sponsor’s Headquarters in Bologna.

The names of all the players in the team that won the 1954 German championship appear centrally at the front of the shirt in embossed tone on tone graphics. The two dates 1954 – 2024 are embroidered in gold at the bottom right of the shirt along with a laurel crown with the figure 70 in the centre and the word ‘Jubiläum’. A white Macron Hero appears on the right of the chest and, instead of the usual club badge, the black, white and green flag of Hannover 96 appears on the left. The two dates identifying the 70^th anniversary of the championship win are also embroidered in tone on tone at the back of the neck.

Like all garments produced for Hannover 96 by Macron, the Special Edition Kit can be purchased from the section of the macron.com dedicated to the club.