Don't panic: Indy Eleven unveil new Adidas kits.

Credit: Indy Eleven

By: Brian Cook

Long rumored to be coming, Indy Eleven have made their next step as a club by ditching the Diadora kits of old and ushering in a new era with the introduction of Adidas as kit manufacturer. No news on the length of the deal or other details (like how often, if ever, we could expect updated kits in the future) but the new kit brings the club another step toward on and off the field growth.

Adidas gives a new flavor to those tracking the boys in blue as the brand is prominent with and liked by many American fans. Many didn't know a terrible amount about the Italian brand Diadora, but Adidas is a household name and should provide a superior quality product than the previous manufacturer.

Change Can Be Painful

With the change in brands also comes a change in design. Obviously change can come swiftly, and, occasionally painfully as many will feel with the lack of checkers on the new kit.

The checkers, while insignificant for the outsider, have been a calling card to the grassroots origins of the team. It's repeated often, but Indy Eleven grew inside a community that was organized and strong and helped bring the entire club up. The checkers represent something that many of the supporters take much pride in.

Not bad, but where are the checkers @IndyEleven? @ErsalOzdemir told us checkers on the home would always be part of the club's tradition. https://t.co/UYksubNhpy

— Slaughterhouse-19 (@sh19indy) April 25, 2017

@prpodcastshow @IndyEleven It is when your club's owner promises they're part of our tradition. That the home will always have checkers & breaks it in the 1st new set.

— Slaughterhouse-19 (@sh19indy) April 25, 2017

The move to Adidas and the general reaction of the dropping of the checkers and the introduction of the pinstripes is display of what young sports teams would call "growing pains." Growing pains coming from fans who have been here from day zero and are now watching a club with the ambition and desire to play at the highest (and most corporate) level make difficult decisions that some may feel abandon what the club was founded on.

It's not to say that the club itself is losing it's grassroots philosophy and is fully embracing their potential MLS overlords; but, in order for the club to get out of the shadow of their current (and struggling) league it has to start forging it's own path and making it's own moves in order to give itself stability for it's future.

It's a difficult decision that had to be made. For now, let's remind ourselves that this club is still our club. It's still the club that plays in our city. It's the club that saw it's first silverware and saw the owner of the club walk it through the West End. It's a club that has often sought to deliver the best match day experience to helped fans. It's a club that's given us tears of joy and sadness. But most of all, it's Indiana's professional soccer team and for that we can be proud of this significant move.