Italian side Spezia FC have released a new shirt to commemorate their 120th anniversary as a professional side, and have made a nod to Crystal Palace’s original colours. 

Spezia, who currently compete in the third tier of Italian football just four seasons on from a three year stay in the Serie A. 

But why has a club from La Spezia, a vibrant port city in northern Italy, taken inspiration from a Crystal Palace shirt?

Sprezia Calcio were founded in 1906 by Swiss banker Hermann Hurni, and are nicknamed Aquilotti, or ‘The Little Eagles.’ Hurni had been a player for Crystal Palace’s amateur sides during his time in London as a student. 

Spezia’s first ever kit was a light blue and white shirt, handed down by Palace as a gift to Hurni when he founded the club. Hurni later returned to play for Palace, in the club’s revived form, in 1909. 

Spezia’s fanbase is almost exclusively made up of residents of La Spezia, as Genoa and Sampdoria dominate the region, in somewhat similar fashion to Palace within London. 

Their return to Serie C is the first time at that level since 2005/06, and the club have had a handful of notable players, including Ethan Ampadu and Jakub Kiwior. 

Spezia commended their anniversary by releasing a special, limited edition run of 700 shirts, a stunning vintage nod to the romantic connection between the Italian side and the South London club, also unearthing a potentially unknown connection between the clubs that could open Palace fans’ eyes to a new side to follow. 

The shirt has completely sold out, and there are no reported plans for it to be re-released, so it will be a hot commodity and a collectors item. 

Spezia aren’t the first side to commemorate this shirt though, as Palace themselves did so in the 2021/22 season, remembered as the season that Palace reached the FA Cup semi final, losing in the semi final to Chelsea under the guidance of Patrick Vieira. 

That shirt was a similar style, but had the Crystal Palace stenciled onto the background of the kit, and remains one of the more unique Palace shirts from recent years. 

Spezia are currently top of Serie C Group B, with 7 wins from their opening 8 games, and remain unbeaten too. Palace fans will potentially be keeping an eye on their performances going forward, and some may even consider a visit to the side should Palace’s Europa League draw bring up an Italian away day!