Blue Bombers unveil new uniforms, return to roots

The Blue Bombers are going back to their glory days, with a return to royal blue and gold — and once again white — a combination that adorned so many championship Winnipeg squads.

The team showed off the new look on Thursday, part of a simultaneous unveiling of new uniforms by all CFL teams on Thursday.

Over the past couple of decades, the team has tried out different looks, including navy blue and gold and a near-complete lack of white. Then they tried a much maligned spatter look in 2014 that people criticized as appearing as if they had been pummelled by pigeon poop.

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Winnipeg Bombers unveil new uniforms

9 years ago

Duration 0:37

The Blue Bombers are going back to their glory days, with a return to royal blue and gold — and once again white — a combination that adorned so many championship Winnipeg squads.The Bombers did use royal blue as an alternative/retro uniform on occasion during the past few years, but it now becomes the primary jersey.

The team is retaining its classic "W" logo that it brought back in 2012 after dumping the lightning bolt logo it adopted in 1995. The W has adorned the helmets of Bomber teams that won Grey Cups in 1962, 1984, 1988 and 1990.

Unfortunately for fans who want to wear the new colours, there's going to be a bit of a wait. A manufacturing "issue" by Adidas means there will be a delay in the shipment of the jerseys, a news release from the Bombers said.

They won't be available until the week of the club's season-opening game on June 24.

The new CFL uniforms are the latest change in the league's effort to rebrand itself and bring back the fans.

In November, ahead of the Grey Cup game in Winnipeg, the league unveiled a new logo and slogan and announced plans to launch new websites and mobile apps, for the league and individual teams, to reconnect with fans.

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The new clothing partnership with Adidas was announced in September.

The new brand campaign is a sign of optimism about the future, CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge said at the logo unveiling in November.

Despite sellouts in some cities, attendance across the league has been flat in the past several years and television ratings have fallen 15 per cent, he said, adding he hopes the transformation of the CFL brand will inject new buzz, attract new fans and propel things forward.