Sunderland, hummel and Elvis Presley Is a Collab Right Out of Left Field

Football has given us some strange crossovers over the years, but Sunderland x Elvis Presley probably wasn’t high on anyone’s bingo card. And yet, here we are. But that’s kind of the magic of it. This isn’t a safe, tick-box Premier League launch … it’s weird, a bit random, and completely out of left field, but that’s pretty much why I love it and why it works.

Because once you get past the initial “hang on, what?” there is actually some logic to it. Since the late 1970s, ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ has been Sunderland’s unofficial matchday anthem, belted out before kick-off both at home and away. It’s one of those things that's baked into the club’s identity. So while Elvis and Sunderland might seem like an odd pairing on the surface, the roots have been there all along.

It’s a similar line of thinking to Ajax’s Bob Marley-inspired third kit from 21/22 — take a cultural connection, however niche or unexpected, and run with it. And honestly, I’m always going to side with brands and clubs that lean into something distinctive rather than playing it safe. And lean into it they absolutely have.

The design pulls from the early days of Elvis’ career, landing on a bold pink and black colourway tied to his Louisiana Hayride era. It’s loud. It’s unapologetic. It’s very much not your standard away kit template. There’s a subtle embossed pattern running throughout, inspired by 1950s design motifs and peppered with repeated SAFC detailing, tying the club into Elvis’ rise to fame. Inside the neck, you’ve got ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love With You’, alongside the club crest and Elvis’ signature – which, again, feels slightly surreal when you actually stop and think about it.

And that’s the thing — it is brash. It is a bit over the top. But that’s entirely the point. Not every kit needs to be a minimalist masterclass. Sometimes it’s good to get something that turns heads and sparks a double take. It won’t be for everyone, no chance. But it’s bold, it’s different, and it’s actually saying something. That’s worth applauding.

It’s also the kind of approach you see far more often outside the Premier League — where clubs are generally more willing to take risks and embrace culture in unconventional ways. So seeing something like this land in England’s top flight feels refreshing, if not slightly bizarre.

And the weirdness doesn’t stop at the shirt itself. As part of the collaboration, the kit will be available at Graceland in Memphis from early July, with Sunderland heading stateside for a pre-season tour. Sunderland kits… being sold at Elvis’ home. Again, not something you’d have predicted, but here we are.

There’s also a full Elvis-inspired lifestyle and training range dropping alongside it, drawing from the shirt worn on the cover of Blue Hawaii, the same film that introduced ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ to the world. Expect everything from anthem jackets and pre-match tees to military-style pieces, Graceland-branded gear and a whole run of themed accessories. If you somehow sit right in the middle of that Sunderland x Elvis Venn diagram, this is basically your birthday and Christmas come all at once.

One interesting detail: the shirt launches without a front-of-shirt sponsor and will stay that way at retail for the duration of the 2026/27 season. Fans will have the option to add whichever partner comes next in-store once it’s announced, but in its purest form, it’s just Sunderland and Elvis front and centre. Sponsors can often make or break a shirt design, so it's nice to have th eoption here.

And perhaps the most surreal part of all this (as if we weren't knees deep already)? This isn’t a one-off. It’s the start of a multi-year collaboration with the Elvis Presley Estate. So yes, this unlikely crossover isn’t going anywhere. In fact, we’re probably only just getting started.

Sunderland and Elvis. Weird? Definitely. But football would be a lot duller without ideas like this, and for that alone, it’s hard not to love it.