Birmingham Legion unveils USS Alabama-inspired away kit for July 2 debut

Birmingham Legion FC unveiled its new Hummel away kit on July 1 and put it on the field the next night at Protective Stadium, using the club’s annual Salute to Service match against Detroit City FC as the stage for a jersey built around the USS Alabama.

The kit, called “Forged for Battle,” carries a naval look that ties directly to the battleship that sits at the center of Mobile’s military history. Legion built the design around semaphore patterns, gold trim and an anchor wheel motif, a visual package meant to connect the club’s branding with the ship’s wartime legacy and Alabama’s broader military identity. The away kit was first worn Thursday, July 2, at 7 p.m. CST, when Legion hosted Detroit City FC in a match the club placed among its biggest home dates of the season. The night ended with a post-match fireworks show, and Legion’s 2026 match-theme calendar labeled the game “Salute To Service Post-game Fireworks | Away Kit Reveal.”

The club shop added another layer to the release by saying Legion made a donation to USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park to support preservation of the ship and its history. That park opened to the public on January 9, 1965, after the USS Alabama was decommissioned in 1947 and saved from scrapping. The timing gave the kit launch a clear civic frame: not just a new look for the road, but a direct tie to one of the state’s most recognizable military landmarks.

Legion has made a habit of using kit releases to tell stories that reach beyond the standings. The club previously introduced its 2025 “Stars Fell” kit with a patriotic and local-history angle, and it has worked with Hummel since January 23, 2024, when the manufacturer became its official on- and off-field kit partner. That deal covers home, away, alternative, training, travel and retail gear, giving Legion a wide platform to turn design choices into identity plays.

This release landed as both. The salute to the USS Alabama made the kit feel rooted in place, while the fireworks, the Military Appreciation Night staging and the sharp naval design made it easy to sell to fans as a special-edition drop. In Legion’s hands, the away kit functioned as civic storytelling and smart merchandising at the same time, with the battle ship’s history stitched into a jersey built for one of the club’s marquee nights.