"It connects the past and the present" - Fan who designed Chennaiyin FC's jersey for ISL 2021-22 outlines his thought process

Chennaiyin FC unveiled their jerseys for the 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) season in a ceremony in the city of Chennai on Saturday (July 23). The Marina Machans will continue to don their traditional blue (home) and white (away) kits, and have also released a third jersey, which is yellow.

Both the home and away shirts feature blue and white stripes on the collar and the edges of the sleeves. But their most prominent feature is a representation of the Chennai Central railway station from the middle to the bottom of both kits.

The station is a historic landmark of the city and was first opened back in 1873. It continues to operate at full capacity to this day, acting as a major connecting point for the Indian Railways.

Placing such a landmark on Chennaiyin FC's kits was the brainchild of the club's fan Aynstine Thomas Jesudas. The Marina Machans provided their faithful with a chance to design their jerseys for the upcoming ISL season. Out of numerous designs, Thomas Jesudas' made the cut.

Speaking exclusively with Sportskeeda about his idea to include Chennai Central on the team's jersey, the 18-year-old from Kerala said:

"When I heard about this competition, I researched a bit about Chennai. I concluded that Chennai Central railway station is like an identity for Chennai and its architectural and aesthetic brilliance, and it connects the past and the present."

Thomas Jesudas went on to add that he didn't know his design had won the contest until he arrived in Chennai for the unveiling:

"I'm very happy to attend this function. I didn't know that my jersey was selected. They only told me it was shortlisted. Only when I arrived here, I knew that it was selected, so I'm very happy."

He concluded by voicing out his feelings on watching Chennaiyin FC's players wear the jersey:

"I'm very proud of myself and happy that something I did is part of history. This team is going to create history by winning trophies."

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"We promise you an exciting style of play and the 'never give in' spirit of Chennaiyin FC - Co-owner Abhishek Bachchan

Bollywood superstar and Chennaiyin FC co-owner Abhishek Bachchan is one of the most well-known owners in the ISL. He was also present at the Marina Machans' jersey launch and was pleased to see fans at an event after nearly two years of the league operating in bubbles.

Bachchan began by quoting a now-famous line from the super-hit 2022 Tamil movie "Vikram," and said:

"Aarambikkalamaa? (Shall we begin?) It's wonderful to be back in Chennai after a long time ... Nothing gives us greater joy and pride than to be back home in front of our extended family."

The actor praised the fans for making the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, also known as the Marina Arena, an "intimidating" place to visit for rival teams:

"The one thing that CFC has been known for is their fighting spirit and that spirit from the guys sitting back there [fans]. We've come to know that our home ground happens to be one of the most intimidating places to come and play. Credit for that goes entirely to the Chennaiyin FC fans."

Bachchan went on to outline what he believes the Marina Machans faithful can expect from their team in the 2022-23 ISL season:

"I look forward to hold that spirit and we promise you exciting style of play and the 'never give in' spirit of Chennaiyin FC. We have an exciting new dynamic and young team."

He continued by praising the club's move to ask fans to design their jersey:

"It's a matter of great pride that we happen to be one of the first clubs to get fans to design the jersey. We hope to set a new precedent of greater fan engagement and a greater exchange between our fans and the squad."

Vita Dani, another of Chennaiyin FC's co-owners who was present at the jersey launch, also voiced similar sentiments. She said:

"What is special this year is the fact that our jersey has been designed by the fans. We haven't gotten any professionals to do that and depended on our extended family, our in-house talent. So, full credit to all our fans."

The event also saw the presence of new Chennaiyin FC coach Thomas Brdaric and captain Anirudh Thapa. Fan favorites Rafael Crivellaro and Debjit Majumder, as well as new arrivals Fallou Diagne and Romario Jesuraj, were present at the event as well.

The players and the coach donned their new jerseys ahead of what fans are hoping will be an exciting new ISL season. Prior to that, Chennaiyin FC will compete in a couple of friendlies in Kolkata before traveling to Imphal for the 2022 Durand Cup.