Helen BurchellCambridgeshire

Cambridge Utd FC

The new strip has been designed for Black History Month

A painting depicting a slavery abolitionist and his family has inspired new artwork that will be displayed on Cambridge United's football kit.

The 2022 painting - An Eighteenth-Century Family - was recently acquired by the Fitzwilliam Museum in the city. Painted by artist Joy Labinjo, it featured Olaudah Equiano, his wife Susanna Cullen, and their daughters.

The museum worked with the football club, young people from charity Romsey Mill and digital artist Antonio Roberts to design a limited-edition kit for the team.

It will be worn by Cambridge United's first team for a special match on Saturday during Black History Month, and will subsequently be auctioned to raise funds for charity.

Fitzwilliam Museum/Joy Labinjo

The painting, An Eighteenth-Century Family, has been used to inspire a special football kit design

The initiative was conceived as part of the Fitzwilliam's commitment to bring culture and community together, highlighting themes of identity, legacy, and representation in a tangible, relevant way, the museum said.

"This project is about more than designing a kit," said Michael Corley,...