Whenever an African side pops up in the Kit of the Week (KOTW) challenge, we know we’re in for a treat, and that’s how it was in the Mamelodi Sundowns stage.

The DStv Premiership champions (it’s been a while since they were last not champions of South Africa) often have bold designs and that stereotype of football in the Mother Continent also applies to so many of our entries.

Super League Greece side Aris Thessaloniki FC (or Aris FC, or AFC, or Aris, or ΠΑΕ Άρης), from Thessaloniki (or Thessalonica, or Saloniki, or Salonika, or Salonica, or Θεσσαλονίκη) in Macedonia, have a striking identity that makes them ideal for the Crest Redesign Competition Weekly (CRCW).

As it was, there were certainly some themes that repeated in Aris’s stage, with the club of course named after Greek god of war and courage Ares, and he featured in some form on all but one of the entries.

This time of year, with all the new kit launches, is always exciting, and it’s a chance to compare and contrast with Kit of the Week (KOTW) stages from the last twelve months.

The Tottenham Hotspur - Spurs - chapter was a cracker, with several entries that could be regarded as at least on a par with the real-life releases.

Guatemala are far from the finest international side in the world, but that certainly doesn’t preclude them from featuring in our Crest Redesign Competition Weekly (CRCW).

They did exactly that, unknowingly, in the 318th stage of the challenge, and we were very glad they did, as the entries were superb.

Owing to relegation, Unione Sportiva (US) Cremonese will play in Italy’s Serie B in 2023-24, and this time of year we often get preoccupied with what-might-have-beens, including in terms of playing wear.

It provides an excuse to look back at Kit of the Week (KOTW) challenge stages from past months, like the Grigiorossi’s.

2021-22 Portuguese Primeira Liga champions FC Porto have history on this website.

A quick search for “Porto” will bring up an array of concept kit designs - including that fantasy shirt by matupeco - and plenty of badges too, particularly as the 317th stage of the Crest Redesign Competition Weekly was dedicated to them.