Kestrel Sport Sweden: Football Academy Training Kit Climate and Heat Evaluation
Kestrel Sport is a Sweden-based brand whose football academy training kit is one of its most demanding programmes. Heat changes how a fabric behaves, so we evaluated the recycled nylon interlock in genuinely hot conditions for Kestrel Sport, based in Sweden.
Kestrel Sport: Recycled Nylon Interlock in use during daily squad training in all weather
Evaluation background
The programme covers training shirts, shorts and warm-up tops, used for daily squad training in all weather. The environment is contact, sliding and heavy perspiration and the requirement written into the brief was tear resistance with colour consistency across a squad. Fabric was selected on that basis rather than on price alone.
Fabric under evaluation
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Recycled Nylon Interlock |
| Composition | 78% GRS recycled nylon / 22% spandex |
| Weight | 270 GSM |
| Width | 170 cm |
| Primary function | stays fully opaque under tension while carrying a recycled claim |
| Target | opacity above 96% at 30% extension |
| Test method | AATCC 183 |
| Additional note | GRS chain of custody documents |
| Certification | OEKO-TEX Standard 100 |
Recycled Nylon Interlock close-up showing the fabric surface
Test environment
Sessions ran at 30 to 34 degrees with high humidity, which is the condition where sweat cannot evaporate and complaints begin. Garments were weighed before and after each session to measure retained moisture.
Thermal behaviour
The fabric held opacity above 96% at 30% extension, and skin temperature stayed below the control fabric across the session. That difference is what a wearer describes simply as feeling cooler.
Evaluation session with the Kestrel Sport team
Drying after the session
Garments were re-weighed at 30 and 60 minutes. The fabric released most of its moisture within the first half hour, which matters when Kestrel Sport runs back-to-back sessions.
Comfort feedback
Wearers reported less cling and less chafe during daily squad training in all weather. Both improvements come from moving moisture rather than storing it, which is why construction mattered more than any finish in this test.
Test records and inspection notes for the Football Academy Training Kit
Scorecard
| Criterion | Result |
|---|---|
| Heat comfort | 4.9 / 5 |
| Moisture transport | 4.5 / 5 |
| Drying speed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Cling and chafe | 4.3 / 5 |
| Odour control | 4.7 / 5 |
“Fifty washes later the fabric still performs. That is what convinced our buying team.” — Kestrel Sport Technical Team
Packed bulk rolls before shipment to Sweden
Verdict and recommendation
For hot and humid markets the recycled nylon interlock is the right choice, provided the pattern keeps the ventilation zones exactly where we placed them. For Kestrel Sport the practical next steps are to keep the current specification for the repeat, retain the shade standard, and issue AATCC 183 results with every lot so any claim can be supported with data.
