Third jersey

A third jersey, alternative jersey, third kit, third sweater or alternative uniform is a team jersey or uniform that a sports team can wear instead of its home outfit or its away outfit during games, often when the colors of two competing teams' other uniforms are too similar to contrast easily. Alternative jerseys are a lucrative means for professional sports organizations to generate revenue, by sales to fans. Of North American sports leagues, the National Football League (gridiron football) generates $1.2 billion annually in jersey sales, with the National Basketball Association second, selling $900 million annually. Another use of the alternative uniform is for identifying with causes. For example, the Central Coast Mariners wear an alternative pink kit on pink ribbon day. Extra alternative uniforms — such as fourth and fifth kits — are not commonly used, but are sometimes required when teams' other uniforms cause color clashes, their other wears are unavailable to use, or are introduced for commercial purposes. In cases where teams have worn more than three kits in the same season, the extra kits were usually recycled from previous seasons. Third-choice jerseys or uniforms are used in all five major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. Third kits are commonplace in professional European association football and in some professional European rugby union clubs. Alternative uniforms are common in Australia's two biggest domestic leagues, the Australian Football League (Aussie rules) and National Rugby League (rugby league).