LONDON, UK. September 7th, 2026 – QPR’s new third kit is making it difficult to spot the sponsors this season, with the all-black design keeping logos firmly in the background. QPR legend Jamie Mackie embraced the blackout ahead of the club’s clash with Middlesbrough, kicking off a matchday shirt swap by inviting fans to trade their “any old colours” for the brand-new shirt.
However, the blackout doesn’t stop there, with sponsors including MrQ going even further; removing their advertising on perimeter boards, reducing the commercial noise, and putting the focus back on the football.
But while MrQ was hard to spot inside the stadium, they made some serious noise outside instead; creating a fan-first activation and encouraging supporters to trade their colours and join the blackout, with fans receiving a free QPR shirt.
Supporters could bring any old football shirt to swap; from previous QPR kits and rival colours to childhood favourites and shirts that had been hiding at the back of the wardrobe for years.
Jamie Mackie made the first swap, before meeting supporters, getting involved with the shirt swap and sharing his thoughts on the new kit.
“I’ve had a lot of QPR shirts over the years, so I know how much they can mean to people. Some of them are definitely easier to put in the bin than others! The new third kit looks great, and I love the idea of fans getting involved and trading their old colours for it.”
Two oversized ‘LOVE’ and ‘HATE’ bins decided the fate of the fan’s old shirts, creating a colourful contrast to the new all-black kit, and plenty of debate from the onlooking fans as their once beloved shirts were firmly slam-dunked into the love and hate bins.
The event gave MrQ an opportunity to put the focus firmly back on football.
“Don’t get it twisted, we’re going to be loud and proud as QPR sponsors this season. But sometimes the best thing a sponsor can do is get out of the way. This was about putting QPR and the game first: black us out, let the club shine, and do some good for charity while we’re at it,” said Adam Ryan, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at MrQ.
The shirts collected during the activation will now be donated to KitAid, giving the old colours a second life and helping them reach communities where they can be put to good use. So while they may have been hard to see in the stadium, you couldn’t miss them outside.
