Gloucester Rugby & OXEN unveil limited edition Slater Cup shirt

Gloucester Rugby & Oxen are incredibly proud to unveil a new addition to its playing strip; the Slater Cup shirt.

Designed by Ed, wife Jo and his three children Edie (8), Flo (7) and Frank (4), in partnership with Gloucester Rugby kit partner Oxen Sports, the shirt will be worn by the Gloucester Rugby team to face Leicester Tigers at the Slater Cup on Sunday 12 March. £10 from every shirt sold will go directly to the Slater family to aid Ed’s treatment and adaptations to his home, while also providing valuable financial support to his young family in the toughest of circumstances, following his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in July 2022.

Crucially, the shirt is also designed to raise important awareness of MND and will be worn in round 20 of the Gallagher Premiership when Gloucester face Leicester Tigers at Kingsholm, broadcast live on BT Sport.

The Slater Cup shirt is decorated with personal touches from Ed’s three children. Youngest, Frank, added ‘4Dad’ above the Gloucester Rugby logo, while the classic cherries of the ‘Cherry & Whites’ also appear on the bottom of the shirt, thanks to Edie. The Slater Cup trophy takes pride of place on the left sleeve, designed by Flo, while a portrait of Ed appears on the right. The classic Gloucester Rugby red remains as the core colour of the new strip, with the number 4, Ed’s position, placed on the front.

“It’s really special” commented Ed. “Having a shirt designed after you, for you, by your own kids, isn’t something I’d ever thought about. It’s humbling to know Gloucester, my teammates and friends, will be running out in that shirt with my number on the front. It means a huge amount.”

“I’m very grateful to the Gloucester Rugby community for their support. It’s a well-used cliché but it really is a special place; a ‘proper’ rugby club with an unbreakable, unique, spirit and unity that has given me so much.”

The Slater Cup was established earlier this season and will be competed for between Gloucester Rugby and Leicester Tigers forever more as part of the regular Gallagher Premiership league season. Ed spent seven seasons at the Tigers before joining the Cherry & Whites in 2017. He made 90 appearances for the club before being forced to announce his retirement follow his MND diagnosis. 

Leicester Tigers claimed victory in the first Slater Cup on 24 December 2022, beating Gloucester 28-13 at a packed out Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium. The return fixture, which will take place one week after the inaugural 4Ed dinner at Cheltenham Racecourse, is expected to see an equally impressive turnout from Gloucester fans, with £5 from every ticket sold going to the 4Ed campaign.

The shirts are available to pre-order now via the Elite Pro Sports website – click here.