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The Islanders are letting fans design the team’s alternate jersey for the 2027-28 season, down to the tiniest details like shoulder patches and trim — and the winner gets to be there in person to see their product debut on the ice.
“In the end, you’re going to end up with a jersey that the fans like, and the players like — and hopefully that’s the one that you want to win a Cup in,” Isles president of business operations Kelly Cheeseman told The Post.
The team launched an online portal, islesjerseybuilder.com, where diehards can begin with a jersey-style layout in familiar formats like the 1990s-revived fisherman wave and classic NYI style.
It also introduces fresh takes on former looks, like repurposing the font format from the team’s fan-panned black, gray and orange jerseys circa 2011.
There were more than 11,000 entries in the first four hours of going live Wednesday, well ahead of the July 24 deadline.
Cheeseman said fans have been rabid with “conspiracy theories” about the Islanders’ jersey future and past — like the team’s sweaters that featured only an “NY” without the backdrop of Long Island — well before the contest launched.
“You see a lot of debate about an all-orange jersey, and whether that should be back,” added Cheeseman of the popular mid-2000s alternate.
“I just love all that chatter. It just brings the passion of the fan base forward. When there’s that irrational talk about anything in sports, that’s what real fan bases dream about.”
Unusual hues of gold, red, green and purple are up for grabs, in addition to the Islanders’ usual blue-and-orange palette and its variations.
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Cheeseman, who had similar success with the fan concept in 2013 with the MLS’ LA Galaxy, doubled down on the point that team staff and the athletes will have a final say as a fail-safe against any popular but outlandish submissions that receive high votes.
“I think really getting the players involved, so that they’re picking what they want to wear, that’s to me always the most important part of the jersey uniform process,” he said.
“When they’re putting it on, they’ve got to feel like, ‘All right, I want to win a game’ and not to feel all goofy.”
That’s not to say creativity isn’t encouraged, according to Cheeseman, who called the contest “kind of a tease” to the team’s hometown remix jerseys for this upcoming season.
“There’s even areas where fans can add notes at the end of their jersey. If you weren’t able to completely capture your concept and idea, tell us what notes you have,” he said.
“It’s the jersey of the people — and the team of the people.”
