Reading, and the University of Reading, grabbed headlines on Saturday after the ITV coverage of their FA Cup clash with Manchester United explained the 'climate stripes.'

A key part of this year's kit, the changing of blue stripes into red represents the average temperatures from 1850 until present day, showing that Earth is heating up.

Designed by Professor Ed Hawkins of the town's university, the stripes feature prominently on both the home and away kit.

Sam Matterface, the lead commentator for ITV, explained the design in the first half as more than two million people tuned in to see the Red Devils knock the Royals out 3-1 at Old Trafford.

Speaking in the 29th minute, he said: "You may have noticed the kaleidoscope of colour on the Reading kit, with Reading being proactive in highlighting climate change. The kit this year includes what they call ‘climate stripes’, designed by Ed Hawkins- the professor of climate science at the University of Reading. Each of the stripes represent the average temperature for a single year, relative to the average temperature from 1850 until 2022. You may have noticed that the shades of blue indicate cooler than average temperatures while red, towards the bottom, is where the years get hotter."

Retweeted by professionals around the globe, including Good Morning Britain meteorologist Laura Tobin, it garnered praise for bringing a key discussion into the prime-time domain.