A Jersey Hunt In France

The idea was simple: a scavenger hunt for jerseys during my travels in France.

So far I have been to six different games in five cities— Paris, Reims, Le Havre, Rennes, and Lyon. And while I thought the task would be easy, I started to realize very quickly that everybody saved their jerseys for game day. In particular, USA game days would be a sea of every generation USWNT jersey you can imagine. For me, the bonus was spotting NWSL representation as well.

Nikita Taparia

At non-USWNT games, it was easier to spot jersey representation from other countries. For instance, during the Norway-England match, I photographed fans representing Australia, Argentina, and Cameroon!

Nikita Taparia

While jersey hunting in the stands is fun, my original intention was to photograph them near iconic places. I chilled near Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims for hours, surrounded by USWNT jerseys, hoping to spot a Spanish jersey. Instead, I ended up photographing people in Donovan jerseys.

Nikita Taparia

I went to Versailles for the day with zero luck in the markets, gardens, or palace. I hung out on the beach in Le Havre and sneakily photographed a person in a Norway jersey while also taking a picture of the boardwalk. I went to the top three museums in Paris (Orsay, Pompidou, and Louvre) in one day during the Paris heatwave. (Side note: I do not recommend this.) I struck out at the first two museums and honestly wanted to call it quits. But it seemed completely silly to travel to France and not fight through a giant mob to see a notoriously small painting of a famous smile. And let’s just say that despite all my shortcomings during this hunt for jerseys in France, I will always have the Mona Lisa.

Nikita Taparia

The rest of the gallery can be found here:

Grid View

• Walking along the beach in Le Havre. Can you spot the jersey? Nikita Taparia
• It took them a few minutes to get everyone organized for this photo. I technically wanted a candid but got spotted. Nikita Taparia
• Goalkeeper love. Nikita Taparia
• Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi! Nikita Taparia
• I was incredibly excited to photograph Banini fans! They were incredibly excited to represent Banini! Nikita Taparia
• Waiting for the game Norway v England game to start. Nikita Taparia
• A Portland Thorns family! Nikita Tapaira
• On the count of 3, yell U-S-A!!! Nikita Taparia
• It truly is a small world when you photograph fans in Paris and then realize you know one of them from a Reign game. (This would not be the last time that day). Nikita Taparia
• A mix of French and USA fans during the quarterfinal match in Paris. Nikita Taparia
• French supporters on the opposite end as American Outlaws. Nikita Taparia
• I am pretty certain it isn’t a world cup game unless I spot at least one person with Thorns gear. Nikita Taparia
• For whatever reason, I found it difficult to spot German jerseys at a Germany game but it may have to do with the away jersey popping out in a crowd. Nikita Taparia
• Swedish fans during Sweden’s victory against Germany. Nikita Taparia
• #SpiritFam Nikita Taparia
• Oranje Army Nikita Taparia
• A Marta fan with a Timbers hat. Never expected that! (in Vieux Lyon) Nikita Taparia
• Which one of you stuck this in Vieux Lyon... Nikita Taparia