Encyclopedia of British Football
~ Football Kits ~
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Early football teams played in
kit that was not dissimilar to that of cricket, and generally considered
of shirt, flannel trousers, strong boots and a cap. At first clubs used
a variety of different designs. For example, in 1884 Bolton Wanderers
wore white shirts with red spots. The following year they changed to
red, blue and white stripes.
When Preston North End was established in 1863 they played in narrow
blue stripes and long white trousers. They did not change to white
shirts until 1888. On the other hand, Blackburn Rovers, established in
1875, wore shirts of blue and white halves from the very beginning.
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The first known photograph of Blackburn Rovers (c. 1880). |
By the 1890s football shirt designs had settled into a few standardized
alternatives. This included plain, stripes, hoops and halves. Shirts
were normally flannelette with laced collars. Aston Villa were fairly
unique by preferring woolen jerseys with round necks.
Clubs also began to abandon the idea of wearing flannel trousers.
Instead they dressed in knickerbockers made from serge, swan's-down or
lambskin.
Charlie Roberts of Manchester United upset the Football Association by
starting the fashion of wearing very short knickers. In 1904 the FA took
action by passing a regulation that stipulated that football knickers
covered the knees. Roberts and some other players ignored this
regulation and knickerbockers were eventually called shorts. However,
many players, including the great Alex James, continued to wear long
baggy shorts.
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Charlie Roberts in about 1900 |
In the early days clubs did not have to wear the same color socks. It
was only in 1937 that the Football League required clubs to register the
color and design of their socks.
In the 19th century goalkeepers wore the same colors as their
team-mates. A new regulation was introduced in 1909 that stated that
goalkeepers were restricted to scarlet, blue or white jerseys. In 1912
the Football Association also gave permission for green jerseys to be
worn. These eventually became the norm. In 1921 the FA decided that
yellow jerseys should be worn in international games.
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Dixie Dean and Alex James in August 1936 |
Numbered shirts first appeared in English games in 1928. However it was
not until the 1938-39 season that all clubs in the Football League were
forced to wear numbers.
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