The Evolution of the Soccer Kit

The soccer kit is not just the uniform that a soccer				previously English-dominated sport as soccer started
team wears when playing. It means so much more				to evolve into a worldwide phenomenon.
and has evolved from its humble beginning in much				The 1950s saw the introduction of the European Cup,
the same way as the soccer boot. Beginning life as a				renamed as the UEFA Champions League, won for
simple top to help distinguish one team's players from				the first five years by Spain's all-white Real Madrid.
the other team, the soccer shirt has become a piece				As the game became publicised through the
of design and innovation and more importantly to				popularity of both club and country competitions,
soccer fans across the globe - a fashion accessory.				television also introduced soccer to a wider audience
When soccer became an organised sport in the mid				across the world. The sport gained followers from
1800s, the formation of the English Football				many countries and backgrounds and so the players'
Association brought many rules to the previously				attire and the players themselves took on the role of
anarchic sport. However, uniforms or kits were not				soccer icons.
one of the early rules as players generally wore				The arrival of the swinging 60s brought a new type
whatever they liked with a coloured cap or scarf				of soccer player to the public's attention as the
used to distinguish themselves from other players.				sport's popularity reached unprecedented highs. The
Soccer in England was played mainly by wealthy				club game was full of well-supported teams including
gentlemen who were financially able to purchase a				the red of Liverpool and the black and blue stripes of
suitable shirt in their club's colours - with plain white				Italy's Internazionale. Alongside the club game, the
t-shirts the most popular kit due to its ease to obtain				FIFA World Cup brought a whole new level of
and being relatively cheap.				interest with the global superstars of the Brazil squad
In a handbook published in 1867, it was advised that				including such greats as Pele and Garrincha.
'if it can be previously so arranged, to have one side				The popularity of the sport, combined with the new
with striped jerseys of one colour, say red, and the				levels of skill demonstrated by some of the new
other with another, say blue. This prevents confusion				stars of soccer ensured that team kits would need
and wild attempts to wrest the ball from your				to be as eye-catching and iconic as the players. With
neighbour.' However, from the inception of the				television coverage increasing, soccer teams would
Football Association in 1863, it still took over a				have to improve the quality of their kits as a symbol
decade for soccer kits to appear and become a				of the success and skill that the team possessed.
regular part of the game.				Clubs would begin to realise the potential of a
The first kits that appeared were generally taken				commercially appealing soccer kit in the future, and
from public schools, with teams such as Blackburn				this belief began to take shape as the 1960s rolled
Rovers adopting the colours initially of Cambridge				on.
University as many of their players were former				The 1960s saw the arrival of football superstars like
students. Many of the original kits were garish and				George Best, raising the profile of the game to
brash, shown by Reading's use of a salmon pink,				encompass more than just fans of the sport. Often
claret and blue uniform - a million miles from the				referred to as the 'fifth Beatle', Best would be
simple royal blue and white of today.				symbollic of the new appeal that the modern 60s
As the sport moved away from a middle class hobby				soccer player had in society. Best's fanbase extended
and became popular as a working class occupation,				past the Manchester United fanbase, in the same
the kits were to evolve with the sport itself.				way that David Beckham's celebrity status would
Individuals would no longer be responsible for				engulf the world thirty years later.
providing their own uniform, as clubs began to adopt				With the new soccer celebrity, clubs would realise the
specific colours and provide the kit for their team to				commercial potential of their assets and would
wear.				develop their kits and sales techniques to achieve
Association football became increasingly popular with				maximum financial benefits. It wasn't until 1975 that
spectators and so the soccer players' attire was to				the first official shirts went on sale in England when
be affected to improve the ease of viewing. This led				Leeds United launched the first ever replica kit. The
to the abandonment of bright, gaudy colours in				shirts were made by Admiral and featured a club
favour of distinctive primary uniforms to enable				badge, consequently raising the price for supporters
viewers to easily identify their team from a distance.				wishing to wear their team's colours. Previously able
As the game evolved, the equipment used also				to buy a generic white shirt, Leeds fans would now
changed, with the invention of shin pads by Sam				have to spend more than twice as much money on
Weller Widdowson in 1874. His use of cut down				the official replica shirt.
cricket pads outside of his stockings would also				The arrival of the replica kit would have the biggest
evolve into smaller pads worn inside the socks, a				impact imaginable on the evolution soccer kit. Club
more familiar concept to the modern-day soccer				badges would become a marketable aspect of the
player.				kit, with clubs seeking to register the copyright to
Shorts and socks were not considered a part of the				protect their investment. Kit makers such as Admiral,
team's kit until around the turn of the century. In				Bukta and Umbro would waive their fees for
1901, new regulations were introduced making socks				producing the kit in return for a cut of the profits
officially part of the strip as well as so-called 'knickers'				generated by shirt sales, a commercial practice that
not being required to be lower than the knee leading				continues to this day.
to the 'soccer shorts' that we see today. It was in				Another practice that would enter the soccer kit
the first twenty years of the 20th Century that the				design would be the introduction of shirt sponsors in
soccer kit of today really began to take shape.				the late 1970s. Initially, clubs would show the name of
Forty years on from the first soccer kits, and with				the kit manufacturers, as demonstrated by the first
association football becomingly increasingly popular in				UK club sponsor of Hibernian FC with shirts showing
the UK, soccer kit styles became more fashionable				Bukta on the chest. This quickly evolved into a
and design-conscious in the early 1900s. Popular shirt				marketing strategy for both club and sponsor, with
designs included the eternal favourite of vertical				the soccer team earning substantial financial rewards
stripes, although the pinstripe of the 1800s was				for advertising the sponsor's name.
replaced with a wider stripe. The First World War				Kit sponsorship remained conservative in the UK, with
prevented the UK soccer league from continuing				teams only allowed to display one sponsor up until
from 1914 until the competition returned in 1919.				the 21st century when restrictions were stretched.
Between 1919 and the next suspension of				Clubs would print sponsors on their shorts as well as
professional soccer in 1939 with the outbreak of war				on the backs of shirts - although this had been
with Germany, kit innovation had slowed down and				common practice in countries such as Mexico for
the most notable change of the period occurred in				years. Mexican club sides would display three or four
the 1930s. Collars replaced crew necks and shorts				sponsors on their shirts, often with two or three
were no longer plain with the inclusion of stripes				individual company names solely on the shirt's front.
down the side of the leg. The most influential change				The 1980s saw a trend for slim-fitting shirts and
was shown by north London's Arsenal when their kit				smaller shorts, epitomised by the all red Liverpool kit
had red shirts with contrasting white sleeves, a				worn by such Kop legends as Dalglish, Rush and
design that is still their home kit to this day.				Hansen. These kits gave way to the baggy, retro
Another introduction that appeared in this period was				look of the 90s that was introduced when the
the introduction of shirt numbers, experimented with				Premier League was launched in 1992. Bold colours
by Arsenal before becoming more common in 1939				and unusual patterns were often chosen, sometimes
before the Second World War. Numbers would go on				as a second or third kit with a traditional design as
to play a significant role in the merchandise sales of				the club's main uniform.
shirts in the latter part of the 20th century, but were				Squad numbers were used by Premier League clubs
used initially to allow easier identification of players.				in another attempt to boost revenue from shirt
After the end of World War II, rationing would play a				sales, as popular player's names were blazened
major part in the development of soccer kits. Clubs				across the backs of supporters in the stands. With
would struggle to replace old kits due to clothing				so many kits available for each club, shirt sales
rations and so would play in the same kits for years				became a major part of the soccer club's economy
or borrow full strips from other teams, including				and so regular changes occur to boost club funds and
rugby clubs. KIts began to keep a level of				profits. It is not unusual for a club to release two or
consistency and teams opted to maintain a specific				three different shirt designs each year in an attempt
colour uniform which would become associated with				to capitalise on the soccer shirt's commercial draw.
their club.				So what does the future hold for the soccer shirt?
The baggy, loose-fitting shorts of the early parts of				With skin-tight lycra, baggy-retro look, sleeveless
the century were gradually replaced during the 1950s				shirts and animal prints all making an appearance in
when kits became more streamlined to aid speed and				the last 150 years, the possibilities are endless. As
agility of players. This change in style and design				new fabrics, designs and styles become popular, the
coincided with the European influence on the				soccer shirt of the future holds so many possibilities.

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The Evolution of the Soccer Kit