The history of football jerseys: How football gear and accessories have evolved

The history of the football jersey began in the 19th century when a more modern form of football developed in England. Read about the early players in thick cotton shirts, heavy leather boots, and also about when synthetic materials started to be produced and who first used them on the field.

The first jerseys in English schools

The first mention of clothing specifically designed for football dates back to 1526. A pair of football boots was found in the wardrobe of Henry VIII. In the 16th century, however, football was played exclusively in secondary schools to motivate students to be active.

Each school had its own rules that reflected local conditions, such as the size of the field and other factors.

According to a picture from 1840 titled 'Common people have red and boys from the college have blue jerseys', it can be assumed that color differentiation of teams was already happening at that time.

A few years later, the same colors were mentioned in an article from Bell’s Life in London in 1858.

Through gradual development, the use of special clothing emerged, which included elegant velvet jerseys and caps.

The jerseys of the first club Sheffield FC

The game of football began to take on an organized form around the 1860s, but players outside of schools wore whatever clothing they had available. Players from the same team then identified themselves with colored caps or sashes.

The rules of the first football club, Sheffield FC, from 1857 required members to obtain one red and one dark blue cap to distinguish teams during matches. In 1860, records show that players from Sheffield appeared in red and white colors, while their opponents from Hallam & Stumperlow wore blue colors.

The distinction using caps and sashes ultimately did not prove effective, and the game manual from 1867 suggested that one team wear striped jerseys of one color and the other team a different color. Only this way could confusion in taking the ball from teammates be avoided.

In the football yearbooks of Charles Alcock, return forms were even discovered requesting club secretaries to provide details about the club colors.

The professionalization of football and the adjustment of jerseys

Until the establishment of the Football Academy, players wore a variety of heavy cotton jerseys, knee-length trousers or long pants with belts or garters, and heavy leather boots. The star of early football, Lord Kinnaird, became famous for his long white trousers.

The exception was school players, who were dressed in more elegant striped jerseys similar to jockey outfits or pajamas.

With the emergence of the Football Academy, football gradually began to professionalize, and the first standard jerseys with specific colors representing individual clubs also appeared. For example, Royal Engineers A.F. C. featured red and blue, while Lincoln had white jerseys with red, white, and blue caps.

Many clubs drew from colors associated with schools or other sports organizations from which they originated.

The jerseys lacked numbers to identify individual players.

As football professionalized, the gear also changed. Bright colors were replaced with simple combinations of primary shades so that the growing number of spectators could easily identify individual players.

In 1890, it was decided that all member teams must have distinct colors to avoid confusing the spectators. However, the rules were slightly adjusted, and teams were required to have a second set of jerseys in a different color.

Since 1921, the responsibility to change the jersey color has fallen on the visiting team.

The first use of shin guards

Initially, almost no additional equipment was used apart from clothing and footwear. It wasn't until 1874 that Nottingham Forest player Sam Weller Widdowson first appeared with shin guards. He made them by shortening cricket pads and placing them above his socks. Although others initially mocked him, they soon took inspiration from his idea.

At the turn of the century, shin guards were further modified. They were reduced in size and placed under the socks.

The history of the football jersey at the beginning of the 20th century

With the spread of football around the world, clubs were also influenced in terms of clothing and gear. Teams abroad and on other continents adopted kits and often colors similar to those worn in the United Kingdom.

In 1903, for example, the Italian club Juventus adopted black and white stripes inspired by Notts County. Later, the Argentine club Atlético Independiente wore red jerseys that they saw at Nottingham Forest.

Around 1905, knee-length knickerbockers, prescribed by the Football Academy, were replaced by shorter shorts called 'shorts'.

Since 1909, the rules for goalkeeper clothing changed, and they began to wear colors different from the other players on the team. Originally, the colors for goalkeepers were set as blue and red, and in 1912, green was added to them. At that time, goalkeepers wore heavier clothing resembling a sweater or turtleneck for identification.

The addition of numbers on jerseys

The first major match where players wore numbers took place in 1933 in the FA Cup final between Everton and Manchester City. Special sets of jerseys were made, red and white, which the teams drew lots for with a coin. Everton players wore numbers 1–11, while City players wore numbers 12–22.

It wasn't until around World War II that an unwritten rule of assigning numbers to specific players was practiced. Initially, all teams numbered from one to eleven, with number one most often assigned to the goalkeeper and number nine used for the team's main striker.

In the history of the Scottish football jersey, there were only minor differences compared to England. For example, the Scottish club Celtic wore numbers more on their shorts than on their shirts until 1975. (scotland football kits history)

The history of football jerseys in Brazil and Germany

In the early second half of the 20th century, the development of synthetic production led to modifications of jerseys. Heavy cotton was replaced by lighter and more breathable materials, which some European and South American countries took advantage of.

German and Brazilian football clubs historically copied their British counterparts, but now they adapted to technological developments earlier than the traditional English pioneers. Their jerseys also began to differ in cut. Collars and neck ties were gradually replaced by a V-neck design.

The United Kingdom resisted new options for a while and stuck to jerseys similar to those before the war.

Similarly, Eastern Europe leaned more towards historical football shirts than new synthetic materials. (football shirt history)

Only with the arrival of the European Cup in 1954 and other international competitions did the new style spread to the rest of the continent. By the end of the 1950s, heavy shirts and pre-war boots were completely banished.

The shift to synthetic materials was also supported by improvements in textile technology and the needs of modern football. These changes gradually led to the fact that today football jerseys are almost exclusively made from polyester, nylon, or a blend of the two.

The development of sponsored jerseys

Since the 1970s, the first production of sponsored jerseys and jerseys for fans has taken place. The idea first came from Leeds United, which designed replica jerseys for fans. Soon, other clubs joined in, expanding their jerseys with product logos and other embellishments.

In 1973, the German team Eintracht Braunschweig made a deal with a local alcohol manufacturer, Jägermeister, and displayed its logo on the front of their shirts. Shortly after, sponsorship agreements spread to other teams.

In contrast, Spanish clubs FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao rejected the presentation of sponsor logos. Barcelona wore the UNICEF logo on their shirts instead of sponsors until 2011 and contributed 1.5 million euros annually to charity.

The modern era of flashy designs

In the 1970s, player names began to appear on jerseys. The North American Alliance was a pioneer, assigning each player their own number instead of simply numbering from 1 to 11.

In other countries, these ideas were gradually adopted.

From the 1980s, companies like Hummel and Adidas began designing increasingly complex designs in line with technological advancements.

A decade later, the color schemes of jerseys became more garish, and many designs from that time are considered some of the worst in history. However, the plain gray jerseys introduced by Manchester United in 1996 were shelved due to poor visibility of the players.

The development of football boots

Before specialized football boots were created, players used regular leather shoes or work boots. They originally nailed strips of leather onto them to improve grip. The boots were heavy with hard toes and extended high above the ankles.

By the end of the 19th century, metal studs were added to boots, helping players maintain stability on the grass and reduce slipping.

In the 1930s, significant advancements in the production of football boots occurred with the development of synthetic materials and softer leathers. By 1936, players in Europe wore boots that weighed only a third of those from a decade earlier. Despite their flexibility and better control, they did not win over everyone, and some players referred to them as ballet shoes.

In 1954, Adidas introduced the first ankle-cut boots. Although their price soared to double that of existing styles, the boots were a huge success and solidified the German company's position in the football market. At the same time, Adidas also developed the first boots with removable studs that could be changed according to the condition of the pitch.