Introduction to Football Shirts in the UK

It was only until the 1970's that Clubs in the UK began to create individually designed kits. Up till then clubs in the UK would wear a coloured jersey, but apart from the colour they were virtually indistinguishable. The first club in the UK to sell a replica shirt was Leeds United, due to the revenue produced every other club was soon copied them.

By the end of the 1970's manufacturer's like Admiral were making the kits of Leeds United and England. Sponsors were soon recruited by most clubs, to begin with Sharp for Manchester United, NEC for Everton and JVC for Arsenal. Some clubs foreign clubs like Barcelona refused to have a shirt sponsor, believing it cheapened the honour. They only recanted in the past 3 years, due to the huge sums rivals like Real Madrid could produce from a shirt sponsor.

As time passed the shirts were increasingly using intricate designs. In 1994 the Manchester United home shirt had a background image of Old Trafford (football stadium) sown into the fabric. Present day the shirt designs seem to have simplified, the major revolution is in the materials used. With cutting edge science (such as the Clima365 technology developed by Adidas) the materials are aimed to keep players and fans warm during the winter months and cool during the spring and summer months. Reebok's new "Play Dry" technology aims to remove moisture and perspiration away from the body to keep players dry.