The England Soccer Kit - A Brief History

First Kit1965. This was an area of the classic England kit of
The England team wore a kit that in terms of coloursplain white shirt, blue shorts and white socks with a
is not that different from current kit when they playedchange kit of red shirts, white shorts and red socks.
the first international match away to Scotland inThe 1966 red away kit is part of English iconography
Glasgow. The shirt was long sleeved white with theas it is the kit that England wore when they beat West
three lions badge, the major difference was that theGermany 4-2 in the World Cup final at Wembley in
shorts where much longer and white and the socks1966.
blue. The England team played in this kit until 1882Post 1966
when the shorts changed to blue. The English FAAfter England's world win in 1966 there has been no
provided the shirts but players need to provide theirless then 40 different kits released. These have
own shorts and socks.included a sky blue away kit for the world cups in 1970
and 1990. England turned out in a Brazil style away kit
First Away Kitfor only three games whilst Joe Mercer was
The FA boycotted FIFA and the first two World Cupcaretaker manager in the summer of 1973.
Finals in Uruguay in 1930 and Italy 1934. They continuedAdmiral took over the making of the England Kit in
to play the home international matches but the need1974 and it was the first time that a manufactures
for an away kit did not occur until they faced Austriasymbol was added to the kit worn by the players. It
and Germany in May 1930. The first away kit was notwas also the first time a licensing deal was paid to the
the famous red strip but one with a blue shirt, whiteFA allowing Admiral to market replica kits and the era
shorts and blue socks with white trim. Player numbersof the modern kit began. Admiral produced one classic
where first won on the backs of shirts in a gamekit design with coloured stripes across the top of the
against Scotland in 1937.home and away kits. These shirts where worn in both
England First World Cupthe 1980 European Championships in Italy and the 1982
England entered the Soccer World Cup for the firstWorld Cup Finals in Spain.
time in 1950 in Brazil. England qualified as they hadWhen England hosted the European Championships in
topped the home internationals table. Scotland who1996 the away kit design was switched from the
had finished second where also eligible to play butstandard red away shirt to a grey one. It was the grey
withdrew as they believed only the Champions of theshirt that the team where wearing when they lost the
home internationals should go. Full of hubris the Englandsemi final to Germany.
team where soon brought down to earth when theySince the grey away kit of 1996 the colours of the
lost their opening group game 1-0 to the USA. TheyEngland kit have reminded static with the home kit
then lost 1-0 to Spain and where knocked out of thewhite, with blue shorts and white socks and the away
tournament. The away blue shirts where dropped andkit being red shirts, white shorts and red socks. The
the next time England required a change of strip thechanges have been in the trim. The kit from
played in red shirts.2005-2007 included a red cross of St George on the
World Cup Winnersshoulder on the home kit and white cross on the
The England kit stayed basically the same from 1950away.
until 1970. There where variations in the colour ofThe new home kit for 2009 has seen the design
socks, the shorts where mixed and match dependingscaled back to a minimal feel. The home shirt is plain
on the opposition, the team sometimes playing withwhite with a collar, the England badge, the Umbro
white shorts or blue or red socks. England played forsymbol and no trim. It is the cleanest shirt design and
the first time in a full red kit against Peru in a friendly ininspired by the classic design of the kit from the 1960's.
May 1962 and against Bulgaria in the World Cup inHopefully the kit will bring the team a return to the glory
1962. Umbro took over making the kit from Bukta indays of 1966.